It’s true! If you’re passing through the Masjid Jamek LRT tunnel to board a train home, work or college, don’t be surprised to be bombarded with tons of doodles!

The exhibition titled “Doodle Malaysia’s Contenglah” was created by the talented artists and doodlers of Doodle Malaysia – a group of more than 8,900 Malaysian artists on Facebook!

Funded and supported by ThinkCity and Prasarana, the entire exhibition was organised by Malaysian artist, Allie Hill. It runs from October 6 to Nov 30.

Though most of the exhibitions consists of prepared artworks, there is a live-doodling exhibition where artist Sanuri Zulkefli will be drawing from October 6 until October 10 from 10am to 5pm.

Next up, will be artist Arif Rafhan Othman who will begin doodling from October 10 to October 14 from 8am to noon.

Being part of ThinkCity’s “Arts on the Move” campaign, the exhibition also consists of musical and theatre performances too, happening only at the Masjid Jamek LRT station. Check out the entire programme here.

Joining the Doodle Malaysia Facebook group, one would be welcomed by their charming, tongue-in-cheek manifesto which reads:

#1: Upload a doodle!
#2: Keep it real (hand drawn)
#3: If you like a doodle, SHARE IT!
#4: No hating. (In a doodle or about a doodle)
#5: Eat plenty of vegetables.

But wait! When was this group formed?

It began in 2013 when a few doodlers grew tired of the constant stream of negativity in their Facebook feeds decided to start a mini digital movement to bring about positive change.

“They started by forming a group in Facebook that anyone could join – anyone who was interested in doodling for peace, love and unity. The idea was simple: by posting their doodles everyday, the hope was to inject a little artistic positivity into each others’ news stream,” Allie says to Eksentrika.

Today the group has grown ten-fold and consists of amateur to professional artists where each person uploads their respective artworks. The best part, no one gets shamed for their art! Each artist is supported and members of the group share tips with each other openly.

“We are fuelled, funded and run entirely on volunteer power and will never charge for membership. People of all abilities are welcome and our membership ranges from casual observers who do not draw to absolute beginners to established professionals,” Allie says.

Doodle Malaysia believes that drawing is a powerful tool not just for self expression but to bring about love, peace and unity through a shared interest in art.

“So to further strengthen our bond, social meetups and doodle events are held on a regular basis. At every event, over a shared passion for art and drawing, new friendships are made and old connections are strengthened – across all backgrounds – because talent and passion knows no colour, creed or religion. From these friendships, understanding and tolerance grows. From understanding, mutual respect grows.”

The exhibition is broken into four parts namely Tengoklah!, Contenglah!, Ceritalah!, Selfielah!

Tengoklah! consists of the entire exhibition itself – a 200 feet floor-to-ceiling consisting nothing but doodles! Contenglah! are the two empty panels where Sanuri and Arif would be doodling on.

For Ceritalah! Allie had this to say: “I posted a simple question on our Facebook page: Why do you doodle? The wonderful, honest and thought provoking responses I received are displayed on the wall too. We hope that these ‘stories’ from our members will resonate with someone and encourage them to try doodling too.”

So, if you’re ever passing through Masjid Jamek LRT, don’t forget to take a few photos of yourself at the Selfielah! section.

And as Allie says, “Majulah Doodle untuk negara!”

Pssst! We also compiled a humongous list of Malaysian artists you MUST follow during Inktober. Check em out. What are your thoughts on Doodle Malaysia’s Contenglah! exhibition? Drop us a comment below or email us at [email protected]