Kuala Lumpur’s Publika offers an artisan shopping experience with hand-picked retailers curating craft products, to dining outlets specializing in treats unique to the mall. From the conception of Publika in 2011 arts programming has also been paramount to the mission of the space, with the venue’s own mapKL arts and cultural platform spearheading some of the nation’s most innovative exhibitions. At a time in Malaysia when limited funding for the arts exists and access is often for the elite, mapKL melds commercial sponsorship with grassroots initiatives to bring arts to the capital city. DestinAsian sits down with some of the folks behind the art-infused walkways and foreign language films nights of Publika.

1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 603/6207-9426; Publika