Key officials, diplomats and authorities from France and Malaysia in Paris gathered around HRH Regent of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra, for the official inauguration of the ‘Kelantan, Splendeurs d’un Sultanate’ exhibition today.

Open to the public, the exhibition runs until 6 April 2018 and presents the art of living in Malaysia through craftsmanship and cultural heritage. It was created with the support of the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Malaysian Embassy in France, the office of the Sultan of Kelantan, the Kelantan State Museum Corporation, the Faculty of Art and Design, UiTM Shah Alam and Tourism Malaysia.

The art pieces from state museums in Kelantan and private collections are presented for the first time in France and to show continuity in their ancestral knowledge, students of the Faculty of Art and Design, UiTM Shah Alam also exhibited their creations in jewelry and textile.

Mr Francois Laurent, Deputy Director of International Affairs, French Ministry of Culture and Communications exchanged gifts with Tengku Muhammad Faiz marking 60 years of Franco-Malaysian relations at the event which was also attended by Datuk Ibrahim Abdullah, the Ambassador of Malaysia to France and Haslina Abdul Hamid, Deputy Secretary General - Tourism, Ministry of Tourism & Culture.

Julia de Bierre, Curator of the exhibition gave Tengku Muhammad Faiz a guided tour on the richness and diversity of the Malay heritage where jewelry, textiles, community art, wedding ceremony customs and a reconstruction of the royal dining room were on display.

A short Mak Yong dance of “Mengadap Rebab”, a mixture of theater and dance, classified as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO was performed by dancers from Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA).

The exhibition is sponsored by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism and Culture in association with Tourism Malaysia, the Embassy of Malaysia in France, Kelantan State Museum Corporation, UiTM Shah Alam and co-sponsored by Ancom Berhad, MAA Group Berhad and Uzma Group.