Perak: A total of 140 metal heritage treasures of significant historical, cultural, and artistic value are being showcased in the 'Magic and Metal: Spirit, Power and Art' exhibition currently held at the Perak Museum here.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Perak Museum director Mohd Nasrulamiazam Mohd Nasir stated that the exhibition, running from June 1 to December 31, focuses on spirit, power, and art. It explores the understanding and function of metal as a medium imbued with mystical, symbolic, and cultural value, particularly within the Malay world.

Mohd Nasrulamiazam highlighted the exhibition's uniqueness, bringing together, for the first time, the early metal-based collections of the Perak Museum. This includes artefacts of historical, aesthetic, and symbolic significance. Enriching the exhibition are strategic collaborations with notable figures and institutions, such as sculpture collections by Raja Syahriman Raja Aziddin, silver ornaments from Yayasan Al-Amin, and Malay weaponry collections belonging to Nor Azahar Ibrahim.

He shared these insights during a press conference following the exhibition's opening, officiated by Department of Museums Malaysia director-general Datuk Kamarul Baharin A. Kasim. Additionally, Mohd Nasrulamiazam noted the museum's target of 100,000 visitors, with nearly 20,000 recorded so far.

On display are collections like a 19th-century Malay traditional weapon with a snail-shell hilt, once owned by the 26th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II; 18th-century Bugis warrior armor; and a spoon and fork set belonging to Raja Laut Ibni Sultan Muhammad Shah, the second son of the third Sultan of Selangor.

The exhibition is part of the Department of Museums Malaysia's ongoing efforts to bolster the role of museums as centres of knowledge, research, and heritage preservation, offering the public a chance to understand the historical and cultural values embodied in each collection.