Helios exhibition launched at Borneo Cultures Museum
- BT
- Dec 6, 2025
- 2 min read
KUCHING, Dec 6 – The Sarawak Museum Department (SMD) officially launched the “Helios: (The Sun)” temporary exhibition at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) today. This monumental installation, created by renowned UK artist Luke Jerram, is especially notable as it is the very first time the artwork has been exhibited in Asia.
The launching ceremony, held at the Atrium on Level 5 of the BCM, was officiated by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Sarawak, Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah this morning.
The arrival of Helios marks the successful completion of a remarkable trilogy of celestial art installations brought to Sarawak by the SMD.
2023: The department hosted the Museum of the Moon, which was Malaysia's first time welcoming the installation and attracted 60,786 visitors.
2024: SMD presented Gaia: (The Earth), a large-scale model that received overwhelming public support, drawing an incredible 102,303 visitors over three months.
2025: Now, the Sun completes the set, affirming SMD's commitment to elevating Sarawak as a destination for international, world-class temporary exhibitions.
The Helios exhibition features a giant spherical sculpture that is illuminated from within and wrapped in high-resolution solar imagery. This offers visitors an immersive opportunity to safely observe the Sun’s beauty up close, including surface details normally invisible to the naked eye.
Speaking at the launching event, Karim emphasised that the exhibition was brought to Sarawak to deepen public understanding of science, art, and the vital role the Sun plays in sustaining life on Earth. The Minister expressed his hope that the exhibition would inspire visitors to explore astronomy and cultivate greater environmental awareness. He also highlighted the strategic importance of hosting such events.
“The Helios exhibition is a clear reflection of Sarawak's commitment to advancing our State in line with the Sarawak Tourism Master Plan 2021-2035,” he said. He also disclosed that BCM continues to be a top attraction, having welcomed a staggering 1.5 million visitors to date since its opening in March 2022.
By hosting world-class international exhibitions, Sarawak continues to elevate its profile for business events and tourism through meaningful experiences.
The exhibition kicked-off on 17 November and will run until 17 July next year. Visitors are encouraged to explore the installation and let its brilliance spark their curiosity, imagination, and inspiration. You can view the installation's details here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut9yY0gvPKg. This video provides a close-up look at the scale and detail of the artwork, helping to visualise the exhibit that was launched today at BCM.
