Bor Undu, Mongolia

First, a quick note on "Bor Undu"

There doesn’t appear to be a city or residency hub called "Bor Undu" in any major databases, maps, or arts networks. It’s likely a misspelling, an older romanization, or an internal nickname for somewhere else.

Based on your research trail, the closest solid residency ecosystem that fits is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, centered around the Rimbun Dahan residency compound just outside the city. So this guide treats Kuala Lumpur + Rimbun Dahan as your "Bor Undu" base: a semi-rural working space with access to a big, active art city.

If you meant another place, you can still use this as a template: what to ask residencies, how to think about the host city, and how to work the local scene.

Why base yourself in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur (KL) is where Malaysia concentrates its contemporary art energy: collectors, galleries, institutions, and a lot of the cross-border Southeast Asian traffic.

As a residency city, KL gives you a mix that’s very workable for artists:

• Serious art ecosystem: commercial galleries, independent spaces, curators, and regional art conversations in one place.
• Access to Southeast Asia: it’s an easy hop to other ASEAN art hubs, which matters if you’re building a regional practice.
• Costs that don’t crush you: compared to many global capitals, your budget goes further, especially if your residency covers housing and a studio.
• Urban + quiet: you can go full city (KL) or retreat to a more secluded working space like Rimbun Dahan, then dip back into town when needed.

This combination is where Rimbun Dahan shines: it’s a 14-acre compound close enough to KL that you can still plug into the scene, but far enough out that you actually get work done.

Rimbun Dahan: how the residency actually works

Think of Rimbun Dahan as a self-contained micro-village for artists, with KL as your external playground and professional stage.

Residency tracks and who they’re for

Rimbun Dahan runs several residency paths, each with a different type of support and eligibility. The big three are:

• Visual Arts Residencies
  • Who it’s for: visual artists and curators from Australia and ASEAN countries.
  • Duration: usually around 3–6 months.
  • Support: accommodation and studio space; ASEAN artists also get a living allowance and airfare.
  • Good if: you need a concentrated studio block, want to deepen ties to Southeast Asia, and your passport fits their criteria.
• Choreographer’s Residency
  • Who it’s for: contemporary choreographers and dance programmers.
  • Duration: roughly 1–3 months, negotiated individually.
  • Support: accommodation, dance studio, and some production support.
  • Good if: you need space to build or rehearse work, and you’re okay with an environment that’s more studio compound than big city.
• Open Residencies (self-funded)
  • Who it’s for: artists outside the Australia/ASEAN bracket, or anyone who doesn’t fit the funded categories.
  • Duration: flexible.
  • Support: accommodation and work space for a monthly fee (listed as around RM4,000 in recent info; always confirm current rates).
  • Good if: you want a structured base in Malaysia with facilities and community, and you have or can find your own funding.

Applications are typically rolling, which makes Rimbun Dahan friendlier than residencies that operate on a once-a-year cycle. You can often propose dates that fit your project rather than building a project around their calendar.

What it’s like to live and work at the compound

The residency sits on a large, landscaped site with a mix of buildings and amenities. Expect a quiet, almost retreat-like setting rather than a noisy, urban warehouse studio.

Housing options may include:

• Studio apartments for live/work setups.
• Cottages and guest rooms if you prefer a more traditional home/studio separation.
• The historic Rumah Uda Manap, a century-old wooden Malay house, used in different ways depending on programs.

Facilities often include:

• Workspaces designed for visual art, research, and rehearsal.
• Shared amenities such as a swimming pool and tennis court, which sounds decadent but genuinely helps with long-stay sanity.
• Outdoor areas that can double as research sites or informal installation zones, depending on your practice and permissions.

You’re not right in the city, so prepare for a slower daily rhythm. That’s usually an advantage: less distraction, more time to think and make, with the option to head into KL when you need that jolt of urban energy.

Using Kuala Lumpur as your extended studio

KL is the place you’ll go for openings, fabrication, research, and social contact. Rimbun Dahan is where you’ll actually build the work. Treat them as a pair.

Art neighborhoods and where to spend your time

You might not live in the city proper during the residency, but you’ll probably be there often. Some areas to keep on your radar:

• Bangsar
  • Cafés, bars, and a good mix of locals and expats.
  • Decent access to galleries and cultural venues.
  • Useful for informal meetings and catching your breath after intense studio days.
• Damansara Heights
  • More upmarket, with restaurants and some creative offices.
  • Good if you’re meeting collectors or curators working nearby.
• KLCC fringe / city centre
  • High-density, high-visibility spaces.
  • Close to museums, major galleries, and institutions.
  • Not usually where artists rent studios, but where shows and events often happen.
• Bukit Bintang
  • Commercial, busy, and full of people-watching opportunities.
  • Helpful for photography, urban research, or simply staying observant.
• Petaling Jaya and surrounds
  • More residential and varied in cost.
  • Worth exploring if you’re looking for fabrication services or cheaper long-term studio solutions beyond the residency.

You don’t need to master the whole city. Pick a couple of areas that match your work and energy levels, then let contacts pull you into the rest.

Galleries, institutions, and how to approach them

KL’s art infrastructure includes:

• Commercial galleries that focus on Malaysian and regional artists.
• Artist-run and project spaces that prioritize experimentation and process-based work.
• Museums and cultural centers with collections and public programs.
• Universities and art schools with exhibitions, lectures, and staff who may be interested in studio visits.

Useful ways to plug in:

• Check gallery calendars early in your stay and time visits with openings and artist talks.
• Ask the residency host which curators, critics, or artists they recommend meeting based on your work.
• Offer informal studio visits rather than immediately pitching exhibitions; many people respond better to conversation than a direct ask.
• If your practice leans academic or research-heavy, reach out to university departments for guest lectures or discussions.

Money, visas, and practical stuff

Cost of living and budgeting

KL sits in a middle zone: not ultra-cheap, not punishingly expensive. If your residency covers accommodation and workspace, your main expenses are food, materials, and transport.

Rough guidance for planning:

• Food: Local food stalls and casual eateries can be very affordable; imported or Western-style places add up faster.
• Transport: Ride-hailing is widely used and usually reasonable, especially for city runs. For repeated trips between Rimbun Dahan and KL, expect these to be a recurring line in your budget.
• Materials: Availability is decent but varies by medium; if you need very specific or unusual materials, consider what you can pack or ship.
• Open residency fees: If you’re in the self-funded track at Rimbun Dahan, add the monthly residency fee plus personal expenses, then give yourself a buffer for city trips and last-minute project changes.

If you have access to grants in your home country, the open residency structure can work well as a clear, budgetable expense for funding applications.

Visa questions to sort out early

Visa rules depend on your passport and how long you’re staying. The key is matching your residency plan to a visa category that makes sense.

Before committing, ask the residency:

• Do they provide an official invitation letter detailing your purpose and dates?
• What kind of entry status do past residents use for similar stays?
• Are stipends or allowances treated as income for visa purposes?
• Will you be doing public programming (talks, performances, exhibitions), and does that affect your visa type?

Many artists in Malaysia work under a general social visit, but you still want guidance from the host and up-to-date information from consular sources before you book anything.

Getting around: between compound and city

At Rimbun Dahan, you’re outside the city core. Plan on:

• Using cars or ride-hailing for most trips into KL.
• Checking if the residency offers any airport pickup or regular runs into the city.
• Batching your city trips to line up meetings, openings, and errands on the same days.

Inside KL, public transport exists and is expanding, but artists moving between specific studios, galleries, and suburban sites often default to ride-hailing because it’s faster and more direct.

Community, open studios, and making the residency count

What kind of community to expect

Rimbun Dahan attracts a mix: visual artists, choreographers, curators, and sometimes writers or researchers. The on-site environment tends to be quiet, but you’re in conversation with peers who are also there to work.

You can think in terms of three circles:

• On-site residents: people you share daily life with.
• KL artists, curators, and organizers: people you’ll meet at openings, studio visits, or through introductions.
• Regional contacts: visitors passing through and connections you make to neighboring countries via KL.

If you want community, you usually need to be proactive: invite other residents for studio visits, propose small screenings, share work in progress, and ask the host to connect you with specific people in the city.

Open studios and public moments

Residencies like Rimbun Dahan often build in some form of public or semi-public sharing, such as:

• Open studios at the end of the stay.
• Artist talks on site or in KL.
• Performances or showings for choreographers.
• Small exhibitions or presentations of work in progress.

When planning your project, consider what you want that final moment to be. You don’t need a polished exhibition; a thoughtful work-in-progress showing can be more honest and generative, especially if you’re experimenting with new materials, sites, or collaborations.

Using KL’s art events strategically

KL’s art calendar ebbs and flows, but most years you’ll find:

• Gallery openings and closings clustered around certain months.
• Museum programs, talks, and panels.
• University lectures, critiques, and screenings.
• Independent festivals or project-based events.

When you’re planning your residency dates, ask:

• Can you time your stay to catch a few busy art weeks for networking?
• Is there a festival or major show you want to overlap with as research?
• Do you want your own public presentation to land in a quiet period, when people have more time, or during a crowded season, when everyone is already out?

Your residency isn’t just about making work in isolation; it’s also a chance to practice how you position your work inside a living art ecosystem.

How to decide if this “Bor Undu” (KL + Rimbun Dahan) is right for you

Use these questions as a quick filter:

• Do you want a calm, nature-adjacent compound with the option of a big-city art scene nearby, instead of being in the city center full-time?
• Does your practice benefit from extended, uninterrupted time in a dedicated studio more than constant external stimulation?
• Are you interested in Southeast Asian art networks, or in situating your work in a regional conversation beyond your home country?
• Can you work within the residency’s eligibility and funding structures (ASEAN/Australia for funded visual arts, open but self-funded for others, and specific support for choreographers)?
• Are you ready to be proactive about meeting people in KL, rather than expecting the residency to do all the networking for you?

If the answer to most of these is yes, Kuala Lumpur anchored by Rimbun Dahan is a strong candidate for your next residency city. Think of it not as a single spot on the map, but as a working triangle: your studio at the compound, your public face in KL, and your connections radiating across Southeast Asia from there.