This paper investigates the meaning of light in the Malay culture. It focuses on the understanding of the philosophy of light and possible interpretation in a contemporary exhibition design context. The interpretation is based on traditional comprehension but exploited in a contemporary setting. As in the Malay culture, light can be defined in many aspects of life, highlighting the importance of light relating to philosophy, spiritual beliefs and religious teachings. There is lack of knowledge as far as the application of light in galleries in Malaysia is concerned, disregarding the importance of a cultural context. It embarks into an untested territory that is geared towards contemporising old ideas into a modern setting. The research objectives aim to examine the philosophy of light in the Malay culture, to interpret traditional Malay light application, to analyse the light effect and to investigate the application of the green design aspect in lighting based on traditional philosophy. The research employs a qualitative method where literature reviews play an important role in setting the parameters of the research. It is supported by comparative studies of light application in Malaysian galleries and a few other chosen countries, interviews, naturalistic observation and visual data collection. The research outcomes expect the understanding of the meaning of light from the Malay cultural perspective and formulating guidelines. The guidelines are to support the implementation of green design of lighting in galleries to comply with sustainable design issues, a marriage of the art and science of light in a contemporary exhibition design context. The Malay cultural definition of light is used as a catalyst to create and produce a new version of light for galleries. These are the cultures of light that bring about a universal interpretation but are traditional in philosophy in an exhibition design dimension.