December Round-Up: Part II
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Sita Inyai and Ronald Ventura etc.
By Ho See Wah
As the end of the year draws close, we would like to present a special two-part feature for our December Round-Up to bring to you a great selection of exhibitions you can catch before 2019 ends. Read the first part here.
Anuwat Apimukmongkon, ‘Speak Thai’ series, 2016, acrylic, pen and pencil on photo print, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of A+ Works of Art.
A+ Entrée
A+ Works of Art presents its new exhibition platform, A+ Entrée, which aims to provide affordable art pieces from emerging to established artists. In such a way, the gallery opens up easier points of entry to a wider range of audience looking to collect contemporary Southeast Asian art. For its first iteration, one can expect to see works by Anuwat Apimukmongkon from Patani, Soe Yu Nwe from Yangon and Manit Sriwanichpoom from Bangkok.
A+ Works of Art, 12 to 21 December.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, ‘Ashes’ (film still), 2012. Image courtesy of Kick the Machine Films.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness
Curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong, ‘The Serenity of Madness’ is a lyrical and reflective showcase of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s photography and moving images. The exhibition veers between two of the artist’s world-makings – the overt and the intimate. Displayed are Apichatpong’s more polished works, like his ‘Fireworks (Archive)’, which acts as a political commentary on Thai society. In addition, his more experimental projects are presented as well, such as ‘TEEM’, a 3-channel video installation of his sleeping lover shot entirely on the artist’s phone.
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 30 November to 15 March 2020.
Sita Inyai, ‘Together’, 2029, fabric, crochet and embroidery, 60 x 60cm. Image courtesy of La Lanta Fine Art.
Shape of Relationship
‘Shape of Relationship’ is a solo exhibition by Sita Inyai, a young Thai artist. A variety of media is used for this presentation, such as drawing, crocheting and weaving metal and silk yarns. The organic shapes are a visual exploration of the relationships among various aspects of our world and ultimately, a quest to find a natural balance.
La Lanta Fine Art, 16 November to 15 January 2020.
Sopheap Pich, ‘Ordeal’, 2018, bamboo, wood, metal, oil-based paint, india ink, 241 x 447 x 518 cm and 256.5cm (width of pod). Image courtesy of the artist and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, New York.
Homo Faber: Craft in Contemporary Sculpture
‘Homo Faber’ invites the audience to view craft in a new light. The exhibition showcases various kinds of crafts in a dynamic, contemporary new fashion. Not only is the artisanship highlighted, so are the multitude of sociopolitical intentions that go into the various artworks from seven countries. From Southeast Asia, Vietnamese artist Bùi Công Khánh and Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich are featured.
Asia Culture Center, 5 September to 23 February 2020.
Chua Soo Bin, ‘Self-Portrait’, 1970s, photograph, inkjet print on paper mounted on dibond, 100 x 71cm. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Chua Soo Bin: Truths & Legends
This retrospective of Singaporean artist and cultural medallion winner, Chua Soo Bin, features the often overlooked medium of photography. Presenting close to 100 photographic works, the showcase charts a history of Chua’s life, as well as those in front of his camera, to bring to light another aspect of Singapore’s cultural narrative. An exhibition highlight is the various revealing portraitures that Chua captured of prominent art figures such as Liu Kang and Chen Wen Hsi.
National Gallery Singapore, 6 December to 28 June 2020.
Ronald Ventura, ‘Untitled’, 2019, oil on canvas, 182 x 122cm. Image courtesy of Primae Noctis Art Gallery.
Ronald Ventura: A Glitch in the Matrix
There is a collision of imageries in Ronald Ventura’s works as various motifs are purposefully collaged together to give a sense of rupture in the fabric of reality. Such is the intention of ‘A Glitch in the Matrix’, as the artist invites his audience to embrace how a present moment is, in fact, comprised of multiple spaces, times, pasts, futures, and contradictions.
Primae Noctis Art Gallery, 16 November to 31 January 2020.
