March Round-Up

HOP Hub of Photography, UMMA, T:>Works, 16albermarle, The Biennale of Sydney
By A&M

In Front of the Camera - In the Process of Looking

Kornkrit Jianpinidnan, ‘Airport Link’, 2009, black and white photograph.

The solo exhibition by Kornkrit Jianpinidnan at HOP Hub of Photography in Bangkok shines a spotlight on the artistic process of creating photographs. These include photographs that are documentary, commercial and experimental. Threading through time, the works on display capture of-the-moment glimpses, and offer possibilities of how they connect to and break from each other through narratives and techniques. It is curated by Kritsada Duchsadeevanich. 

The exhibition opened on 27 January and will run till 21 April 2024. More information here. Do also read our interview in the Midpoint series with participating artist Kornkrit Jianpinidnan here.

Angkor Complex: Cultural Heritage and Post-Genocide Memory in Cambodia

Sopheap Pich, ‘Seated Buddha - Abhaya Mudra’, 2012, bamboo, rattan, wire, plywood. Image courtesy of the artist and Tyler Rollins Fine Art. © Sopheap Pich.

The ongoing exhibition features the art of Cambodia and its diaspora over an expansive range of 80 works, from the 12th century to the present day. Aside from significant historic works, contemporary artworks on show include those from Vann Nath, Sopheap Pich, Svay Sareth, Amy Lee Sandford and Leang Seckon. They chart the history of Cambodia, from the building of Angkor Wat, to the rise and fall of the Khmer Empire, to the rule of Pol Pot and its aftermath. Put together by guest curator Nachiket Chanchani, it is organised into three thematic sections: “Empire, Colony, and Nation”, “Inheritance of Loss” and “On Reparation”. The works on show include architectural fragments, sculptural ensembles, paintings, lens-based media, shadow puppets and performance pieces. The myriad mediums highlight the artists’ ability to use art to honour the memory of the dead, heal personal and collective angst and forge resilience in the face of adversity.

‘Angkor Complex’ is on view from 3 February to 28 July 2024 at University of Michigan Museum of Art. More information here. Do also read our interview in the Midpoint series with participating artist Leang Seckon here.

The Season of Thought Leadership: in the Arts, by the Arts, with the Arts

Poster for ‘The People Cultures of a National Theatre’, organised by T:>Works.

On 7 March 2024, the year-long ‘The Season of Thought Leadership: in the Arts, by the Arts, with the Arts’ will kick off with the public conversation “The People Cultures of a National Theatre”. The inaugural event will be moderated by Ong Keng Sen, T:>Works Artistic Director. The panelists are Kavitha Krishnan, co-founder of Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) and Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC), Medli Dorothea Loo, actress and theatre-maker, and Alfian Sa’at, Resident Playwright of Wild Rice. Respondents Ho Tzu Nyen and Deborah Arunditha Emmanuel will also be present. They will discuss a range of topics, including the role of artistic leadership, and issues of diversity, accessibility, and representation.

Admission to the public conversation is free. Click here to reserve your tickets! More information about the year-long project is available here. 

Gotong Royong: Community Spirit in Contemporary Southeast Asian Art

Sakinah Alatas, ‘Imagining what I couldn’t see’, 2022, mixed yarn with manual and machine tufting. Image courtesy of 16albermarle.

The group exhibition takes its name from the concept of gotong royong, or mutual assistance, which sees individuals in a community sharing their burdens. It features the works of eight emerging artists: Anang Saptoto and Dian Suci Rahmawati from Yogyakarta, Fefia Suh who works between Bandung and Jakarta, Kadek Dwi Darmawan and Mangku Muriati from Bali, Kide Baharudin from Kuala Lumpur, Kusofiyah Nibuesa from Patani, Thailand, and Indonesian-born Sakinah Alatas, based in Perth. All together, the show presents diverse mediums and themes, from ceramics to textile installation, and from religious and spiritual practices to ecological concerns. It is the curatorial debut of Ellya Gunawan, with advisor Shuxia Chen, and is on show at 16albermarle, a gallery and project space in Sydney.

The exhibition runs from 24 February to 14 April 2024. More information here.

The Biennale of Sydney: Ten Thousand Suns

Anne Samat, ‘Never Walk In Anyone’s Shadow’, 2023, rattan sticks, kitchen and garden utensils, beads, ceramic, metal and plastic ornaments, 365.75 x 731.5 x 25.5 cm. Photo by Brian Holcombe. Image courtesy of the artist and Marc Straus, New York.

The 24th edition of The Biennale of Sydney, titled ‘Ten Thousand Suns’ will open on 9 March. The artistic direction this 50th anniversary year is led by Cosmin  Costinas and Inti Guerrero. It will feature 96 artists and collectives from 50 countries and territories, and aims to upturn previous ideas of the apocalypse, and consider how there could be a more optimistic tomorrow. Artists from Southeast Asia include Eisa Jocson (Philippines), I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih (Murni) (Indonesia), Magdalena Meak (Lia Na’in, Indonesia), Ming Wong (Singapore/Germany) at Art Gallery of New South Wales; Choy Ka Fai (Singapore/Germany) and Citra Sasmita (Indonesia) at Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney; Anne Samat (Malaysia USA) at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; and Simon Soon (Malaysia) at UNSW Galleries. Other biennale locations are Sydney Opera House and White Bay Power Station. 

Admission is free, and the Biennale of Sydney runs till 10 June 2024. More information at biennaleofsydney.art.