S.E.A. artists exhibit at international venues
By Jaclyn Chong

Here are a number of exhibitions in Southeast Asia that are on our radar for the month of March:

Chia Yu Chian, ‘Queue Up’, 1970, oil on board, 56 x 65cm. Image courtesy of ILHAM Gallery.

Chia Yu Chian: Private Lives

Curated by ILHAM gallery director Rahel Joseph and University of Malaya art historian Simon Soon, the exhibition features over 167 artworks and archival materials focusing on the last decade of Chia Yu Chian’s artistic practice from the late 1960s until his passing in 1990. Beyond the seeming mundanity of everyday life, his paintings of city-life and the working class community helps us to reimagine Kuala Lumpur, impressing upon the viewer to see shops on the streets of the city as important landmarks.

ILHAM Gallery, 17 February to 23 June

From Lost Roots to Urban Meadows

In this joint exhibition between Madhvi Subrahmanian and Nandita Mukand, the artists present their work informed by nature and the urban condition; Madhvi through her immersive, sensory experiences and Nandita through her linkings with abstract concepts such as metaphysics and neuroplasticity. As part of The Private Museum’s Women Artists series, the installation and sculptural works on view is an opportunity to trace recent developments in their practices.

The Private Museum, 22 March to 5 May

Jason Martin, ‘Selvagem I’, 2018, pulp and cel-vinyl on paper, 88 x 75 x 6cm. Image courtesy of STPI Gallery.

Metaphysical

Jason Martin’s works draw from minimalism and abstract expressionism. With ‘Metaphysical’, he experiments with print and paper, creating within the pictorial representations of painting, but also exploring the spatial dimensions of sculpture. His works take on a duality of chance in the drip-like traces of aquatint and intention with the linearities of his drypoint compositions. The spirit of experimentation in the surface texture of his works evoke an unconscious perception of the bodily.

STPI Gallery, 23 March to 4 May

Tiffany Chung, ‘Operation Lam Sơn 719, 30 Jan – 6 April 1971’, 2018, acrylic, ink and oil on vellum and paper, 12.25” x 13.5”. Image courtesy of the artist and Tyler Rollins Fine Art, New York.

Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past is Prologue

Presented across three galleries, Tiffany Chung charts her own understandings of histories in grappling with the legacy of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Stitching hand-drawn maps, archival materials, watercolour paintings and video interviews, an in-depth account of her own father’s experience serves as an entry point into a broader overview encompassing the stories of other former refugees and the global effects of the collective migration propelled by the war.

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 15 March to 2 September

Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo, ‘Ajanabh’, 2019, volcanic ash, resin and digital print mounted on wooden panel, 158 x 196 x 5cm. Image courtesy of Simon Lee Gallery, London.

Argo

Evolving from conversations with residents surrounding the Merapi volcano, Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo works with the symbolic medium of volcanic ash to compose his abstract paintings. Presented together with a video of his process, where he binds the volcanic ash with resin and pours it onto plexiglass in layers, he creates multi-dimensions like that of molten magma, documenting the emotional memory and ever-changing landscape of his homeland.

Simon Lee Gallery, London, 4 April to 1 June