November Round-Up

National Museum of Singapore, Kunsthaus Baselland, GAMeC, etc. 
By Andari Suherlan

Song-Ming Ang, installation view. Image courtesy of Marvin Tang and the artist.

Music For Everyone: Variations on a Theme
After its successful debut at the 58th Venice Biennale last year, the National Museum of Singapore presents the works of interdisciplinary artist Song-Ming Ang in ‘Music for Everyone: Variations on a Theme’. Curated by Michelle Ho, the show is a response to the series of concerts initiated by Singapore’s Ministry of Culture in the 1970s and 80s. In addition to the nine fabric banners presented at the Biennale, the homecoming show features three new artworks for audiences in Singapore, which includes ‘You and I’ (2012-2018), ‘Manifesto for Bad Music’ (2011) and ‘Dusk to Dawn Choruses’ (2017-present). Exploring the relationship between music and visual art, the show is an example of the relationship of the two art forms that continues to be relevant throughout history. The exhibition also includes complementary online and offline programmes to engage with music appreciation in Singapore. Read the interview with Song-Ming Ang and Michelle Ho here.

National Museum of Singapore, 8 October to 8 November 2020.

Svay Sareth, ‘The Heart Healer’, 2018, cotton, kapok and silk, 120 x 135 x 90cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art and Arndt Art Agency.

The Possibility of an Island
Introducing the rich, diverse and vibrant contemporary art landscape of Southeast Asia to Western audiences in the UK, Arndt Art Agency presents ‘The Possibility of an Island’. Curated by Matthias Arndt, Founder of A3, the showcase features the works of 18 artists from Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore, which represent and examine the cultural threads and languages held together by shared experiences of each artist in the region. While acknowledging the complex art forms of Southeast Asia, the artist engages a dialogue in the way Western art world’s Euro-American perceptions are able to connect with art across countries and regions.

Arndt Art Agency, 3 to 12 November 2020.

Thu Van Tran, installation view. Image courtesy of Kunsthaus Baselland.

Novel Without a Title
A solo exhibition by Vietnamese artist Thu Van Tran, ‘Novel Without a Title’ addresses the way stories and tragedies of the past are conveyed and received in the present. Inspired by the writings of Duong Thu Hong, the show examines our ability to remember the history, rituals and legacies of the nations and countries we call home. In the artist’s first solo show in Switzerland, she features photographs, drawings, videos, sculptures and installations that reflect the beauty and poetry of Vietnam’s postcolonial relations with France and the United States of America and how the intricacies of the past remain in the present.

Kunsthaus Baselland, 11 September to 15 November 2020.

Yeoh Choo Kuan, ‘Thristale’, 2020, custom PE board and stainless steel, 36 x 26cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art and the artist.

Today’s Special
From abstract paintings to recent board works, this exhibition explores Malaysian artist Yeoh Choo Kuan’s oeuvre while consistently challenging the notion of power in the age of media and technology. Featuring nine oil paintings on linen and 15 shaped board works, the works allude to notions of violence, resentment, chaos and absurdity inspired by the presidency of Donald Trump. This show challenges our understanding of power dynamics and expresses the anxiety of the uncertain future of American politics.

Richard Koh Fine Art, 30 October to 22 November 2020.

Exhibition installation view. Photography by Marvin Tang, image courtesy of UP Vargas Museum.

The Work of Art
Where the pandemic blurs the lines of places of rest and work, ‘The Work of Art’ broadens our understanding of work by reiterating the nature and significance of labour within the home. A continuation of its previous exhibition titled ‘The Nature of the Collection’, the Vargas Museum presents a collection of Filipino art throughout history that is presented online and in the gallery space. Featuring artworks across mediums and styles, the show examines the movement of labour which are depicted in the everyday scenes of life. From Roman Faustino’s 1940 oil painting ‘Clothes Washer’ to Marvy Peublo’s video work ‘Stone Marker’, these images show that the seemingly insignificant mundane tasks are equally, if not more, important in the scheme of work and productivity.

UP Vargas Museum, 9 October to 12 December 2020.

Noppanan Thannaree, ‘Soul’, 2020, oil on canvas, 100 x 80cm. Image courtesy of ARTIST+RUN.

Bliss of Solitude
This collaborative exhibition at Artist+Run’s gallery space by artists Yuth Suripong, Onnalin Lojanagosin and Noppanan Thannaree illustrates each painter’s bliss of solitude found in the outdoors. By portraying the natural landscapes that surround their environment, each painting becomes a form of meditation for the artist and their audience. Not only do the bodies of work reflect an individual’s sense of peace, it successfully gives value to our perception of time in a season where it feels as if time is disrupted and untouchable.

ARTIST+RUN, 7 November to 20 December 2020.

Christine Ay Tjoe, 'Pleasant Breath of The Black', 2018, oil on canvas, diptych, each: 200 x 180cm, overall: 200 x 360cm. Photograph by Theo Christelis, image courtesy of White Cube and the artist.

We Do Not Dream Alone
Curated by Boon Hui Tan and Michelle Yun, the Asia Society Triennale takes place across historically significant venues in New York City. The inaugural festival presents its first edition titled ‘We Do Not Dream Alone’, which argues against anti-globalism during this season of social separation and isolation. This attitude of coming together is made evident through the presentation of diverse contemporary artworks from Asia, where these expressions transcend borders and time. Out of the 40 significant yet underrepresented Asian artists in the United States, eight Southeast Asian artists featured are Song-Ming Ang, Christine Ay Tjoe, Dinh Q. Lê, Anne Samat, anGie seah, Melati Suryodarmo, Natee Utarit and Jason Wee. This showcase is a celebration of the cultures that make up the dynamic, yet unrecognised, demographic within New York City.

Asia Society Museum, 27 October to 7 February 2021.

Sung Tieu, ‘Song for Unattended Items’, 2018. Image courtesy of Emailin, London and the artist.

In The Forest, Even The Air Breathes
From Forest Curriculum’s ongoing research, GAMeC presents ‘In The Forest, Even the Air Breathes’, which addresses the need for a reassessment of our current ecological era. Curated by Abhijan Toto, the show discusses the cosmological systems of Zomia: the forested belt that stretches across the northeast of India through Bangladesh, Thailand, Malay Peninsula and the Philippines. The showcase features the works of seven Southeast Asian artists Nguyen Trinh Thi, Robert Zhao Renhui, Sung Tieu, Karl Castro, Joydeb Roaja, Khvay Samnang and Soe Yu Nwe. Unpacking the idea of nature and our relationship to it, the works communicate the artists’ perceptions of modes of natural and human histories and identities, histories of war with nature, as well as the coexistence between spirit world and the human one.

GAMeC, 1 October to 14 February 2021.