Metropolitan Museum Of Art Manila

Sung Tieu, Ho Tzu Nyen and Melati Suryodarmo etc. 
By Andari Suherlan and Vivyan Yeo

Sung Tieu, ‘In Cold Print’, 2020, mixed media installation. Image courtesy of Stuart Whipps.

In Cold Print
In her first institutional solo exhibition in the United Kingdom, Vietnam-born artist Sung Tieu rigorously explores both the psychological side of warfare and the conspiracy of information dissemination. The show features two major installations, one of which revives the mystery of the acoustic attack, ‘Havana Syndrome’, which was first reported in 2017. With visual and auditory records of her own cerebral activity, newspaper spreads and steel fences, her works challenge the reliability of scientific narratives and raise questions about political autonomy.

Nottingham Contemporary, 8 February to 3 May 2020.

Pao Houa Her, ‘My Grandfather Turned into A Tiger - Jungle Fire’, 2017, 3D Lenticular print, 75 x 100 cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.

Phantoms and Aliens | The Invisible Other (Chapter 3)
Curated by Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani, this monumental show unfolds as a triptych across Richard Koh’s three galleries in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, each one taking the form of a chapter. By drawing connections between Southeast Asian superstitions and the invisibility of discriminated communities, these chapters speak about alienation from various perspectives. The Singapore chapter features works by Khin Thethtar Latt, Pao Houa Her, Nguyễn Văn Đủ and Samak Kosem. Through installations, paintings and ethnographic materials, the show reveals how suffering may be caused through commonplace actions.  

Richard Koh Fine Art, 6 to 28 March 2020.

Dave Lim, still from ‘The Believers’, 2020, video installation, 16 min 1 sec. Image courtesy of Objectifs.

The Believers
Winner of the Objectifs Documentary Award in the Emerging Category, Dave Lim presents a solo exhibition that connects Singaporeans through their everyday rituals. His film installation highlights the communal spirit ever present in both religious and secular ceremonies. Under the mentorship of photographer Ian Teh, Lim elegantly interrogates the use of public space and powerfully documents the similarities between rituals charged by various belief systems. By depicting practices beyond racial and religious groupings, his work intimates the presence of a universal humanity. 

Ho Tzu Nyen, still from ‘R for Resonance’, 2019, video, 15 min 30 sec. Image courtesy of the Ho Tzu Nyen, Sharjah Art Foundation and Edouard Malingue Gallery.

R for Resonance
‘R for Resonance’ marks Ho Tzu Nyen’s first solo exhibition at an Italian institution. It contributes to the artist’s ongoing project ‘The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia’, which investigates the regional identity of Southeast Asia, the boundaries of which were imposed by British colonial powers. Through his virtual reality experience (VR), video and sound installation, and wall text, Ho inspects the association of Southeast Asia with its spiritual music ceremonies. By drawing the audience into an immersive experience, the work encourages a deeper understanding of the multiple histories and landscapes within the region.

ar/ge kunst, 21 February to 9 May 2020 .

Melati Suryodarmo, ‘Why Let the Chicken Run?’, 2001, performance, 15 min. Image courtesy of Museum MACAN by Roland Runge.

Why Let the Chicken Run?
Presenting her first solo exhibition in a museum, renowned Indonesian artist Melati Suryodarmo cultivates an awareness of human’s physical and psychological boundaries through her various durational performances. The exhibition will not only present photographic and video documentaries of her past works. The artist will also perform well-known pieces such as ‘Why Let the Chicken Run’ (2001) and ‘Exergie - Butter Dance’ (2000). 

Museum MACAN, 28 February to 31 May 2020.

Simon Soon, ‘The Tyger and The Navigator’, 2019, installation. Image courtesy of The Back Room.

The Tyger and the Navigator 
In his first solo exhibition in Malaysia, researcher and writer Simon Soon reiterates Malaysian history of the 18th century through the exchange between two protagonists, the Tyger and the Navigator. Presented as a storyboard, Simon Soon’s installation brings together found digital debris on the internet to form a new narrative of the past and its relevance to the present. The exhibition has traveled to Hong Kong, Shanghai and is now showing in Malaysia for the first time.

The Back Room, 7 to 29 March 2020.

Jose Tence Ruiz in collaboration with Danila Ilag-Ilag, ‘Paraisado Metro Magenta’, 2006, mixed media. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

Cue from Life Itself: Found Objects 
Curated by Patrick Flores, ‘Cue from Life Itself: Found Objects’ is an exploration of the relationship between ethics and aesthetics. The show features the works of Brenda Fajardo, Poklong Anading, Kristoffer Ardeña, Yason Banal, Alma Quinto, Jose Tence Ruiz, Lirio Salvador, and Mark Salvatus. Through the transformation of mundane materials into the beautiful, the artists respond to the conditions of their homeland. The audience is invited to challenge and redefine the notions of beauty that are not often associated with found objects.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manila, 7 February to 7 May 2020.