The art world interfaces with the virtual
By Ho See Wah

As a complement to our monthly round-ups, we are introducing a new column ‘Let’s Get Into Digital’ to bring to you a selection of activities in the digital art world. Rather than continuing to cancel, postpone or minimise them in physical spaces due to COVID-19 restrictions, some programmes have been digitised as a practical way forward. Others are conceived as a direct response to the pandemic itself in a collective attempt to simultaneously negotiate the physical and virtual worlds of art.

Though conducting events digitally comes with its own set of restrictions, there is also the unique opportunity to bypass geographical limitations, enabling greater access than before to a wider, more diverse audience. The ever creative ways of engaging the audience are drumming up renewed excitement for experiencing art and each other’s company online. Here, we highlight four to sign up for as we cross over from September to October.

Traveling without Moving by Santy Saptari Art Consulting
Conceived by Santy Saptari Art Consulting, ‘Traveling without Moving’ aims to bring its guests the experience of having a personalised museum tour from behind a screen. Santy hopes to unite the participants together in appreciating and learning about art despite being physically apart. “I spent a considerable amount of time looking at websites and visiting virtual tours of different museums overseas during the lockdown,” she says. “I remember thinking that it would have been fun if I could do it with other people, so the core of this is about sharing and learning together as a group.” The first edition is led by Tarun Nagesh, curator of Asian Art at Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane. Other than a tour of the highlight works in QAGOMA’s collection, viewers can expect to learn more about the institution itself, as well as its unique architecture during the forty-minute session.

19 September 2020, 2PM GMT +8. Register via WhatsApp on +62 858 8303 0918, or click here.

Animali Domestici, ‘Bangkok Opportunistic Ecologies’, 2019, printed synthetic fabric canvas, embroidery, 300 x 300 x 0.5cm. Image courtesy of NTU CCA Singapore.

Online Benefit Art Auction by NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA)
The online auction seeks to raise funds for two ongoing major projects by the institution. The first, NTU CCA Singapore’s Digital Archive, aims to create a comprehensive database of the Centre’s legacy since it opened its doors in 2013. The second is a publication, ‘Climates. Habitats. Environment.’, which acts as an addendum and extension of NTU CCA’s research focus and curatorial practices for the past three years. Both projects align with the mission of providing open access to the manifold work that the Centre has engaged with through their Exhibition, Residencies and Research & Education strands. This fundraising effort takes on an added significance given that NTU CCA will discontinue their Exhibition and Residencies programmes after March 2021. The artworks in the auction are donated by 28 artists who have crossed paths with the institution.

The auction goes live from 1 to 18 October 2020. For more information and to view the auction catalogue, click here.

KONNECT ASEAN Creative Futures Dialogue
This series of online webinars brings together art sector leaders to provide viewpoints on pertinent issues in our regional scene. Each session will focus on a specific theme. The inaugural dialogue is ‘Insights from Arts Professionals: Surviving COVID-19 by Going Digital’. Apart from breaking down the importance of digital literacy at this time, the panel will also discuss initiatives that marry the creative economy and digital networks as a way to think about future trajectories. Commenting on the aim of the series, KONNECT ASEAN Project Director Benjamin Hampe says, “We hope to provide some insights from these leaders into possible career pathways, and also to instil a sense of hope that there is a future for arts and cultural practices in our region.” The opening panel includes Dwinita ‘Tita’ Larasati, Chair of Bandung Creative City Forum, Eugene Soh, Founder of Dude Studios and Jeong Ok Jeon, Director of ARCOLABS and Lecturer at Jakarta State University.

17 September 2020, 4PM GMT +7. To register, click here.

Online Talk | Art Criticism for the People by Asia Art Archive (AAA)
The talk is held in tandem with the launch of book, ‘Art Criticism for the People’. Edited by artist and art critic Anthony Leung Po Shan, the book commemorates Oscar Ho’s impact on Hong Kong’s art scene as a curator and art critic, and brings together a selection of his writings from 1980s to 1990s. Along with Leung, theatre critic Howard Yuen Fung Choy and culture reporter and editor Grace Gut come together to discuss the evolving role of the art writer since that era, as well as the construction of an art writing community. Synergistically, theatre critic Bernice Chan, researcher Michelle Wong and Ho will respond to the discussion by delving into their own work and writings. The talk builds on two previous physical events, ‘Hong Kong Conversations 2014’ and ‘It Begins with a Story: Artists, Writers, and Periodicals in Asia’ in 2018.

17 September 2020, 7PM GMT +8. The session will be conducted in Cantonese with a live English translation. For more information and to register, click here.

We hope you will enjoy the digital activations we have handpicked for you. Do look out for the next digital round-up a month from now!