December Round-Up

Stranger(’s) Touch, Baik Art, Kutxa Kultur Artegunea, ACM, ILHAM Gallery, NGS
By Vivyan Yeo

Jenevieve Woon, ‘Snacks’, 2022, slip cast porcelain, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist and Stranger(’s) Touch (photo by Chong Ng).

Stranger(’s) Touch

The second edition of ‘Stranger(’s) Touch’ looks like a beauty retail store. Taking place in the iconic repurposed Red Bus along Somerset Road in Singapore, the showcase features commissioned works by five artists. They include well-loved snacks made of porcelain by Jenevieve Woon, uncanny massage sticks by Moses Tan, welcoming lamps by Teo Huey Ling, comforting slip-on button fibres by Tiffany Loy and unusual fidget toy-like sculptures by Weixin Quek Chong. Inviting touch and curiosity, these tactile artworks walk the fine line between familiar objects and unexpected forms.

’Stranger(’s) Touch’ runs from 25 November to 18 December 2022 at The Red Bus at Somerset Youth Park, Singapore. Click here for more information.

Mella Jaarsma, 'Going Nowhere 1', 2017, pencil and ink gouache on paper, 28 x 39cm. Image courtesy of Baik Art.

Tumpeng

With spaces in Los Angeles and Seoul, BAIK ART opens its third gallery in Jakarta, Indonesia. Its inaugural exhibition is inspired by connections between the Korean phrase for “family” and the Indonesian dish “tumpeng”. Referencing the power of food to bring people together, both terms emphasise the importance of harmony in relationships. In celebration of the gallery’s past residency programmes with Indonesian institutions, ‘tumpeng’ showcases work by artists based in Southeast Asia, such as Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Heri Dono, Jompet Kuswidananto and Mella Jaarsma, and Korean practitioners like Kang Mok, Lee Jeong Bae and Jinju Lee.

‘Tumpeng’ runs from 15 November 2022 to 18 January 2023 at BAIK ART Jakarta, Indonesia. Click here for more information.

Weixin Chong, detail of ‘Suiseki Softfalls’, 2015, textile, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Kutxa Kultur Artegunea.

The Texture of Promises

Curated by Alejandro Castellote, ‘The Texture of Promises’ features eight Asian artists that interrogate the authenticity of photographs. They are Weixin Quek Chong and Woong Soak Teng from Singapore, Sukanya Ghosh from India, Gao Bo, Ji Zhou and Wang Juyan from China, Takahiro Mizushima from Japan, and Bohnchang Koo from South Korea. While the medium has been seen as an accurate representation of life, these contemporary photographs frame reality in imaginative ways. They subvert expectations, motivating audiences to look closer and develop subjective meanings. 

‘The Texture of Promises’ runs from 25 November 2022 to 19 February 2023 at Kutxa Kultur Artegunea, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Click here for more information.

Celestial Globe. Image courtesy of Asian Civilisations Museum

Body & Spirit: The Human Body in Thought and Practice

Asian Civilisations Museum presents a survey of spiritual practices and divine images from religions across Asia. Sourced from the National Collection, private collectors, and local communities, the display of over 100 objects comprises textiles, manuscripts, tools, furniture, talismans and more. Highlights include an Islamic celestial globe that integrates knowledge from Greek and Persian texts and a Jain cosmological painting of a woman symbolising the universe. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will learn about the role of the body and healing methods in different faith communities. 

‘Body & Spirit: The Human Body in Thought and Practice’ runs from 25 November 2022 to 26 March 2023 at Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. Click here for more information.

Ivan Sagita, ‘The Essence of Cow in the Macro and Microcosmosis’, 1989, oil on canvas, 110 x 140cm. Image courtesy of ILHAM Gallery.

Dream of the Day

Curated by Patrick Flores, ‘Dream of the Day’ pays tribute to David Medalla’s manifesto, published in 1965, which imagines a reality where fantastical sculptures would live among human beings. Celebrating dreams and myths, the exhibition foregrounds an openness to explore unfamiliar crevices of our multifaceted world. It showcases works by 39 Southeast Asian and Egyptian artists, including Indonesian practitioners I GAK Murniasih and Ivan Sagita, Thai film director Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Burmese artist Maung Day. Available for all to access, ILHAM Gallery has also launched its digital educational resource with details of over 500 artworks from the gallery’s collection. 

‘Dream of the Day’ runs from 29 November 2022 to 14 May 2023 at ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Click here for more information.

Wawi Navarroza, ‘May in Manila/Hot Summer (After Balthus, Self-Portrait)’, 2019, archival pigment print on Hahnemühle, cold-mounted on acid-free aluminium, 135.89 x 101.6cm. Michelangelo and Lourdes Samson Collection. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

Living Pictures: Photography in Southeast Asia

Exhibiting 300 artworks created over 150 years, this group exhibition by National Gallery Singapore traces the development of photography in Southeast Asia from the mid-1800s. It features various formats, including colonial pictures, court photographs, studio portraits, documentations of war, social media images and a 3D installation. The only commissioned artwork is a video installation by Fyerool Darma, which illustrates the abundance of offline and online images in contemporary life. Beyond the exhibition, audiences can engage with photo booths and zine-making activities on-site and view an Instagram showcase of works by artists Nguan, Shwe Wutt Hmon, Veejay Villafranca and Agan Harahap. 

‘Living Pictures: Photography in Southeast Asia’ runs from 2 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 at National Gallery Singapore. Click here for more information.