July Round-Up Part 2

5 Jul

Singapore Art Museum, Ikon Gallery, Bonnefanten, Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg
By Nabila Giovanna W

Li Hongbo 李洪波, 'Land of Fairy Tales', 2010-2016. Image courtesy of Li Hongbo 李洪波.

Superfluous Things: Paper

Paper, an often-overlooked material becomes the main act in ‘Superfluous Things: Paper’, a group exhibition by Cheryl Teo, Jumaadi, Li Hongbo 李洪波, Nabilah Said, PHUNK and Keiichi Tanaami at the Singapore Art Museum. Each artist has stretched paper’s capability and made it into visually striking forms, from sculptures and shadow puppets, to objects and installations. In Li Hongbo’s ‘Land of Fairy Tales’ (2010-2016), papers are carefully placed in a honeycomb-like structure to represent an imaginary world. The work also symbolises the existence of borders in geopolitics and how it shapes inter-country relations.

'Superfluous Things: Paper' is on show from 28 May to 14 August 2022 at Singapore Art Museum, Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Click here to find out more.

Haffendi Anuar, 'Unit', 2021, kain pelikat, natural and artificial felt, hemming tape, eyelets, metal brackets, wood, varnish, hooks, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Haffendi Anuar, A.I. Gallery, London and Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore and Bangkok.

Rumah Berkaki (Legged House)

Haffendi Anuar’s exhibition ‘Rumah Berkaki (Legged House)’ is a part of Ikon Gallery’s ‘Arrivals’ programme, a project that discusses the movement of people and ideas. Taking inspiration from the artist’s experience living in both Kuala Lumpur and London, his work covers themes of postcolonialism, architecture, ways of living and identity construction. In this exhibition, he utilises kain pelikat, as seen in ‘Unit’ (2021), to convey Malaysian ideas of love and masculinity. On display are also paintings that represent post-colonial legacy today. Both the installation and paintings form a part of his ‘Cobweb’ series that questions the western gaze and institutional histories.

’Rumah Berkaki (Legged House)’ is on show from 10 June to 29 August 2022 at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, the United Kingdom. Click here to find out more.

I am a Ghost in My Own House

‘I am a Ghost in My Own House’ is Melati Suryodarmo’s solo exhibition as the eleventh winner of the Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art (BACA), an art award in the Netherlands for artists from other geo-cultural regions. On display are Suryodarmo’s various artistic practices such as performances, video installations, photography and drawings, curated by Philippe Pirotte. Her works mainly talk about the human body, time, spirituality, and personal history together with socio-political and feminist ideas. In theperformance ‘I am a Ghost in My Own House’ (2012), the artist can be seen grinding charcoal as an act to exhaust herself and charcoal’s energy, to symbolise her uprooting from and return to Indonesia.

‘I am a Ghost in My Own House’ is on view from 12 June to 30 October 2022 at the Bonnefanten, Maastricht, the Netherlands. Click here to find out more.

Christine Ay Tjoe

Christine Ay Tjoe’s first solo exhibition in Germany displays her recent and past works of intricate lines that melt organic and abstract forms. Her recent works on display tap into cryptobiosis, a term referencing a period of extreme inactivity that organisms undergo to survive in extreme conditions. She likens this to the COVID-19 pandemic, where activities are reduced and people have begun to reflect more on their internal lives. Cryptobiosis is depicted in ‘Hyaluronic Pledge’ (2021-2022) whose title refers to hyaluronic acid’s ability to sustain life and the human ability to cope and adapt during difficult situations. In her new body of work, Ay Tjoe also references shedding as a journey between life and death in order to show animals' new versions of themselves.

Christine Ay Tjoe’s solo exhibition is on show from 27 May to 20 November 2022 at Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg, Germany. Click here to find out more.

Click here for July Round-Up Part 1.