May Round-Up

16albermarle Project Space, A+ Works of Art, Galerie Virginie Louvet, SIFA, Gallery VER, sweat pea, Walker Art Centre
By Vivyan Yeo

Ipeh Nur & Enka Komariah, ‘Rumah Yang Yahud’ (A Cool House), 2022, installation view, 16albermarle Project Space, Sydney. Image courtesy of 16albermarle Project Space.

Ghosts from the Past 

Australia-based 16albermarle Project Space opens ‘Ghosts from the Past’, featuring works by Yogyakarta artist couple Enka Komariah and Ipeh Nur. Through installations, drawings and paintings, the two grapple with disputed historical memories around post-independence Indonesia. The exhibition centres on a collaborative installation titled ‘Rumah yang Yahud (A Cool House)’ (2022), which investigates the violence, speculation and absence of narratives in the building of Indonesia’s national identity. The show also features mixed-media paintings and a video work by Nur, who observes and reflects on the Pambusuang Mandar coastal community in West Sulawesi. 

‘Ghosts from the Past’ runs from 15 April to 20 May 2023 at 16albermarle Project Space, Newtown, Australia. Click here for more information.

Chong Kim Chiew, ‘Boundary Fluidity #30’, 2022, acrylic on tarpaulin, 240 x 180cm. Image courtesy of A+ Works of Art.

Paraphrase Part I

‘Paraphrase’ is a two-part group exhibition presented by A+ Works of Art. It features works typically displayed in off-site exhibitions and fresh artworks by new and gallery-represented artists. Curated by Denise Lai, the showcase is an opportunity to re-view artworks in a unique context brought about by the gallery space and new artwork companions. Part I includes works by Ahmad Fuad Osman, Alvin Lau, Chong Kim Chiew, Hirendran, Izat Arif, Kentaro Hiroki, Mary Pakinee, Phuan Thai Meng, Pangrok Sulap, Tan Zi Hao, Ugo Untoro and 0. Visitors can expect to see dioramic installations, large-scale maps, tarpaulin paintings, mixed-media photographic prints and more. 

‘Paraphrase’ runs from 6 to 27 May 2023 at A+ Works of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Click here for more information.

Tara Kasenda, ‘Ora Pro Nobis’ (Pray for Us), 2023, oil on canvas, 100 x 80cm. Image courtesy of Galerie Virginie Louvet.

Superlight

Galerie Virginie Louvet presents ‘Superlight’, a solo exhibition by Indonesian artist Tara Kasenda. Its title alludes to the feeling of lightness brought about by the artist’s oil paintings, which concentrate on the sky’s translucency and radiance. Kasenda graduated from Bandung Institute of Technology in 2013 and the Paris College of Art in 2019. Her practice pays tribute to the sky and nature, which she views as eternal and above humanity. Her titles break away from the subject matter of clouds and hint at the presence of an ethereal world. Gentle, tranquil and meditative, the large-scale canvases invite viewers to ruminate on their spirituality.

‘Superlight’ runs from 27 April to 2 June 2023 at Galerie Virginie Louvet, Paris, France. Click here for more information.

Singapore International Festival of Arts 2023. Image Courtesy of Arts House Limited.

Singapore International Festival of Arts

Organised by Arts House Limited and commissioned by the National Arts Council, the annual Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) returns with over 30 performances, workshops and talks. Festival Director Natalie Hennedige invites audiences to contemplate the gamut of human experience as they watch performances under this year’s theme, ‘The Anatomy of Performance - Some People’. The festival comprises three platforms: CREATION, featuring 15 new commissions, invited works and unique presentations; LIFE PROFUSION, a virtual entity of digital offerings; and SIFA X, showcasing experimental performances and writings. Visitors can expect works by international practitioners and prominent players in the local theatre scene such as Centre 42, Brian Gothong Tan and K. Rajagopal. 

Singapore International Festival of Arts runs from 19 May to 4 June 2023 at various locations in Singapore. Click here for more information.

Niwat Manatpiyalert, 'ทองคำขาว’ (White Gold), 2021-2022, refined sugar sculptures and polished on stainless-steel base, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Gallery VER.

Area 721,346

Curated by Pojai Akratanakul, the first solo exhibition by Thai artist Niwat Manatpiyalert debuts at Gallery VER. Its title, ‘Area 721,346’, refers to the officially-recorded area of land where sugarcane cultivation occurs in the Kanchanaburi province, where the artist grew up. Based on research conducted over two years, the exhibition uncovers lived stories on environmental pollution, state policies and consumption contributed by the country’s pervasive sugar and sugarcane industry. It features a variety of formats that reveal local issues in a silent yet assertive manner, including videos, photographs, paintings, sculptures, installations and beverages.

‘Area 721,346’ runs from 22 April to 18 June 2023 at Gallery VER, Bangkok, Thailand. Click here for more information.

Marla Bendini, ‘Soften Our Hearts & Harden Our Feet’, 2022, oil and pastel on linen, 120 x 90cm. Image courtesy of sweet pea.

Obviously

‘Obviously’ is a group exhibition curated by sweet pea, a gallery based in Perth, Australia. Focusing on process-driven practices, it explores how art-making can unveil subconscious queries, narratives and knowledge. The show features Singapore-born artists Marla Bendini and Nazerul Ben-Dzulkefli, as well as Australia-based artists Luisa Hansal and Patrick Carter. Through mediums like painting, writing, collage and printmaking, Bendini’s artwork utilises the female gaze to document the unique transgender woman’s experience. Another highlight is a ceramic work by Ben-Dzulkefli, who draws upon the beliefs and cultures of Singapore and the Malay Archipelago to study themes of the afterlife, religion and language. 

‘Obviously’ runs from 4 May to 1 July 2023 at sweet pea at Lawson Flats, Perth, Australia. Click here for more information.

Pacita Abad, ‘European Mask’, 1990, acrylic paint, silkscreen and thread on canvas, 261.5 x 152.5cm. Collection of Tate Modern. Image courtesy the Pacita Abad Art Estate.

Pacita Abad

Walker Art Centre presents the first retrospective of Philippine artist Pacita Abad. Curated by Victoria Sung and developed in collaboration with the Pacita Abad Art Estate, the exhibition features over 100 artworks and objects from private and public collections in Asia, Europe and the United States. Anchoring the show are Abad’s trapunto paintings, which entail hand-quilting and stuffing painted canvases to produce a sculptural effect. These paintings draw from her knowledge of fibre traditions and often incorporate cloth, beads, buttons and cowrie shells from places such as the Philippines, India and Papua New Guinea. ‘Pacita Abad’ will later travel to the San Francisco Museum of Art, MoMA PS1 and Art Gallery of Ontario. 

‘Pacita Abad’ runs from 15 April to 3 September 2023 at Walker Art Centre, Minnesota, United States. Click here for more information.