October Round-Up

STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, ROH and Misako & Rosen, 333Gallery, Gallery Medium, Singapore Art Book Fair, Juming Museum, and Tate Modern
By Alana Malika

Déjà Vu: Buddha is Hiding

Natee Utarit, ‘BUDDHA PALAZZO (a.m.)’, 2024, acrylic paint, screenprint and flocking on linen, 240 x 650cm (5 panels). Image courtesy of the artist and STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery.

A meditation on decolonisation, ‘Déjà Vu: Buddha is Hiding’ at STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery is the final solo exhibition in Thai artist Natee Utarit’s ‘Déjà Vu’ series. John Tung curated 40 print and paper works by Utarit that depict Buddha’s hypothetical introduction to the West as the epitome of Eastern philosophy. In ‘BUDDHA PALAZZO (a.m.)’ and ‘BUDDHA PALAZZO (p.m.)’, Utarit paints the same building during daytime and nighttime as a symbol of the contrast of Eastern and Western doctrines.

‘Déjà vu: Buddha is Hiding’ is on view from 28 September to 1 December 2024 at STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore. More information here.

Let's See レッツ・シー

Kei Imazu, ‘Anda Disini’, 2024, oil on canvas, 300 x 200cm. Image courtesy of the artist, ROH, and Misako & Rosen.

Misako and Rosen in Tokyo and ROH in Jakarta co-presents ‘Let's See レッツ・シー,’ a group exhibition that joins together 19 Japanese painters and artist collectives in Singapore. A comprehensive survey of contemporary Japanese paintings, the body of work represents the evolution of the genre from different generations such as Hiroshi Sugito (b. 1970) and Nanami Hori (b. 1995). For instance, Bandung-based artist Kei Imazu incorporates new-age themes such as the internet into her practice.

‘Let's See レッツ・シー’ is on view from 29 September to 27 October 2024 at ArtSpace @ HeluTrans, Singapore. More information here.

Sinking and the Paradox of Staying Afloat

Le Brothers and Gemini Kim, ‘We Grow Rice’, 2023, 3-channels, sound and color, still image. Image courtesy of 333Gallery.

‘Sinking and the Paradox of Staying Afloat’ is a group exhibition based on a study of the climate crisis and the conditions it has created in Southeast Asia. Curated by Loredana Pazzini-Paracciani, the showcase at 333Gallery alludes to the paradox of surviving nature while saving it. Thai artists Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, Torlarp Larpjaroensook, Jedsada Tangtrakulwong, and Ploenchan Vinyarat, Vietnamese artist Le Brothers with South Korean artist Gemini Kim, and Cambodian artist Khvay Samnang exhibit together in a collection that focuses on the water crisis and the call to restore balance between humanity and nature.

‘Sinking and the Paradox of Staying Afloat’ is on view from 5 October to 3 November 2024 at 333Gallery, Bangkok. More information here.

iii.x_Unrealized Utopia

Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần, ‘Hanhue_1’ from the series 'The Spinning Shadows', 2024, digital collage lenticulars in artist's frame. Image courtesy of the artist.

‘iii.x_Unrealized Utopia’ is a solo exhibition by Vietnamese artist Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần at Gallery Medium. The exhibited works bridges Trần’s dual exploration of international archives on the Bauhaus movement and post-WWII nationalism in 1960s Vietnam. Highlight pieces such as ‘The Unrealized Utopia’ (2023) and ‘Elysium without Shores’ (2024) use artificial intelligence to bring forth Trần’s inspirations from the past into modern contexts.

‘iii.x_Unrealized Utopia’ is on view from 20 September to 31 October 2024 at Gallery Medium, Ho Chi Minh. More information here.

Singapore Art Book Fair

Promotional image of ‘Singapore Art Book Fair: Across 10 Editions.’ Image courtesy of Singapore Art Book Fair.

Commemorating its decade long history, ‘Singapore Art Book Fair’ returns at the end of this October at Singapore Art Museum. A selection of 104 Singapore exhibitors, including TRI.PAR.TITE, 0rbit, Other People’s Books, and Made by Beverley, will be joined by international exhibitors to present a myriad of artists’ books, zines, monographs, contemporary art editions, and other printed ephemera. In addition, the celebration is accompanied by a five-part docuseries titled ‘Singapore Art Book Fair: Across 10 Editions’ which reflects on the past nine editions of the event through the anecdotes of past organizers of the event.

‘Singapore Art Book Fair’ will run from 25 to 27 October 2024 at Singapore Art Museum. Purchase tickets for the event here. Watch ‘Singapore Art Book Fair: Across 10 Editions’ here.

Fang Wu – Asian Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition

FX Harsono, ‘Culture from the Remain of a Long Journey’, 2024. bamboo, textile, found objects, LED bulbs, plastic and wood, 320 x 120 x 150cm. Image courtesy of Juming Museum.

The ongoing exhibition ‘Fang Wu – Asian Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition’ organised by Juming Museum in Taiwan features 20 artists from across Asia. The curated works explore how meaning making is attached to materials, especially ones that carry historical pasts across Asian cultures. The show includes Southeast Asian artists from Thailand and Indonesia, including eminent Indonesian artist Heri Dono. Heri Dono will be exhibiting his work ‘Genetic Manipulation,’ which utilises fiberglass, fans, and electronic devices in a sculpture that touches on the possible negative impacts of artificially tinkering with robots and genetics.

‘Fang Wu – Asian Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition’ is on view from 13 September 2024 to 12 January 2025 in Juming Museum, New Taipei City. More information here.

Moe Satt: F N’ F (Face and Fingers)

Moe Satt, ‘F n’ F (Face and Fingers),’ 2008-2012. Image courtesy of the artist and Nova Contemporary.

Moe Satt is a Burmese artist who will be reprising his performance of ‘Face and Fingers’ at Tate Modern in London. The choreography was originally created in 2008 and comprised more than 100 ‘hand sculptures’ coupled with expressive facials inspired by Satt’s mundane observations of daily life in Yangon, Myanmar. With every iteration of the ritualistic dance, the artist has incorporated new hand gestures to reflect how the passage of time has created new significance using a singular vessel—the human body.

‘Moe Satt: F N’ F (Face and Fingers)’ will be performed on 10 October 2024 and 12 October 2024 at The Tanks in Tate Modern, London. More information here. To read an interview with Moe Satt in our CHECK-IN 2023 issue, click here. 


I Love God, Gold, & Glory

Anas Afandi , ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’, 2024, graphite and colored pencil on paper, 17.9cm x 25cm. Image courtesy of Wei-Ling Gallery.

Anas Afandi (b. 1991) has a solo exhibition at Wei-Ling Gallery, titled ‘I Love God, Gold, & Glory’. Through a mix of drawings and installations, the Malaysian artist looks at the enduring legacy of colonialism. Using oil palm plants as a powerful symbol of colonisers’ exploitation of natural resources, Afandi expresses his regret about the country’s cultural identity being inextricably linked with its natural environs, and how these have been negatively impacted by colonial and capitalist powers. Through his works, the artist reminds us about the connections among the natural world, historical narratives and cultural identity, and the potential interventions we can make as members of modern society.

‘I Love God, Gold & Glory’ runs at Wei-Ling Gallery from 21 September 2024 to 19 October and is available by appointment only. Email Lim Siew Boon, Gallery Manager, at siewboon@weiling-gallery.com to make an appointment and for more information.