November Round-Up

Asian Art Biennial, Affordable Art Fair, Bangkok Art Biennale, The Whitworth Art Gallery, and A+ Works of Art
By Alana Malika

2024 Asian Art Biennial: How to Hold Your Breath

Sharon Chin, ‘Portal’, 2024, site-specific installation with oil lamps and wheatpasted poster images, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.

The 9th edition of the Asian Art Biennial ‘How to Hold Your Breath’ evokes the retention of breath as a technique of calming the mind and tuning to the rhythm of one’s body and surroundings. This theme suggests the possibility of change and latent hope in the face of uncertainty. It is curated by a team convened by Taiwanese independent curator Fang Yen Hsiang, and includes four international curators: Anne Davidian, Merv Espina, Haeju Kim and Asli Seven. The biennial brings together 35 artist groups from over 20 countries across Asia and the Pacific region, such as Sharon Chin, Chu Hao Pei, Trương Quế Chi & Nguyễn Phương Linh, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

‘How to Hold Your Breath’ is on view from 16 November 2024 to 2 March 2025 at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA), Taichung. More information here.

Affordable Art Fair 2024

Affordable Art Fair 2024. Images courtesy of Affordable Art Fair Singapore.

Affordable Art Fair Singapore (AAF) celebrates 15 years in the city, and 25 years globally. This year, the fair features 83 galleries, with most returning, and 19 new participants. All works are priced under SGD15,000, with 75% under SGD7,500. Under the leadership of Director Alan Koh since 2015, the fair has been a key player in the local art landscape. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the showcase #SPOTLIGHT will present the works of 20 galleries which have been showing at Affordable Art Fair since its early years in Singapore, including local galleries artcommune gallery, Ode to Art and more. There are also special projects, such as a charming Artist’s Home-Studio by Deborah McKellar, presented by Talking Textiles, as well as daily workshops by Objectifs Centre for Film and Photography.

Affordable Art Fair 2024 runs from 7 to 10 November at the F1 Pit Building, Singapore. More information here.

Bangkok Art Biennale

Viriya Chotpanyavisut, ‘Cube Light’, 2012, photograph, 60x90.85cm. Image courtesy of Bangkok Art Biennale.

The fourth Bangkok Art Biennale invites 76 artists from 39 countries who will present under this year’s theme ‘Nurture Gaia.’ The biennale will span four months in 11 venues across Bangkok ranging from Wat Pho, a royal temple, to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The biennale will showcase works that contemplates humanity’s multifaceted relationship with the Earth including featuring artists such as Supawich Weesapen from Thailand, Maria Madeira from Timor-Leste, Moe Satt from Myanmar, and more. 

‘Bangkok Art Biennale’ will run from 24 October 2024 to 25 February 2024. Purchase tickets for the event here. RSVP for events here.

Jakkai Siributr: There’s no Place

Jakkai Siributr, ‘There’s No Place’, 2020-present. Photo by Markus Gortz. Image courtesy of the artist & Flowers Gallery.

Thai artist Jakkai Siributr joins the Whitworth Art Gallery’s tradition of hosting radical textile exhibitions. This is his first show in the United Kingdom titled ‘Jakkai Siributr: There’s no Place.’ Amy George curated notable pieces by Siributr that situates textiles as a medium to interpret personal narratives and political realities in Thailand. For instance, Siributr’s works ‘Broadlands’ and ‘Matrilineal’ are deeply influenced by the matriarchal figures from his upbringing. His ongoing project ‘There’s no Place’ is a community engaged work that invites viewers to create art with people in the Koung Jor Shan Refugee Camp.

‘Jakkai Siributr: There’s no Place’ is on view from 15 November 2024 to 16 March 2025 at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, United Kingdom. More information here.

First Step

Xu Zhen, installation view of ‘Signal in Bangkok’ at deCentral Bangkok, 2024. Image courtesy of A+ Works of Art.

Phornphop Sittiruk, installation view of ‘There is No Eternity of Light’ at deCentral Bangkok, 2024. Image courtesy of A+ Works of Art.

Ariana Chaivaranon, ‘Karmic Debt Trap,’ 2023, 4K Single-channel video installation, colour, sound, globe, gilding, cockroach scent. Video 7:49 min. Globe 25 cm diameter. Image courtesy of A+ Works of Art.

‘First Step’ is a series of three concurrent solo exhibitions by A+ Works of Art that marks the organisation’s debut in Thailand. ‘Signal’ by Xu Zhen is a showcase of the Shanghai artists’ ‘Passion’ series (2021-) which translates digital interactions into a series of oil on canvas paintings. Ariana Chaivaranon presents ‘Cockroach Reincarnate,’ a solo exhibition that explores the power dynamics between the Global South and the Global North through a study of pesticide use in agriculture. Phornphop Sittiruk’s ‘There is no eternity of light’ investigates the alterations and evolutions of ideology throughout Thailand’s history. It also reflects on the past wounds that have reemerged as disorder in the nation’s current political landscape.

‘First Step’ is on view from 23 October to 8 December 2024 at DeCentral Bangkok, 296 Soi Panitanan, (Pridi 42, Yeak 4), Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110. More information here.