Artzine

AFP 2016: Other Shows

Between running around The Link carpark at AFP 2016, we managed to squeeze in a few visits to various art events happening around Manila. Find out what we were up to!

February 19, 2016

Art Fair Philippines 2016: Events Guide

Check out The Artling's guide to navigating the fair and the many satellite events happening around Manila!

February 17, 2016

"Opera: A Rebirth in Arabesque" by Gabriel Barredo

Enter the dark, macabre mind of Filipino artist Gabriel Barredo's "Opera: A Rebirth in Arabesque" that kicks off Art Fair Philippines week

February 17, 2016

'Calendars (2020-2096)' by Heman Chong

Singaporean artist Heman Chong's work 'Calendars (2020-2096)' re-imagines the future through the idea of a fictional narrative

February 16, 2016

Exhibitions To Visit This February: The Philippines

Exhibitions to catch this February in Manila!

February 05, 2016

Heman Chong: 'Ifs, Ands or Buts' at Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai

Singaporean artist Heman Chong’s 2016 is off to a fantastic start, with solo exhibitions at both South London Gallery and Rockbund Art Musuem in Shanghai.   Heman Chong: Ifs, Ands, or Buts 23 JANUARY - 3 MAY 2016 THE ROCKBUND ART MUSEUM  20 Huqiu Road, Huang Pu District, Shanghai.  "One Thousand and One Nights" by Heman Chong ‘Ifs, Ands, or Buts’ is Chong’s first solo exhibition at a museum in China and Rockbund Art Museum’s first exhibition of 2016. It features seven new commissions, produced specifically for the museum that investigates the relationship between image and text through the relationships formed within the works. ‘Ifs, Ands, or Buts’ is a continuation of his highly-conceptualized investigations into how various groups and individuals imagine the future, which he uses to produce his multi-varied works. "Legal Bookshop (Shanghai)" by Heman Chong One of the main themes of the exhibition, reflected in the title ‘Ifs, Ands, or Buts’, involves the concept of fiction. One Thousand and One Nights - a large-scale lightbox installation on the north façade of Rockbund – highlights the differences in the meaning of the title of the well-loved collection of stories in different languages. Legal Bookshop temporarily replaces the traditional museum gift shop with a bookshop that carries only fictional and non-fictional books on the legal system in China. The latter is produced as a collaboration with Ken Liu, a lawyer who is also an award-winning author and translator of speculative fiction. "The Mysterious Island" by Heman Chong Image courtesy of Aesthetica Magazine Image courtesy of the artist The work being installed Image courtesy of the artist In his mixed media installation, The Mysterious Island, Chong attempts to recreate the fictional utopia that is The Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記) – a motif that is integral to East-Asian mythology, as well as pop culture. This installation is constructed from ready-made plastic peach blossom trees procured from the Chinese online marketplace, Taobao (淘宝), and set against a blue backdrop, much like ones used on film production sets. The Mysterious Island evokes the pursuit of an unknowable other through the idea of escape. "Endless (Nights)" by Heman Chong Heman Chong is an artist, curator and writer. He received his M.A in Communication Art & Design from The Royal College of Art, London in 2002. His work continuously interrogates the many functions of the production of narratives in our everyday lives. His work has been exhibited in various solo exhibitions internationally, and at group exhibitions at the Tate Modern, The National Museum of Art, Osaka and the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona – to name a few. He has also participated in various biennales, representing Singapore in the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). "Everything (Baike)" by Heman Chong Image courtesy of the artist Image courtesy of the artist   Click here to see more of Heman Chong's work. For more details on the exhibition see Rockbund Art Museum's website.   All images courtesy of Rockbund Art Museum unless otherwise stated. Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.

January 27, 2016

'My Forest Has No Name' by Donna Ong

One could almost believe that Donna Ong's 'Forest' is real, but the shine of the plastic leaves and the empty expression of a growling tiger reminds us that it is just an illusion.

January 26, 2016

Artspace @ Helutrans Opening Night!

Opening Nights for Silverlens Galleries, Richard Koh Fine Art, Ikkan Art & Gajah Gallery.

January 18, 2016

'Imaginary Homeland' by Boedi Widjaja

Art meets tech through Indonesian artist, Boedi Widjaja's, drawings in 'Imaginary Homeland'

January 13, 2016

Singapore Art Week 2016 Survival Guide

Singapore Art Week (16 - 24 January) is once again upon us, which means art lovers will be sent flying across the island in a bid to squeeze in as many art events as possible. With over sixty exhibitions happening during this nine-day art extravaganza (this does not even include the parties, concerts, workshops, fairs or artist talks), it may seem rather overwhelming. The Artling has navigated the deluge of events and happenings to bring a selection of highlights and must-see exhibitions, so you can make the most of everything on offer!   16 January, Saturday "View From Ulu Tirum - From the series Singapore 1925-2025" by Robert Zhao Image courtesy of Prudential Eye Awards Prudential Eye Awards Exhibition ArtScience Museum 16 January till 27 March 2016   The Art Week Conversations: SINGAPORE - Dressing For A New Stage ION Art, ION Orchard (L4) 16 January 2016, 7.30-9pm   17 January, Sunday Death by a Thousand Cuts, Installation Reference Image Image courtesy of Chan Hampe Galleries Death by a Thousand Cuts SHOPHOUSE 5 14 January till 14 February 2016 Vertical Submarine (Joshua Yang, Fiona Koh & Justin Loke)   "Just A Moment I,I" by Jane Lee Image courtesy of the artist & STPI Freely, Freely  Singapore Tyler Print Institue (STPI) 17 January till 5 March 2016 Jane Lee   18 January, Monday artspace@HELUTRANS Image courtesy of Ikkan Art Gallery SURF and SURFACES Ikkan Art Gallery 18 January till 27 February 2016 n + n Corsino (Nicole & Norbert Corsino)   Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art Arc of Uncertainties Richard Koh Fine Art 18 January till 30 January 2016 Melissa Tan   "Untitled, 12/2009" (from the ongoing series 'Ten Thousand Things That Breathe') by Renato Orara Image courtesy of Silverlens Galleries Renato Orara Silverlens Galleries 18 January till 30 January 2016 Renato Orara   19 January, Tuesday Image courtesy of Singapore Art Week The Garden in Eden Gajah Gallery 19 January till 7 February 2016 Yunizar   20 January, Wednesday Image courtesy of Objectifs Everest Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film 20 January till 21 February 2016 Ang SooKoon   21 January, Thursday Singapore Art Week at SAM Singapore Art Museum 15 January till 24 January 2016   ArtStage Singapore 2016 Marina Bay Sands 21 January till 24 January   22 January, Friday "Gully Curtains" by Tang Da Wu Image courtesy of the artist Earth Work 1979 National Gallery Singapore 22 January till 19 June 2016 Tang Da Wu   ART AFTER DARK X SINGAPORE ART WEEK 2016 "We Are Getting Highly Overrated Because You've Never Known Us #01" by Christine Ay Tjoe Image courtesy of Ota Fine Arts Our Nature: Ay Tjoe Christine + Zai Kuning OTA Fine Arts 12 December till 30 January 2016 Ay Tjoe Christine & Zai Kuning   Image courtesy of FOST Gallery My Forest has No Name FOST Gallery 16 January till 28 February 2016 Donna Ong   "Ibu Pertiwi (Motherland) #10" by Nasirun Image courtesy of Mizuma Gallery From Koyasan to Borobudur Mizuma Gallery 16 January till 28 February 2016 Tanada Koji and Nasirun   Image courtesy of the artist Long Journey Yeo Workshop 19 January till 28 February 2016 Quynh Dong   Planned location for SCOUT, Carpark B, Gillman Barracks SCOUT Singapore: Emerging Art Practices Gillman Barracks 20 January till 24 February 2016   "Girl Balancing Knowledge" by Yinka Shonibare Image courtesy of the artist & Pearl Lam Galleries Childhood Memories Pearl Lam Galleries 21 January till 13 March 2016 Yinka Shonibare   "Start" by Christopher Le Brun Image courtesy of ARNDT Christopher Le Brun ARNDT Fine Art 22 January – 27 March 2016 Christopher Le Brun   23 January, Saturday Image courtesy of Singapore Art Week Singapore Arts Club Arnoldii Arts Club & Gillman Barracks 22 January till 22 February 2016   The Art Week Conversations: THAILAND - The Price of Selling Local ION Art, ION Orcchard (L4) 23 January 2016, 7.30-9pm   25 January, Monday   The Art Week Conversations: INDONESIA - Strongman Moves Forward ION Art, ION Orchard (L4) 25 January 2016, 7.30-9pm     The Artling is an official Online Media Partner of The Art Week Conversations.   Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.

January 12, 2016

2015 Exhibition Roundup

As we look forward to all the exciting arts events coming up in 2016, The Artling has rounded up some of our top picks for exhibitions that featured Asian artists in 2015.

January 05, 2016

Review: Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy

The Ai Weiwei exhibition held at the Royal Academy in London has been one of the most anticipated art events of the year. The retrospective showcases work made by the Chinese artist over the last 22 years, filling 10 rooms with some of his most famous and ferociously political pieces.   This is Ai’s first major survey after his four-year travel ban from China. Although the artist did much of the show’s planning from Beijing, he was finally granted a six-month British visa and was able to come and place his final touches on the exhibition. Surveillance, imprisonment, deconstruction and reconstruction that pertain to China’s political history, are some of the key themes resonating throughout the show. Before entering the gallery space, one is instantly confronted with Ai Weiwei’s “Trees” installation, which stands at the centre of the Annenberg Courtyard of the RA. These enormous sculptures are made from fragments of dead trees that have been reconstructed and carefully joined together to resemble eight large individual trees. The installation is a response to the Chinese government’s slogan of ‘One China’ and comes to represent the diversity of Chinese society that has seemingly unified the country. The spectacle also sees Ai Weiwei transform ordinary objects into conceptual, politically charged thinking pieces. The dissident artist shows us their power by reconfiguring everyday objects, using materials heavily associated with Chinese identity and the nation’s rich imperial history. Grapes (2010), a cluster of twenty-seven Qing stools is one of Ai’s various sculptures that take an anti-communist stance. The work paints a picture of a beautiful past that shows the meeting and unification of souls before China’s Communist takeover. It is not surprising that Ai managed to fit in the largest and not to mention heaviest sculpture into the RA. Straight (2008-12) is composed of an astounding 200 tonnes of steel rods, which have been straightened to create a structure that commemorates those who were killed and affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Surrounding the work is a list of schoolchildren names who were known to have died from the disaster. Much of Ai’s work is humorous and purposefully paradoxical in its meaning and message. He Xie (2011) does just this, as the artist plays on the dual meaning of the Chinese word. “He xie” can mean both “river crab” and “harmonious” which is emblematic of how the Chinese government wants the nation to be perceived. At the corner of one room are hundreds of grey and rather sprightly orange coloured porcelain river crabs piled and scattered on top of one another. The work is representative of the destruction of his studio in Shanghai and his arrest in 2011.   The notion of surveillance is a constant and persisting theme within the exhibition. In the second last room, 6 giant boxes fill the space. Next to them are small platforms that people can step up on in order to look inside the box. Here, Ai recreates scenes from his 81-day imprisonment, where he was not allowed to be more than a metre away from a prison guard at all times. S.A.C.R.E.D (2014) exposes a stint of his subjugating experience and gives one an idea of what it is like to be constantly watched.   Altogether, it is difficult to digest and apprehend the great deal of work on display. It is evident that Ai Weiwei tests the limits of his materials. With his clever and witty transformation of them he is able to convey powerful and controversial political messages. As one of the most fearless and contentious artists, Ai’s work never ceases to amaze as he continually shocks his audiences. The spectacle is one that should not be missed and is on display at the Royal Academy until 13 December 2015. 1 December 2015 Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.

December 01, 2015