Ian’s Research Club 04: Joyce Toh

‘S.E.A. Focus Curated 2022: chance constellations’

Ian Tee and Joyce Toh. ⁣

Hello and welcome to Ian’s Research Club, an A&M podcast. In each episode, I speak with guests from the visual arts community, as well as creative individuals from adjacent industries. Hosting this podcast is an extension of the long-form interviews I have been conducting, and a way of capturing the personal voice. I hope you find the conversations as generative and enjoyable as I know I will!

My guest on this episode is Joyce Toh, Head of Exhibitions for S.E.A. Focus Curated 2022. Previously, she was Senior Curator at the Singapore Art Museum from 2007 to 2020, where she curated exhibitions, and oversaw the museum’s Philippine collection and publications. Joyce is also the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of ARTO, a social discovery platform to make art physically and emotionally accessible to everyone. 

We speak on the occasion of S.E.A. Focus 2022, an anchor event of Singapore Art Week. This is the second time S.E.A. Focus is presented as a hybrid fair, with a physical show at Tanjong Pagar Distripark in Singapore as well as a digital showroom. Joyce and I discuss the theme chance constellations, the fair’s unusual layout as well as some highlight artworks you do not want to miss. 

Click here to listen on Soundcloud. You can also find the podcast by searching “Ian’s Research Club” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

S.E.A. Focus Curated 2022: chance constellations, 2022, view of the fair entrance with works by Melissa Tan. Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus, Singapore.

S.E.A. Focus Curated 2022: chance constellations, 2022, view of the fair entrance with works by Melissa Tan. Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus, Singapore.

S.E.A. Focus Curated 2022: chance constellations, 2022, view of the fair entrance with works by Melissa Tan. Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus, Singapore.

Nadiah Bamadhaj, Pessimism is Optimistic, 2017, charcoal on paper collage, 120 x 150cm (each), 360 x 450cm (installation size). Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus.

Tammy Nguyen, Commander of Space, Gammal Abdel Nasser, 2021, watercolour, vinyl paint, pastel, and metal leaf on paper stretched over panel, 60.7 x 50.8cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Tropical Futures Institute.

Sawangwongse Yawnghwe, Aung San and U Raschid, 2017, oil on linen, 165 x 207cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Nova Contemporary.

Khvay Samnang, Preah Kunlong (Monkey), 2016–17, digital C-Print , giclee print on paper, dibond, 80 x 120cm, edition 2/5. Image courtesy of the artist and Nova Contemporary.

Ian Tee, FIRE BLANKET 12, 2021, fibre-glass fire blanket, old clothes, unwanted textile, and safety straps, 123 x 123cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Yavuz Gallery.

Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo, Galian, 2021, resin, synthetic metal powder, mineral mounted on wooden panel, 150 x 450 x 15cm (triptych). Image courtesy of the artist and ROH Projects.

S.E.A. Focus Curated: chance constellations is on view from 15 to 23 January 2022.