Sàn Art, Hammer Museum, Hanover Project, Richard Koh Fine Art, Gajah Gallery, Art Jakarta
By Wong Kar Mun Nicole

Nguyen Thai Tuan, ‘Interior #12’, 2018, oil on canvas, 180 x 150cm. Image courtesy of Sàn Art. Photo by Nguyen Hoai Ngan.

Waiting for the end of wind

Continuing his long-running history with Sàn Art, Nguyen Thai Tuan presents his solo exhibition, ‘Waiting for the end of wind’. Since his debut solo in 2008, Tuan’s works have been discussed in various cultural forums and interdisciplinary socio-political commentaries. For this show, Tuan creates anonymous individuals who wander through time, lingering in the liminal spaces of past, present and future. Drawing on magical realism and post-impressionism, the works offer haunting and powerful political discourse that will stay with the viewer, long after they leave.

‘Waiting for the end of wind’ is on show from 1 March to 23 April 2022 at 195/14 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Ward 17, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Click here to find out more.

Hammer Projects: Ho Tzu Nyen

Singapore-born Ho Tzu Nyen exhibits ‘49th Hexagram’ (2020) as part of Hammer Projects, a series highlighting the work of contemporary artists from around the globe. Combining animation from a North Korean-based studio, and an experimental soundtrack developed in collaboration with Korean artists and musicians Bek Hyunjin, Park Minhee, and Ryu Hankil, Ho presents a two-channel video and sound installation that explores the creation of cultural memory and political narrative surrounding the Korean peninsula

‘Hammer Projects: Ho Tzu Nyen’ is on show from 23 January to 8 May 2022 at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Click here to find out more.

Geng Xue, ‘The Poetry of Michelangelo’, 2015, single-channel video, 19 minutes. Image courtesy of Hanover Project.

Desirable Body

Desirable Body is a group exhibition featuring four women artists, Yanyun Chen, Eng Kai Er, Geng Xue and Gina Osterloh. It is curated by Melanie Pocock for The Hanover Project at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Artworks in the exhibition explore how bodily consciousness and the self can be shaped by conflicting bodily desires that encompass fascination, attraction and revulsion. The exhibition includes Eng’s performance piece, ‘Posing Questions’ (2019–22) which follows the artist as a still life model, navigating the distinction between sitter and observer through both poignancy and humour.

‘Desirable Body’ is on show from 14 March to 8 April 2022 at The Hanover Project, Hanover Building, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom. Click here to find out more.

Wings of Throne

Svay Sareth’s solo exhibition ‘Wings of Throne’ is on display at Richard Koh Fine Art. Growing up in Cambodia amidst conflict and instability, Svay began making art as a young teenager in the Site 2 refugee camp, near the Thai-Cambodian border. Much of Svay’s work grapples with war and resistance. Here, Svay explores these ideas through eight camouflage-printed soft sculptures of dragon’s wings. Inspired by the idealised notion that Cambodia’s current monarch in power is “supported by wings,” Svay’s satirical work confronts Cambodian history and political turmoil to present a vision of a post-war dream for artistic freedom.

‘Wings of Throne’ is on show from 1 - 23 April 2022 at RKFA, Gillman Barracks, Singapore. Click here to find out more.

Uji ‘Hahan’ Handoko Eko Saputro, ‘Old World Totem’, 2022, non-fungible token, single channel video loop, 1:00 runtime, 3480 x 2160 pixels. Image courtesy of Gajah Gallery.

Superfuture

With the rise of NFTs globally, Gajah Gallery presents ‘Superfuture,’ a timely exhibition that showcases artists from Singapore, Indonesia and the United States who have used digital methods to fulfil their artistic visions and expand their practice. Many of the works featured in ‘Superfuture’ were created as NFTs. They range from photography to animation, and traverse traditional and new media. ‘Superfuture’ engages with the world of NFTs to provide a new perspective to examine the past, question the present, and face a future complicated with the possibilities offered by technology.

‘Superfuture’ is on show from 31 March - 10 April 2022 at Gajah Gallery Singapore, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore. Click here to find out more.

Popo Iskandar, ‘At the Beach’, 1976, oil on canvas, 78 x 97cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

Art Jakarta Gardens

Art Jakarta returns in 2022 with Art Jakarta Gardens, an innovative fair that seamlessly integrates art spaces across both outdoor and indoor venues. Held across eight days in two site-specific tents built for the fair, ‘Art Jakarta Gardens’ will feature 20 galleries including local galleries ArtSerprong Gallery, Bale Project and Kohesi Initiatives and regional galleries such as Art Agenda, which is based both in Singapore and Jakarta, and Linda Gallery. The fair is also set within a sprawling sculpture garden set amidst a tropical forest in the heart of Jakarta. With works by more than 20 artists, a highlight is a sculpture by Dolorosa Sinaga for Facade x Kiniko Art.

‘Art Jakarta Gardens’ will be held from 7 - 14 April 2022 at Hutan Kota by Plataran, Jakarta, Indonesia. Click here to find out more.

De-Oriented

‘De-Oriented’, an exhibition by artist-led London collective An.other Asian (AOA), confronts common global misconceptions and stereotypes of Southeast Asia. On show are works by early-career artists from Southeast Asian backgrounds. They include the co-founders of AOA: Duong Thuy Nguyen, Rianti Gautama, Koa Pham and David Koh. Other participating artists are Emi Rosalina Kubota, Alya Hatta, Natalie Sasiprapa Organ, Victoria Kosasie, Aliansyah Caniago, Mai Anh Le, Patarita Tassanarapan, ZiYin Chuang, Henri Affandi, Nurin Yusof, Tu Pham, and Unamed Collective. Deconstructing the orientalist fantasy of Southeast Asia as an idealised tourist destination, ‘De-Oriented’ aims to bring attention to the tumultuous political and social realities of the region, encapsulating issues ranging from the climate crisis to gender divides.

‘De-Oriented’ is on show from 21 to 24 April 2022 at Ugly Duck, 49 Tanner Street, Bermondsey, London, UK. Click here to find out more.