SGABF, Marabouparken Konsthall, Taoyuan International Art Award, STPI, Museum of The Home, Julius Baer
By Vivyan Yeo

Singapore Art Book Fair 2023

The Singapore Art Book Fair celebrates its 10th anniversary with the largest edition yet. Showcasing artist’s books, zines and prints, it features over 100 local and international exhibitors from Southeast Asia, as well as farther afield from Germany, Portugal and more. The physical fair welcomes first-time exhibitors like Singapore graphic artist Theseus Chan and familiar names such as Knuckles & Notch, Studio SWELL, Temporary Press and THEBOOKSHOW. Visitors can attend book-related talks and pre-order festival T-shirts designed by local design studio Currency and silk-screened by Konstrukt Laboratories. They can also view an exhibition titled ‘Scaffolding’ by America-based artist Tricia Treacy, whose tactile artworks challenge the lines between art and design.

The Singapore Art Book Fair 2023 runs from 14 to 16 April 2023 at the Singapore Art Museum. Click here for more information.

Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, ‘The Unburied Sounds of a Troubled Horizon’, 2022, single-channel video, 4k resolution, 5.1 surround sound, 60min, with sculptures. Photo by Jean-Baptiste Béranger. Image courtesy of Marabouparken Konsthall.

It Was What Is Will Be

Marabouparken Konsthall opens the first solo exhibition by Vietnamese artist Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn in Sweden. Titled ‘It Was What Is Will Be’, the show features three films that discuss the past, present and future of Vietnam and its neighbouring countries. Combining documentary material and mythology, Nguyễn explores themes of displacement and memory. His latest film, ‘The Unburied Sounds of a Troubled Horizon’ (2022), follows a young woman who looks after her mother in the Vietnamese province Quảng Trị, covered with bombshells, ammunition and explosives left from the Vietnam War. The film is accompanied by sculptures created with old bombshells.

’It Was What Is Will Be’ runs from 18 February to 16 April 2023 at Marabouparken Konsthall, Sundbyberg, Sweden. Click here for more information.

Lee Kai-chung, ‘The Shadow Lands Yonder’, 2022, septuple-channel video and sound installation, exhibition view. Image courtesy of 2023 Taoyuan International Art Award.

YL Hsueh, ‘Waterproof Garment, Kinematic Cache, 9’15’ ’, 2022-2023, steel bracket framework (non-woven fabric, waterproof covering), single-channel video and sound installation (light box with cassette player, tape loops). Image courtesy of 2023 Taoyuan International Art Award.

2023 Taoyuan International Art Award

Championing experimentation, the 2023 Taoyuan International Art Award presents an exhibition of artworks by 15 finalists in Taiwan. The showcase opened with an award ceremony to reveal five winners from across the globe. Delphine Pouillé (France) won the Grand Award, Lee Kai-chung (Hong Kong), Jiao Yan (China) and Belén Santamarina (Argentina) were awarded Honourable Mentions, and Wang Yen-ran (Taiwan) won the Sojourn Award. Lee’s installation, ‘The Shadow Lands Yonder’ (2022), employs video, sound and creative writing to investigate themes of identity and political transition in 20th-century Manchuria. Other artworks similarly feature a wide variety of mediums, including but not limited to weaving, wood, stone, photography, foam, metallic cables, ceramics, cyanotype and food products.

‘2023 Taoyuan International Art Award’ runs from 21 March to 30 April 2023 at Taoyuan Arts Center, Taiwan. Click here for more information.

Rirkrit Tiravanija, ‘untitled 2020 (nature morte)’ (series collage), 2023, CNC router cut aluminium sheet, 20 parts, 50 x 50 x 1.5cm each. © Rirkrit Tiravanija / STPI. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore.

We don’t recognise what we don’t see
STPI presents a solo exhibition by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija titled ‘We don’t recognise what we don’t see’. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries, the show features artworks created during Tiravanija’s third residency with STPI. They comment on humanity’s indifference towards other living beings and the ignorance of man-made destruction. Using media like aluminium sheets, solar dust screenprints, heat-sensitive ink and 3D-printed models, he engages with ideas around the Enlightenment and memento mori. Together, they shed light on the extinction of creatures throughout history and potentially in the future.

‘We don’t recognise what we don’t see’ runs from 8 April to 4 June 2023 at STPI, Singapore. Click here for more information.

Duong Thuy Nguyen, ‘Family Homes', 2023, hand-bound book, rice paper and aluminium, 21 x 16cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

No Place Like Home (A Vietnamese Exhibition) Part II

Curated by KV Duong and Hoa Dung Clerget, the exhibition features artworks by eight Vietnamese diaspora artists at Museum of The Home in London. They are AP Nguyen, Duong Thuy Nguyen, Koa Pham and KV Duong from Vietnam, Carô Gervay and Hoa Dung Clerget from France, Cường Minh Bá Phạm from London and Minh Lan Tran from Hong Kong. Inspired by communal gatherings, many artworks are displayed on low, curved tables. Visitors are invited to sit on straw mats and engage with them up close. Accompanying the exhibition are a workshop, a panel discussion, artist performances and a closing meal.

‘No Place Like Home (A Vietnamese Exhibition) Part II’ runs from 19 April to 11 July 2023 at Museum of The Home, London, England. Click here for more information.

Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize. Image courtesy of Julius Baer.

Winners of the Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize

Addressing the themes of ‘Future Cities’, ‘Digital Disruption’ and ‘Sustainability’, the second edition of the Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize has been awarded to six digital artists. They are André Wee and Chan Wan Kyn from Singapore, Carla Chan, Jamela Law and Natalie Yen Ye Wong from Hong Kong, and Viraag Desai from India. In addition to receiving a USD10,000 cash prize each, the winners will participate in a three-month Art and Technology Accelerator programme led by The MeshMinds Foundation. They will also develop their concept proposals into final artworks to be exhibited in a virtual showcase in the second half of this year.

Click here for more information on the winners of the Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize.

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