RE:

ArtAsiaPacific: Singapore

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:22:00 -0400

While there is an urgent need to stimulate more critical discussion on Asian art, the worry is that, in a climate governed by the prerogatives of neoliberal economics, the subject of Asia may instead be used to designate the limits of this discourse, with the aim of validating rather than interrogating prevailing modes of production and consumption. Perhaps the only viable solution is to constantly decenter the discourse from its subject, such that any stable conception of Asia is thrown into question—an undertaking too difficult and too important to be left in the hands of institutions.

Heman Chong and Ho Rui An outline what is at stake behind the issue of Singapore attempting to become a major global arts hub succinctly here.

DISPLACEMENTS - A Community Arts Exhibition and Event Programme to bid farewell to a 77 year old home

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:54:07 -0400

DISPLACEMENTS - A Community Arts Exhibition and Event Programme to bid farewell to a 77 year old home:

2nd to 23rd June, 13 Wilkie Terrace, Singapore

Opening Hours: Tue- Fri, 3-8pm, Sat & Sun: 12 - 8pm

Description: DISPLACEMENTS is about change - how we cope with it, document it, and eventually come to embrace it.

Set in a 77 year-old family home which will soon make way for urban renewal, 16 artists will interpret the theme of displacement in all it’s forms (geographical, historical, etc.)

No. 13 Wilkie Terrace (right in the heart of town in the Mt Sophia/Selegie area) will be transformed into an interactive communal space, where the community is welcome to come share our stories about Singapore’s past and future aspirations. Come join us as we look at our local histories through the eyes of one house and its inhabitants.

"Reflect/Refract: Essays in Photography in Singapore"

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:40:00 -0400

My essay on Ang Song Nian is out in the Objectifs publication Reflect/Refract: Essays on Photography in Singapore, edited by Charmaine Toh and Cyril Wong. The volume also includes essays by Lee Weng Choy, Yeo Wei Wei, Louis Ho, Bridget Tracy Tan, Zack Razak and Justin Loke.

(photo credit: Louis Ho)

Update on the 'Sticker Lady' situation

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:56:47 -0400

Update on the 'Sticker Lady' situation :

The latest: SKL0 charged for 15 counts of mischief.

“The Sticker Bomber and the Nanny State: Notes from Singapore.”

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:03:00 -0500

“The Sticker Bomber and the Nanny State: Notes from Singapore.”:

An article I co-wrote with Louis Ho on Singaporean street artist SKL0’s incident with the local authorities published in Evental Aesthetics. Abstract below:

In the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore, street artist SKLO has come into conflict with the authorities for her sticker bombing and stenciling. Her arrest foregrounds issues about the socio-cultural resonances and broader value of street art in local public discourse. This article explores SKLO’s praxis vis-à-vis the phenomenon of official graffiti, and its structuring of the tightly regulated public realm. Dubbed the “Sticker Lady,” SKLO has been also referred to as “Singapore’s Banksy” by local and international media. Besides prompting questions regarding the value of street art as expressions of local culture, these references shed light on how the figure of Banksy has become a figure of neoliberal urban aesthetics, especially pertaining to urban entrepreneurialism – a globally circulated signifier of a particular image of street art that sees the attachment of monetary value, celebrity and cool to such artistic works of subversion. These references to Banksy also raise a deeper question: can the Singaporean authorities accept the subversive and political aspects of art as the city-state embarks on a neoliberal agenda to present itself as a considerable player in the global art market?

LA Times' obituary for Lebbeus Woods

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:33:57 -0500

LA Times' obituary for Lebbeus Woods

Biennals and Infrastructural Shift Part II by Terry Smith

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 05:09:00 -0400

Biennals and Infrastructural Shift Part II by Terry Smith:

FromArtAsiaPacific magazine

Biennials and Infrastructural Shift - Part I by Terry Smith

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 07:51:00 -0400

Biennials and Infrastructural Shift - Part I by Terry Smith:

From Jul/Aug 2012 edition of ArtAsiaPacific

Target Audiences and the Publics of Art

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:42:07 -0400

Target Audiences and the Publics of Art:

The Substation presents a conference examining the concepts of the audience and public. 7 April, 11am - 5pm.

Short Circuit, 6th January 2012, 8 pm

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:27:56 -0500

Short Circuit, 6th January 2012, 8 pm:

The 5th installment of Singapore’s LGBT short film festival, featuring the films of Marcia Ong, Ezzam Rahman, He Shuming, Lincoln Chia, Regina Tan, Kirsten Tan, Leon Cheo and Loo Zihan.

Freedom Film Festival 2011

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:40:35 -0400

Freedom Film Festival 2011 :

The Substation will be hosting the Singaporean leg of the Freedom Film Festival on Friday, 28th October 2011. Initiated by Malaysian NGO Pusat Komas, the film festival centres on human rights.

A Design Film Festival 2011 (Singapore)

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:39:12 -0400

A Design Film Festival 2011 (Singapore):

This year’s edition features films and documentaries such as “ANPO: Art & War”, “Citizen Architect”, “Design The New Business” and “Jun Takahashi (Undercover)”. At Old School, 3 - 20 November 2011

The Hall of Mirrors by Bruce Quek

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:30:00 -0400

The Hall of Mirrors by Bruce Quek:

Artist Bruce Quek presents “The Hall of Mirrors” as the winner of The Substation’s Visual Arts Open Call, going all the way through till the 30th of September 2011, with catalogue texts contributed by myself, Mark Wong and Sha Najak.

Elizabeth Wijaya and Lai Wenjie’s I Have Loved debuts in...

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:34:32 -0400

Elizabeth Wijaya and Lai Wenjie’s I Have Loved debuts in this year’s Singapore International Film Festival.

Anonymous presents the Asian premiere of PressPausePlay under A...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:50:35 -0400

Anonymous presents the Asian premiere of PressPausePlay under A Design Film Festival (2011).

A Design Film Festival presents PressPausePlay

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:47:00 -0400

A Design Film Festival presents PressPausePlay:

Design thinktank Anonymous returns with the Asian premiere of PressPausePlay as part of this year’s A Design Film Festival. Focusing on the proliferation and the democratisation of digital culture, the documentary racks up interviews with the movers and shakers of this new creative digital culture frontier.

Singapore Biennale 2011 #2

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:28:00 -0400

Artists in the News (2011) - Koh Nguang How

Factum Tang (2010) - Candice Breitz

Singapore Fiction (2011) - Ruangrupa

Singapore Biennale 2011 #1

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:28:00 -0400

From Old Kallang Airport:

Work No. 112: Thirty-nine metronomes beating time, one at every speed, 1995 - 98 - Martin Creed

Double Up - Michael Beutler

Be True to Your School - Song-Ming Ang

Frequency and Volume: Relational Architecture 9, 2003 - Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Singapore Biennale 2011

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:02:22 -0500

Singapore Biennale 2011:

Opening on the 13th of March and going through till the 15th of May, the Singapore Biennale returns with the theme of Open House, featuring the work of Martha Rosler, Beat Streuli, Taryn Simon, Ming Wong, Shao Yinong and Mu Chen.

In His Time: The Films of Edward Yang 杨德昌回顾影展 (2 Mar - 13 Mar 2011)

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:21:29 -0500

In His Time: The Films of Edward Yang 杨德昌回顾影展 (2 Mar - 13 Mar 2011):

The National Museum Cinematheque presents the films of Taiwanese auteur Edward Yang, with special guests Hsiao Yeh, Hung Hung, Stan Lai and Leong Poh-Chih.