<i>The Posthuman City. Climates. Habitats. Environments</i>
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Currently, more than half of the world’s human population lives in urban areas. Urban growth poses challenges to the various city dwellers, and creates material demands that cause lasting damage to the wider environment. The climate crisis is already announcing threatening scenarios particularly for coastal regions and megacities located at coastlines. Global urbanisation and the exploitation of resources happen on the expense of human and other species alike. <i>The Posthuman City</i> features artists who propose a shift in perspective. <br /><br />Taking NTU CCA Singapore’s overarching research topic <i>Climates.Habitats.Environments.</i> as point of departure, the exhibition <i>The Posthuman City</i> considers the possibilities of a conscious sharing of resources, and a respectful and mindful coexistence between humans and other species. Through imaginative propositions at the intersection of art, design, and architecture, the selected artists engage questions addressing issues of sustainability, water scarcity, invisible communities, nature as a form of culture, and suggest the implementation of lived indigenous knowledges. Examining the urban fabric in its condition as a habitat for a diversity of life forms, the featured works range from installations to time-based media. <br /><br />Stressing the vital importance of clean water and the challenges of its scarcity around the world, the artist and design duo Lucy + Jorge Orta have developed a long-term project on water collection, purification, and distribution. <i>OrtaWater</i> focuses on the general issues surrounding clean water and the privatisation and corporate control effecting access to it. Starting from a rigorous analysis of this crucial resource through visual and textual research and collaborative workshops with engineers, Lucy + Jorge Orta create sculptures, large-scale installations, and public artworks, that are both artefacts and functional design. One angle of their research—low-cost water purification devices enabling filthy water to be pumped and filtered directly from local sources—is translated into <i>Portable Water Fountain</i> (2005) and <i>Mobile Intervention Unit</i> (2007). These devices have been used to purify and distribute water from the Venice’s Canal Grande (2005) and the Huang Pu River in Shanghai (2012), among others, and now from the creek that runs through Gillman Barracks. <br /><br />Similarly combating water pollution, Irene Agrivina’s <i>Soya C(o)u(l)ture</i> is a mixed media installation that demonstrates how to transform wastewater from tofu and tempeh production into usable biomaterials, such as fuel, fertiliser, and leather-like fabrics. <i>Soya C(o)u(l)ture</i> was developed in collaboration with XXLab, an all-female transdisciplinary collective that Agrivina co-founded. Usually, large amounts of wastewater pollute the water in the rivers surrounding the plants, which in turn causes cholera and skin and bowel diseases in humans. <i>Soya C(o)u(l)ture</i> intends to divert this wastewater from tofu factories and put it in a homegrown starter culture medium to create useful products. A biological process using various bacteria and cell cultures, for instance <i>Acetobacter xylinum</i>, generates alternative energy sources, foodstuffs, and biological material. This process creates cellulose sheets that can either be used for consumption—<i>nata de coco</i>, a variant made of coconut water, is a popular snack food—or further processed (pressed, dried, enhanced with colouring and coating) to make clothing and craft materials. This biological procedure can be reproduced in any household using normal kitchen utensils in combination with open-source software and simple hardware. In this way, the project could provide women in poverty-stricken regions with opportunities to increase their income. <br /><br />Indigenous peoples of various territories around the world, with deep historical and cultural ties to their land, have preserved sustainable ways of living that respect the limits of the planet’s resources. The artist and architect Marjetica Potrč’s <i>Earth Drawings</i> refer to these unique indigenous cosmogonies and their essential knowledges, based on research done over the past 15 years, centred on indigenous communities, such as the Asháninkas (in the Brazilian state of Acre in Amazonia), the Aboriginal (in Australian), and the Sami (in northern Norway), The <i>Earth Drawings</i>, a series on paper, point to the growing alliances between indigenous groups and bottom-up initiatives in the effort to ensure a more resilient future, beyond the social and economic agreement of the neoliberal order. Potrč stresses that the world’s diverse societies, taken together, form an intelligent organism: when necessary, they self-generate new models of existence and coexistence—a precondition for human resilience on Earth. Sharing life experiences is, after all, a basic human condition. Coexistence on Earth requires new foundations that foreground collective ownership of the land and a socially-conscious individualism. <br /><br />Planetary coexistence of species acknowledges the presence and agency of diverse forms of intelligence. The artist Nicholas Mangan is inspired by termites and their capacity to build sophisticated and dynamic architectures that provide a model for decentralised social and economic organisation. The starting point of <i>Termite Economies (Phase 1)</i> was the anecdote that Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) researched termite behaviour in the hope that the insects might one day lead humans to gold deposits; a proposal to exploit the natural activity of termite colonies for economic gain. Mangan, on the contrary, proposes that the termites’ way of living in colonies might suggest other complex and global-scale systems for people to live and work together, better regulating and metabolising human consumption, production, and digestion. <i>Termite Economies</i> combines footage Mangan filmed on locations in Western Australia, alongside archival video and table-mounted sculptures, to speculate on the use of termites as miners and ruminating on how capitalism puts nature to work. The 3D-printed models reference existing infrastructures, for instance an underground tunnelling system for Tindals Mining Centre, a gold mine in Western Australia. The idea was to produce a 1:100 scale model to train termites. <br /><br />In <i>Bangkok Opportunistic Ecologies</i>, the design practice Animali Domestici studied the urbanity of Bangkok from a non-anthropocentric perspective, focusing on the presence of pythons. Mapping the city through a snake’s experience, the resulting tapestry puts multiple beings of different species at the centre, displacing the human from its exceptionalism. The graphic realisation is freely inspired by the representation techniques, colour palettes, and composition of Thai traditional mural paintings. Their work process translates research and statistics on the Thai capital into multiple encapsulated narratives, including such elements as sewerage, canals, water swamps, and rain water “cracked” pipes—typical spots used by snakes, according to fire department experts—, as well as folkloric cultural practices like the numerology and superstitions connected to the shape and location of the animals. <br /><br />In <i>Untitled (Human Mask)</i>, the artist Pierre Huyghe films a monkey, Fuku-chan, who in real life has a work permit as a “waitress” in a traditional sake house in Tokyo. In the film, the animal is wearing a dress and a wig, as well as a white, human-like mask created by Huyghe. Made of resin, the mask is inspired by traditional Japanese Noh theatre masks, where only the main actor wears a mask, meant to show the essential traits of the character. The film’s first images are drone shots of a devastated landscape, that of Fukushima in 2011, after the earthquake-triggered tsunami caused the meltdown of three nuclear plant reactors. It then shifts to an empty restaurant and house, where we follow Fuku-chan moving around in the dark. Fuku-chan is seen acting, and seems to be waiting, shaking her leg, looking at her nails, playing with her hair. A cat appears, and we see close-ups of insects and cockroaches. Raising questions about the essence of human nature and of non-human forms of intelligence and communication, the work points at the prevailing relationship of domination between humans and other species. <br /><br /><i>Ghostpopulations</i>, a series of collages by the artist Ines Doujak, combines ill human bodies with flora and fauna, transforming drawings from 19th-century medical textbooks into provocative assemblages that investigate desperation as an economic force. Doujak points out that entire populations uproot and flee in the direction of the faintest glimmer of hope, only to find themselves in the worst of predicaments: abandoned and deported, sold, abused or stigmatised forever, circulating as extremely cheap and disposable commodities. While she is giving visibility to such marginalised, abused, and displaced populations, these collages draw a dystopian mirage, reminding us of the pending threat of pandemic illnesses. <br /><br />Death, from a post-humanist perspective, is not only inevitable and part of life, but is an event that is already in our past. The artist and entrepreneur Jae Rhim Lee developed a burial suit as an environmentally-conscious alternative to conventional funerary processes, shifting the negative narratives around death. The presented <em>Infinity Burial Suit</em>, a handcrafted garment that is worn by the deceased, is completely biodegradable, and co-created with zero waste fashion designer Daniel Silverstein. In addition, the Forever Spot Pet Shroud is featured, also consisting of a built in biomix of mushrooms and other microorganisms that together do three things: aid in decomposition, work to neutralise toxins found in dead bodies, and transfer nutrients to plant life, enriching the earth and fostering new life. Highlighting the importance of decompiculture—the cultivation of waste-decomposing organisms—, this project also suggests a strong link between human resistance to mortality and climate change denial. She advocates for a post-mortem responsibility towards the natural world and a direct engagement with our own mortality, making funerals new beginnings instead of endpoints, becoming more emotionally and socially accessible. <br /><br />A parable on economic crashes, financial trading, mixed martial arts, and general contemporary culture, artist and writer Hito Steyerl’s large-scale architectural environment features <em>Liquidity Inc.</em>, a single-screen projection that uses water and liquidity as guiding tropes. Opening with the quote “be water, my friend” by martial arts legend and actor Bruce Lee, the film comments on the circulation of digital images, big data, information, financial assets, labour, and weather systems. The installation consists of a double-sided projection screen in front of a blue, wave-like ramp, where the viewers find themselves in “troubled water.” Steyerl merges CGI and green screen scenes with an assortment of embedded videos, swipes, clips, scrolls, and pop-up windows, that include the story of Jacob Wood, a former financial analyst who lost his job during the 2008 economic recession and decided to turn his mixed martial arts hobby into a new career. The intricate mesh of late capitalism structures needs to be hijacked in order to allow space for new ecological and sustainable policies that value people and life over profit. <br /><br /><em>The Posthuman City</em>, through artistic propositions, intends to open a discussion about the imbalanced relationship between an anthropocentric thinking that puts the human at the centre, and the fact that the urban environment is a habitat for many life forms. In her book <em>The Posthuman </em>(2013), Rosi Braidotti calls for resilience, stating that “sustainability does assume faith in a future, and also a sense of responsibility for ‘passing on’ to future generations a world that is liveable and worth living in. A present that endures is a sustainable model of the future.” <br /><br />Curated by <b>Ute Meta Bauer</b>, Professor, NTU ADM, and Founding Director, NTU CCA Singapore, and <b>Laura Miotto</b>, Associate Professor, NTU ADM <br /><br />The accompanying public programmes include seminars addressing techno-optimism and eco-hacktivism on <b>23 November 2019</b>, and biodiver-city and urban futurism on <b>18 January 2020</b>, deepening the discussion around posthumanism and the urban condition. <br /><br />From <b>15 – 23 February 2020</b>, the second edition of <b>NTU CCA Ideas Fest</b> takes place, guest curated by <b>IdeasCity</b>, New Museum, New York.
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<i>Trinh T. Minh-ha. Films</i>
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<i>“The making of each film transforms the way I see myself and the world. Once I start engaging in the process of making a film or in any artistic excursion, I am also embarking upon a journey whose point of arrival is unknown to me.”—Trinh T. Minh-ha</i> <br /><br />Trinh T. Minh-ha. Films. is the first institutional exhibition of filmmaker, music composer, writer, anthropologist, feminist and postcolonial theorist Trinh T. Minh-ha in Asia, presented in an exhibition format. Five of her films—<b>Forgetting Vietnam</b> (2015), <b>Night Passage</b> (2004), <b><i>The Fourth Dimension</i></b> (2001), <b><i>A Tale of Love</i></b> (1995) and <b><i>Shoot for the Contents</i></b> (1991), filmed over a quarter of a century, in different parts of Asia—are simultaneously on view in five small-scale movie theatres in The Exhibition Hall. As the viewer wanders from one theatre to the next, the proximity of the films enables their narratives to interrelate. This spatial configuration took its point of departure from Trinh’s exhibition at the Secession, Vienna, in 2001. <br /><br /><b><i>Forgetting Vietnam</i></b>, framed by two ancient Vietnamese myths, was made in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, touching on the memory of trauma. <b><i>Night Passage</i></b>, inspired by Miyazawa Kenji’s novel <b><i>Milky Way Railroad</i></b> (1927), narrates the spiritual journey of a young female immigrant and her two companions, into a world of in-between realities. Shot in Japan, <b><i>The Fourth Dimension</i></b> is Trinh’s first digital film. Using special video effects to composite images and sound in multiple layers, this film is an exploration of time through rituals of religion and culture, new technology and everyday reality. <b><i>A Tale of Love</i></b> is a retelling of 19th-century Vietnamese poem <b><i>The Tale of Kiều</i></b> (1820), through a modern-day Vietnamese immigrant in the United States. In this film, Trinh experiments with various cinematic techniques and elements. <b><i>Shoot for the Contents</i></b>, an excursion into allegories, explores cultural and political shifts in China, as refracted by the June Fourth incident in Beijing. <br /><br />Presented in the Centre’s Single Screen from 31 October 2020 is Trinh’s newest cinematic work, <b><i>What about China?</i></b> (Part I of II, 2020–21). Initiated by NTU CCA Singapore, and co-commissioned with Rockbund Art Museum (RAM), Shanghai, the film takes the notion of harmony in China as a site of creative manifestation, and draws from footage shot in 1993 and 1994, in Eastern and Southern China, specifically from provinces Anhui, Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangxi—linked to the remote origins of Chinese civilisation. <br /><br />Through <b><i>Trinh T. Minh-ha. Writings.</i></b>, a display of Trinh’s books on reading platforms along the passageway connecting the five theatres in The Exhibition Hall, as well as Why are they so afraid of a lotus?, presented in The Lab by CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Wattis), San Francisco, that showcases its year-long research season on her multifaceted practice, viewers are able to encounter her extensive writing that is core to her practice. <br /><br />Trinh’s early films, <b><i>Surname Viet Given Name Nam</i></b> (1989), <b><i>Naked Spaces—Living is Round</i></b> (1985), and <b><i>Reassemblage</i></b> (1982), are part of an online film programme, <b><i>Speaking / Thinking Nearby</i></b>. Other films selected echo strands of discussions in Trinh’s layered practice, ranging from ethics of representation, to aspects of migration, global socio-politics, and feminism. <br /><br />Besides the film programme Speaking / Thinking Nearby, other public programmes include Mother Always Has a Mother, an online convening presented by the Centre, Wattis, and RAM, and “There is no such thing as documentary”, a conference that brings together filmmakers, film historians, and curators to question the politics embedded in presentation and representation, perception, context, and the spatial. <br /><br />This is NTU CCA Singapore’s final presentation in its current exhibition space, its opening coinciding with the Centre’s seventh anniversary. By the end of this exhibition, the Centre would have hosted 55 exhibitions since its inception in 2013, inaugurated by the show Paradise Lost (2014), featuring works by Trinh T. Minh-ha alongside those of Zarina Bhimji and Fiona Tan. <br /><br />Trinh T. Minh-ha (Vietnam/United States) is Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies and of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, and an award-winning artist and filmmaker. She grew up in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and pursued her education at the National Conservatory of Music and Theater in Ho Chi Minh City. In 1970, she migrated to the United States where she continued her studies in music composition, ethnomusicology, and French literature at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She embarked on a career as an educator and has taught in diverse disciplines which brought her to the National Conservatory of Music in Dakar, Senegal, where she shot her first film, Reassemblage. Trinh’s cinematic oeuvre has been featured in numerous exhibitions and film festivals. She has participated in biennales across the globe including Documenta11, Kassel (2002), and most recently at Manifesta 13, Marseille (2020). A prolific writer, she has authored nine books. <br /><br />Trinh T. Minh-ha. Films. is curated by Ute Meta Bauer (Germany/Singapore), Founding Director, NTU CCA Singapore, and Professor, NTU ADM. <br /><br />This project focuses on the multi-layered practice of Trinh T. Minh-ha as a filmmaker, writer, music composer and educator, generating a multi-year (2019–2022) research and programme partnership between NTU CCA Singapore, RAM, Wattis, and the Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart.
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<i>The wind that cuts the body </i>by Choy Ka Fai
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Driven by his interest in exploring the conditions of the human body, multi-disciplinary artist <b>Choy Ka Fai</b> focuses his research on choreographic practices in
Asia. <i>The wind that cuts the body</i> presents his current investigation into Butoh, which arose in Japan at the end of the 1950s, encompassing a diverse range of techniques from dance, theatre, and movement. Choy traces the legacy of one of the key founders, Tatsumi Hijikata (1928–1986) who sought a new form of physical expression he referred to as <i>ankoku butō</i> (“dance of darkness”), delving into imageries of the grotesque and sickness of the human form. The research presentation will feature a selection of reference materials from the Tatsumi Hijikata Archive in Tokyo and from the artist’s expeditions, interviews, and documentary sketches. In his pursuit, Choy went to the extent of interviewing the spirit of Hijikata through an <i>itako</i> (Japanese shaman) and to speculate on the technological possibilities of dancing with Hijikata again. <br /><br /><i>The wind that cuts the body</i> is curated by Khim Ong, Deputy Director, Curatorial Programmes.
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<i>The Ring of Fire (2014 – ongoing)</i> by Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina
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Invisible to the human eye, geological kinships flow under the oceans and lay deep into the earth’s crust. When they manifest themselves, it is often in apocalyptic forms that disrupt existing ecosystems and the course of human life. In geography, The Ring of Fire denotes the volcanic belt and the collision zone of tectonic plates running around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, a deadly area where the majority of the world’s earthquakes and eruptions occur. For <b>Irwan Ahmett</b> and <b>Tita Salina</b>, this geologically unstable territory demarcates a field of artist inquiry. <br /><br />Since 2014, the Indonesian duo have embarked upon a journey that engages issues of social injustice, political struggles, colonial histories, and environmental crises encountered along erratic routes that stretch from Indonesia to New Zealand, from Taiwan and South Korea to Japan. <i>The Ring of Fire (2014–ongoing)</i> brings together for the first time the most significant works realised by the artists, either together or individually, since the inception of the project.
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<i>What is deep sea mining?</i>
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By <b>inhabitants</b> in collaboration with <b>Margarida Mendes</b> <br /><br />Deep sea mining is a new frontier of resource extraction located on the ocean seabed. It is set to begin in the next few years, as the technology is currently under development. Mining companies are, at present, leasing areas for exploitation in national and international waters in order to assess the potential to extract minerals and metals such as manganese, cobalt, gold, copper, iron, and other rare earth elements. The main geological sites targeted are areas rich in polymetallic nodules, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents; areas typically found where tectonic plates meet. The areas to be mined could cover parts of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean in international waters, and national waters off the islands of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Japan, and the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Assessment of the impact on deep sea ecosystems is underway, though their cumulative effects remain difficult to comprehend given the unprecedented variety and expanse of the mining sites targeted. At the same time, local and indigenous communities living in these regions are not being adequately consulted. <br /><br />The prospects of this form of mining re-actualise a colonial, frontier mentality and are redefining extractivist economies for the twenty-first century. <i>What is Deep Sea Mining?</i> addresses both knowledge of the deep sea and ocean governance, but also efforts to defend a sustained ocean literacy beyond the United Nations’ “blue economy” at a time when the deep ocean, its species, and its resources remain largely unmapped and understudied. <br /><br />Episode 1, <i>Tools for Ocean Literacy</i>, is historical and geographical introduction to deep sea mining, playing with Charles and Ray Eames’ 1977 film Powers of Ten. <br /><br />Episode 2, <i>Deep Frontiers</i>, tells a story about knowledge of the seabed and its alien life, written by anthropologist Stefan Helmreich. <br /><br />Episode 3, <i>The Azore Case</i>, focuses on the Portuguese Azores nine island archipelago, following European Union plans to mine in the region, based on a series of interviews with marine biologists and politicians conducted in the islands. <br /><br />Episode 4, <i>A Glossary on Mining</i>, offers a brief glossary of terms that can be used to better tackle the issue of mining reserves and monopolies on land, which in turn may lead to the potential threat of deep sea mining. <br /><br />Episode 5,<i> The Papua New Guinea Case</i>, addresses the plans to mine off the coast of Papua New Guinea as well as the long activist struggle by local communities across the Pacific against deep sea mining. Episode 5 will be premiered at NTU CCA Singapore, simultaneously in the Lab space and online on social media and the websites of NTU CCA Singapore’s website, the funding and partner institution TBA21 – Academy’s website, and inhabitants-tv.
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=inhabitants">inhabitants</a>
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Hikaru Fujii
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In November 2017, an article published by scholars from the Korean Women’s Development Institute shed new light on the conditions of “comfort stations” run by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese occupation of Singapore (1942-45). The questionable term “comfort stations” refers to brothels, set up for the use of military personnel, which “employed” women abducted from countries under the Japanese rule (mostly Korea and China). The report estimates that, in Singapore, approximately 600 Korean women were forced into prostitution and it also revealed the existence of 52 records about them in the Oral History Centre at the National Archives of Singapore. Official accounts surrounding this infamous practice are still a matter of controversy and diplomatic friction between Japan and the other countries involved. Continuing his scrutiny of Japanese identity by scavenging the country’s past, Hikaru Fujii plans to conduct extensive archival research on the history of the brothels and collaborate with scholars from various disciplines related to the subject.
22 October – 23 December 2019
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Hikaru+Fujii">Hikaru Fujii</a>
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Asia">Asia</a>
Takuji Kogo
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Established in 1998 out of a former candy factory in Yokohama, Japan, *CANDY FACTORY PROJECTS is an international platform for collaborative art projects. Since 2001, it has taken on a nomadic existence nestling itself in different institutions around the world to generate exhibitions, publications, and web projects. During the residency, Kogo will set up a local office of *CANDY FACTORY PROJECTS that will function as a research laboratory for site-specific explorations. Relying on several collaborators both physically and through digital platforms, he plans to delve into the geopolitical relationship between Singapore and its bordering countries engaging with vernacular materials such as local newspapers, posters, and media archives. With similar working methodologies, he also intends to observe the manifestations of Singaporean multilingual society in everyday life. The possible outcomes of this research can range from music videos to animated clips, multimedia installations, and special screenings.
9 July – 28 September 2018
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<span>Yuichiro Tamura</span>
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<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=History">History</a>
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<span>The residency of Yuichiro Tamura was scheduled for July – September 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak rendered international travel impossible. In order to continue to support artistic research and foster collaborations beyond borders, the NTU CCA Residencies Programme initiated <a href="https://ntuccasingapore.omeka.net/admin/items/show/2924"><em>Residencies Rewired</em></a>, a project that trailblazes new pathways to collaboration. The videos, installations, and performances of Yuichiro Tamura (b. 1977, Japan) articulate multi-layered narratives which delve into the memory and history of localities and weave together unconnected events. By merging fact and fiction, his works investigate the contemporary significance of past events. Recent group shows include Readings from Below, Times Art Center Berlin, Germany; Yokohama Triennale 2020, Japan and Participation Mystique, Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai, China (all 2020), and 7th Asian Art Biennial, Taichung, Taiwan (2019), amongst others. He was a finalist for the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize in 2018 and the Nissan Art Award in 2017.</span>
1 December 2020 – 28 February 2021
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</a>
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Residencies OPEN x SAW 2024
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<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=History">History</a>
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<p><strong>Residencies OPEN</strong><span> </span>reveals the rich diversity of contemporary art practices by offering a rare insight into the creative processes that unfold inside the artist’s studios. Discover how the space of the studio constitutes a springboard for artistic experimentation, innovation, and research.</p>
<p>This session of Residencies OPEN offers a unique opportunity for the public to meet our Artists-in-Residence<span> </span><strong>Anthony Chin</strong>,<span> </span><strong>Irfan Kasban</strong>, and<span> </span><strong>Shahmen Suku</strong><span> </span>(all Singapore)! Come visit the NTU CCA Singapore Residencies Studios to encounter their works-in-progress and explore the processes and research interests developed during their residencies.</p>
<p><em>The 10<sup>th</sup> Cycle of the Residencies Programme by NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore is supported by<span> </span>National Arts Council. This cycle hosts six Singapore Artists-in-Residence: Yanyun Chen, Anthony Chin, Irfan Kasban, Ben Loong, Shahmen Suku, and Zulkhairi Zulkiflee.<br /><br /></em><strong></strong><strong>Anthony Chin<br /></strong><br />Saturdays, 20 January & 27 January, 2:00 – 9:00pm<br />Sundays, 21 January & 28 January, 2:00 – 7:00pm<br />Block 37 Malan Road, #01-03<br /><br />Anthony Chin dedicated the past five months researching Singapore’s colonial past through sites such as Gillman Barracks and its surrounding locations. The artist is interested in the historic relationship between Singapore and Japan, and during his residency he looked into OKA 9420, a biological laboratory established by the Imperial Japanese Army soon after the Fall of Singapore in 1942. Anthony seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the history of bio-chemical warfare while unpacking current ethical concerns surrounding the rapid advancements in science and technology. Presented during Residencies Open is <em>OKA-9420, </em>a new work developed during the artists stay at Gillman Barracks. This work is accompanied by three existing works:<em> Air Doa Selamat </em>(2020), <em>TROPHY </em>(2020), and <em>Rinann Steel Mill – INGOT </em>(2021).<br /><br />The artist will be conducting tours throughout the two weekends. Each tour lasts approximately 35 minutes.<br />Saturdays, 20 & 27 January: 3pm, 5pm, 7pm<br />Sundays, 21 & 28 January: 3pm, 5pm</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Irfan Kasban</strong></h4>
<p>Saturdays, 20 January & 27 January, 2:00 – 9:00pm<br />Sundays, 21 January & 28 January, 2:00 – 7:00pm<br />Block 37 Malan Road, #01-01<br /><br />Irfan Kasban has spent his residency expanding his long-term research project <em>Port of Reciprocity</em>, also the namesake for his studio these past five months which has been opened up as a site for visitors from all walks of life. Hosting a series of activities including cooking, screenings, and sharing sessions, this convivial get together is born out of the artists own experience of burn out. For Residencies Open, visitors will encounter objects created by the artist which can all be activated to make sound. Facilitated activations will be conducted by invited collaborators over the two weekends with hopes of creating a song that comforts the collective consciousness.</p>
<p class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Shahmen Suku</strong></p>
<p>Saturdays, 20 January & 27 January, 2:00 – 9:00pm<br />Sundays, 21 January & 28 January, 2:00 – 7:00pm<br />Block 37 Malan Road, #01-02<br /><br />Shahmen Suku explores his own Tamil culture through his family history, cultural ceremony, and food. Having previously addressed different aspects of the rich Tamil cultural traditions of his maternal lineage via the alter ego Radha, the artist has spent his residency letting go of this persona and directly confronting the conflicting and multipolar narratives of his family history which include economic struggles, heated arguments, health issues, and prolonged disagreements. Presented in his studio is documentation of a recent trip to India, alongside research conducted in Singapore that evidence the artist’s attempt to further uncover the story of his maternal grandfather. Documentation on display includes photographs, films, government documents, recipes, and the artist’s family tree that traces back three generations to his grandfather who first migrated to Singapore.</p>
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20 - 21 January 2024
27 - 28 January 2024
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Anthony+Chin">Anthony Chin</a>
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Irfan+Kasban">Irfan Kasban</a>
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=37&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Shahmen+Suku">Shahmen Suku</a>
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