Revisiting the Penunggu* and the Demon Naga at the Threshold by Zarina Muhammad]]> Supernatural]]> Mythology]]> Talismans for Peculiar Habitats, Pharmacopeias for Accredited Agents of Poisoning and Apotropaic Texts, and Pragmatic Prayers for the Kala at the Threshold. The artist will unpack the polyphonic narratives embedded in her installations and expand upon her long-term engagement with Austronesian cosmologies, guardian spirits, non-conforming bodies, and memory lapses occurring in the cultural shifts from pre-colonial to post-colonial times.

The talk will take place in the artist’s studio.

* Penunggu refers to the spirit that guards, supervises, or protects a particular place, region, nation, age group, country, culture, or occupation. It is believed that it can be protective, benign or malevolent. Though not entirely synonymous with the Kala, the gate guardian in sacred architectures, the penunggu is also a guardian of spaces. The root word of ʻpenungguʼ is derived from the Malay word ʻtungguʼ, which means ʻto waitʼ.]]>
Zarina Muhammad]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Seeing Another: Working With and Through Representation by Wei Leng Tay and Dr Fang-Tze Hsu]]> Ways of Seeing]]> you think it over slowly, slowly choose… (2018) and The first chapter it begins with the horses (2017-18), and the new works she is developing during the residency, while Fang Tze will expand upon her ongoing research on Taiwanese photo and video artist Kao Chung-li and Okinawan photographer Toyomitsu Higa. Intertwining the points of view of an artist and a researcher/curator, they will challenge each other to reflect upon issues of representation and the subjective entanglements embedded in the process of image-making.

The talk will take place in the artist’s studio.]]>
Wei Leng Tay]]> Fang-Tze Hsu]]> Hsu Fang-Tze]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Nature]]> Trevor Yeung ]]> Southeast Asia]]> Ecology]]> Environmental Crisis]]> Ways of Seeing]]> 16 Aug 2017, Wed 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Studio #01-06, Block 38 Malan Road

In this talk, Artist-in-Residence Alice Miceli will discuss her research on landscapes inscribed with human-induced traumas and how former theatres of war raise issues of visibility, accessibility, and memory. Focusing on two of her major projects— Chernobyl Project (2007–2011), which revolves around the exclusion zone generated by the infamous nuclear disaster and In Depth (landmines) (2014–ongoing), a photographic inquiry into landscapes contaminated with unexplored landmines—Miceli will unravel the multiple methodologies, from archival research and investigative travels to formal experimentation, which frame the traces of trauma in the context of her practice.]]>
Alice Miceli]]> Europe]]>
Geopolitics]]> History]]> Mythology]]> Fiction]]> 23 Aug 2017, Wed 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Studio #01-02, Block 37 Malan Road

Chia-Wei Hsu’s ten-year long engagement with the moving image and the forgotten stories of the Cold War in Southeast Asia resulted in a complex body of works which address major historical events through the lens of minor narratives, often embedded in remote locations, that weave together reality and fiction, myth and history. In this talk, Hsu will trace the development of his practice discussing the relevance of fieldwork in his modes of inquiry, his understanding of the artifice of cinematic representation, and his current research into the role of the Dutch East India Company in the region.]]>
Chia-Wei Hsu]]> Chia Wei Hsu]]> Asia]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Nature]]> Ways of Seeing]]> 29 Nov 2017, Wed 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Studio #01-02, Block 37 Malan Road

Central to the artistic practice of Jamie North is the persistent observation of the built environment and its relationship with natural habitats. Departing from his latest experiments with concrete and endemic plants developed during the residency, North will trace the trajectories and shifts in his practice: from the photographic documentation of plants and their survival strategies in man-made environments to his current interest in construction materials. North’s hybrid sculptures create forms of coexistence between plants and cast concrete, as well as several by-products of industrial production, leading to the creation of poetic installations that merge the animate and the inanimate. Sharing a family history with the mining and construction industries, his works also reveal the artist’s personal interest in the rise and decline of industries and their economic and social impacts. The talk will take place in the artist’s studio.]]>
Jamie North]]> Asia]]>
History]]> Cultural Production]]> Modernity]]> 23 May 2018, Wed 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Block 38 Malan Road, Studio #01-07

Researching official and unofficial records, media coverage, oral testimonies, and other relevant materials, Kent Chan is excavating a little-known episode of Singapore’s curatorial history: the first group exhibition of Singaporean artists in Europe. Titled Paintings by Singapore Artists, the exhibition took place in 1955 at the former Imperial Institute in London and was organised by Ho Kok Hoe (1922-2015), then chairman of the Singapore Art Society. The research tackles the relation between the colony and the imperial capital in terms of cultural representation culminating in a film project titled Seni, after the Malay word that most approximates the Western concept of “art”. In the talk, Chan will discuss his interests in the history of colonialism and modernity, the tropics and the arts, sharing the artistic process and working methodology that led to the production of the Seni. Act II, the first chapter of the work conceptualized and filmed during his six-month residency.

The talk will take place in the artist’s studio.]]>
Kent Chan]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Environmental Crisis]]> 10 Apr 2018, Tue 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Studio #01-01, Block 37 Malan Road

Can art trigger empowerment? Can collective action efficiently tackle social, economic, and environmental issues? Is it possible to constitute a shared platform across different communities to address common challenges? How to position community-based practices within the context of the art world? These and other questions have been lingering in the mind of Martha Atienza during her long-time engagement with the local communities of Bantayan Island, her hometown in the Philippines. Many of her projects since 2010 aim to raise awareness, create connections, and trigger collective actions to identify the needs of the islanders and work towards sustainable solutions to social, economic, and environmental issues. Held at the end of her residency, this talk allows Atienza to discuss her artistic process and working methodologies as well as to share her thoughts on recent experiences and preoccupations.]]>
Martha Atienza]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Performance]]> 5 Dec 2014, Fri 8:00pm - 10:00pm

An improvised set by Artist-in-Residence, Bani Haykal and collaborators ila and Tim O’Dwyer.]]>
Bani Haykal]]> ila]]> Tim O'Dwyer]]> Southeast Asia]]>
Performance]]> 11 Mar 2017, Sat 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM
The Single Screen, Block 43 Malan Road

We all have songs that we love despite knowing better. When it comes to the seductive illusions of music and film, what, if any, are the rules of attraction?

As an artist whose practice focuses on the everyday and popular culture, Song-Ming Ang’s lecture performance, presented for the first time in Singapore, explores the seductive qualities of music. From cover versions to guilty pleasures and propaganda pop, Ang provides keen observations and cheeky confessions on how we succumb to the artifice of music, film and art.]]>
Song-Ming Ang ]]> Southeast Asia]]>