Panorama: Recent Art from Contemporary Asia,” an on-going exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum, seeks to chart how Asian contemporary artists approach their society’s political, social, and economic changes.
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| Syagini Ratna Wula |
Drawing from its contemporary art collection, the Singapore Art Museum has just added 24 artworks by 17 artists to the Panorama exhibition, presenting them at its nearby annexe SAM at 8Q.
These very interesting works, which range from paintings and sculptures to videos and photographs, include two witty conceptual art pieces by Bandung-based artists, Wiyoga Muhardanto and Syagini Ratna Wula, both of whom utilize a playfully acerbic aesthetic to make observations about some of the forces and currents shaping the Indonesian art world today.
“BiblioTea” by Wula is an interactive installation which invites the viewers into an imaginary bookshop-cum-tea house where various fictitious art books and flavored teas are on display. In this tea house, the content of fictitious art books has been infused into the various teas so that anyone drinking the tea can instantly gain the books’ knowledge (a commentary on our society’s search for instant gratification and enlightenment for minimal efforts). The books present an insight into the personalities and preoccupations of the Indonesian art scene. Accompanying the installation are photographs of ‘satisfied customers’ such as Ai Wei Wei as well as video testimonials on the efficacy of the teas.
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| Wiyoga Muhardanto |
“Conversation Piece” by Muhardanto is a set of sculptures of human legs installed behind a wall (with only the feet visible) that is meant to be installed at the front of an exhibition space and covered with the wall text for that specific art exhibition. From the clothing and footwear worn one may guess at the social status of the art goers: the collector, the gallerist, the curator, and the wives of the collector …
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| Tiffany Chung's installation |
Jane Lee, Richard Streitmatter-Tran, Tiffany Chung, Cheo Chai Hiang, Chong Siew Ying are among others artists included.
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| Chong Kim Chiew |
“Panorama: Recent Art from Contemporary Asia” runs until 14 April, 2013 at SAM at 8Q, and until 25 December 2012 at Singapore Art Museum.
First published in ARTINFO.com