We’ve come to the end of a long 2020 motivated by the energy and persistence of others. We’re grateful to be working, and to see artists and spaces still making and showing. We thank everyone we’ve worked with on projects realised and unrealised for their support and inspiration. It’s a year where it feels especially important to make a record of what’s gone on – so rather than our usual newsletter, we list below:

 

What RogueArt got up to:

No Boundaries: A Collector’s Process came out (we were editors/publication manager for this third book published in the Helu-Trans Collectors series)

Missing Links: Piecing Together a Penang Art Scene at Hin Bus Depot, Georgetown: the last discussion in the Narratives in Malaysian Art project’s Walking the Talk series before we hit MCO, in collaboration with Ruang Kongsi and School of the Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Joining forces with Art Kepoh and other groups and individuals for Art Goes On? a series of discussions and forums addressing sector issues during the pandemic

Joining forces with Tuk Kura of ARTO Movement to kick-start Jaringan Kurator in an effort to get the growing number of curators based here to link up and share knowledge

Putting together a Visual Arts Ecosystem Map, with researcher Krystie Ng and designer Kenta Chai for CENDANA.

An Art Exhibition-Making Toolkit in partnership with Kota-K Studio, strategic partner CENDANA, made possible by friends and supporters investing in Sabah art – it’s been very inspiring working with Kota-K, co-facilitator Jared Abdul Rahman, guest mentor Lee Weng Choy and a super group of participants; as well as hearing from exhibition-makers in Sabah and the region in our kick-off sharing session. Looking forward to the exhibition project outcomes next year!

Search and Discover: The Joy of Collecting Selections from the Yeap Lam Yang Collection (Beverly was co-curator and publication co-editor with Aaron Teo at The Private Museum, Singapore, almost entirely by remote)

Plotting what to do next with and how to build on from Narratives in Malaysian Art, with the help of Mesita Jee and the collaboration of NMA co-editors Nur Hanim Khairuddin, Rahel Joseph, Yap Sau Bin and Simon Soon.

Aside from reviews for Art Asia Pacific, Beverly also did an interview Yee I-Lann: Rolling Out the Tikar, which became their cover feature for Issue 117; and guest wrote The Edge Options’ Cultural Index column for Women’s Day.

But mostly, we’ve been helping Dr Steve Wong organise and catalogue his collection of contemporary Malaysian and Southeast Asian art. This epic journey, led by Rachel, continues with a great team – artists Hannah Nazamil, Nur Atiqah Khairul Anuar and curator Falil Johari, and logistics and installation hero Ben Oh and assistants.

Shelved to 2021: two ambitious exhibitions and publications, for Yee I-Lann & collaborators (Kota Kinabalu & Kuala Lumpur; and Jalaini Abu Hassan (Kuala Lumpur). Watch this space.

 

Things we noted, shows we caught in Malaysia 2020* (*find pics on our Instagram, rogueartsea):

Last flights out: Rachel flew out to Taipei Dangdai, also catching the Asian Art Biennale Asian Art Biennale: The Strangers from beyond the Mountain and the Sea which included Malaysian artists Ise and Yee I-Lann; Beverly helped moderate a panel with Lim Wei-Ling, Richard Koh and Yee I-Lann (!), Southeast Asia Art Watch: Malaysia at SEA Focus in Singapore.

Gloomy prescients: In January, artworks featuring a naked man, some pigs and images of Mahathir, Azmin and Anwar were removed from Ahmad Fuad Osman’s At the End of the Day Even Art Is Not Important at Balai Seni Negara, sparking community petitions, boycott threats from collectors, a statement from Anwar Ibrahim himself and a reinstating of the works. Meanwhile, Ilham Gallery’s The Body Politic and the Body which ran until MCO featured Yap Sau Bin’s conceptual take on legacies of power, The Grand Phantom Narrates, Redza Piyadasa’s May 13, 1969 coffin alongside Usman Awang’s poem referring to the death of democracy and Hasanul Isyraf Idris’ macabre drawings including figures in hazmat suits dragging away and corraling diseased bodies. All not long before “the Sheraton move”, etc, etc, etc and the targeting of foreign workers and undocumented migrants during the MCO.

Openings, closures, movements, anniversaries: Brave new spaces in the Klang Valley included Rissim Contemporary (Bangsar), Mutual Aid Projects (Wisma Central), Artas (Kota Damansara), Hinggap (Puncak Alam). A new collective Yi Da came together, in association with Studios Sama-Sama. Balai Seni Negara closed in March for renovations to its gallery and reference centre, slated to reopen October 2021 (programming meanwhile continues at its Creative Space, Langkawi branch and through various projects across the states). Richard Koh Fine Art moved to new gallery premises on Jalan Telawi 2, Artemis closed its gallery in Publika to move in with artist collective Titikmerah in TTDI in a co-sharing arrangement. G13 and Artemis celebrated 10 years, and Richard Koh 15 years as gallerists.

Solo and two-person shows

Jan-Mar: Caryn Koh, Bonds (Titikmerah); Chong Yan Chuah, 27 Years of Lazarian Delights (Back Room); Amer Ismail, Encounter (Creative Space, Balai Seni Negara); Hilmi Johandi (b. Singapore) with curator Syed Muhd Hafiz, Painting Archives (Rumah Lukis); Azizan Paiman, Aku Ini Binatang Jalang (A+ Works of Art); Fauzul Yusri, Tona (Taksu); Simon Soon, The Tyger and The Navigator (Back Room, first shown at HK’s Para Site); Ahmet Ögüt (b. Turkey): History Otherwise (Weiling); Sittiphon Lochaisong (b. Thailand): Characteristics of Time (G13)

June-Aug; Ho Mei Kei, The New Mundane (Taksu); Ivan Lam, Small Sketches and Drawings (Weiling); Tan Wei Kheng, Vanishing Jungle Childhood (RKFA); Liew Kwai Fei, Fish in Pure Water (Back Room); Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Palang Merah & Bulan Sabit (HOM, online); Kim Ng, Shadows that Flourish (Rimbun Dahan); Donald Abraham, Out of the Blue (HOM, online); PK Ee, Note (Artas); Nadiah Bamadhaj, Ravaged (RKFA); Hwaaaa, Exhibition 2020 (Dasein); CC Kua, All by Myself (Back Room); Areena Ang, Foul Play (Mutual Aid Projects); Samsuddin Wahab, Rindu Bayangan (Rissim)

Sept-Dec: Alicia Lau, From Lines to Gaps (G13), Yuki Tham, Heart and Mind Realigned (G13), Riaz Ahmad Jamil, Rasa Rahsia (Back Room), Ho Rui An (b. Singapore): Look East Gone West (A+), Haslin Ismail, ROT (HOM), Ajim Juxta, Dystopians+ (Artemis), Anurendra Jegadeva Scream Inside Your Heart (Weiling), Dhavinder Singh, Tagistan (Zhongshan Building), Tang Tze Lay & Anas Afandi (Weiling), Edroger Rosli (Segaris), Tengku Sabri Ibrahim, Feathering the Breeze (Fergana@White Box, MAPKL), Mior Aizuddin Fahmi, Meng(k)aji (Studio Karya); Mark Tan, A Collapsible Time (SNAP with ZLG Design); Tiong Chai Heing, Between the End and the Beginning (Suma Orientalis); chitoo, 95 (SNAP@Zhongshan Building); Wong Ming Hao, Unreal Reality (HOM); Wong Chee Meng, Good Days Will Come (Weiling); Fadilah Karim, A Decade (Segaris@White Box, MAPKL); Roslisham Ismail@Ise, (A+)

Some notable group shows

Still travelling before MCO: Underflow (Lostgens with Absolute Art Space, Tainan); Phantoms and Aliens: The Invisible Other (Chapter 2) (three artists from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, RKFA); They have brought erasers with them (six Thai artists, A+)

Women: She Who is Watching (six women artists, Weiling) & Women’s Work (Rimbun Dahan, from the collection)

Hands-on practices: Common Threads (textile works, Back Room) & Carving Reality (woodcuts from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Back Room)

Online: Sacred Garden 1.0 and 2.0 (figurative painting open call, ARTO Movement)

Opening 31 December (today): Wawasan 2020 Town Hall (A+@Tun Perak Co-Op)

Kudos too of course to the numerous post-lockdown shows, and fundraising efforts for art workers and others in need, as important markers of the year.

We suspect only one major institutional exhibition opened in KL in 2020: Bayangnya itu Timbul Tenggelam (on photography in Malaysian visual culture, curated by Azril Ismail, Hoo Fan Chon and Simon Soon at Ilham Gallery)

Festivals, etc.: Cancelled: the KL Biennale, Art Penang. But we got to cozy up to art festivals at home. ARTO Movement’s online #ARToHomeFest featured poetry, reading, performance and chats with art workers; we hope the superb A+ Online Festival of Video Art is here to stay, and for those with a shorter attention span Kapallorek’s Stay Art Home project posted over 60 1-min video works submitted from all over the world. The hybrid festival has emerged: in place of Ipoh International Art Festival 2020, PORT organised a pre-fest for IIAF 2021, themed Budi: Expanding Traditions, with physical shows, online programming and film screenings. If somewhat underpublicised, the KL20X20 photo project spreading 20 photographers’ works across venues in the city and on social media introduced a fresh and accessible approach.

Market survival/funding: Art Expo Malaysia cancelled this year but announced a comeback next October; auctions ran on; there were still sell-out shows; CIMB Artober seemed to introduce a younger audience/clientele to the art gallery scene; Gallery Weekend KL hosted its “Luminaries” online. Arts funding infrastructures though still limited have begun to take root. CENDANA’s visual arts funding programmes are in their third year, their Visual Arts Showcase fund supporting a number of exhibition projects this year, though private foundation INXO suspended funding in 2020.

Stuff we enjoyed online: Right People, Wrong Timing project by Green Papaya Projects in collaboration with Yap Sau Bin (RAP) and Japan Foundation Manila – conversations with collectives and initiatives who once changed the art world; Sharon Chin and Poet Mayyu Ali’s collaborative project Transcultural Lullabies: Rohingya and Malay Folksongs published in Art Equator; Chang Yoong Chia’s art projects in Leipzig and Kuala Lumpur; collector and amateur artist Bingley Sim’s instagram posts sharing his daily drawings of family, memory, food; Liew Kwai Fei’s posts of his art students’ progress Ilham Gallery’s artist takeovers and conversations; Ellen Lee’s writing for PAD’s blog (do also read her 2020 roundup) and CENDANA’s Lensa Seni, and even international art fairs from home without the crowds – Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Jakarta.

 

We would have loved to catch: The Breathing of Maps at MAIIAM, Chiangmai; the final leg of Latiff Mohidin: Pago-Pago at National Gallery Singapore; Phuan Thai Meng: Liminality – Route of Return at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei; Bangkok Biennale; Melati Suryadomo: Why Let the Chicken Run? at Museum MACAN, Jakarta.

 

Notes from elsewhere:

This year for its almanac, Art Asia Pacific asked us to contribute to a series of brief city reports reflecting on how different communities have responded to the events of 2020. We’ll share the link when the online version comes out. Not wanting to keep things to KL, we reached out to friends in Kuching, KK, Ipoh and Penang to share their thoughts on how their respective city art scenes have been faring through the pandemic and stages of MCO. Here are their notes (sent to us in late November) in full:

“This year’s events have impacted Kuching creatives the same way it has impacted creatives around the world: loss of creative and income-generating opportunities, as well as struggles with emotional and mental health. Three big creative events which are held annually in Kuching (the Rainforest Fringe Festival, Rainforest World Music Festival, and What About Kuching) have all been cancelled, with no action to adapt them into digital format. Nevertheless, Kuching creatives have been trying hard to adapt to the new normal, with many shifting to digital platforms to conduct workshops, meet-ups, and other events. With no strong art institutions in place (galleries, art managers, curators, etc.), a lot of these efforts are self-initiated. This transition, of course, has been easier for younger or more tech-savvy creatives. Several creative organisations and individuals came together and collaborated to produce more PPEs for Sarawakian frontliners. A number of individuals and organisations have also tried applying for grants aimed for supporting digital collaborations, virtual residences and COVID-19 reliefs for creatives, some of which were successful. Zoom sessions have been critical in maintaining social cohesion by enabling a safe way to come together, meet, and share our ideas and experiences. During these sessions, there was a general consensus that on the bright side, the pandemic offered a valuable opportunity to rest, meditate, and focus on improving one’s craft. During the brief RMCO, a few physical creative events–including one or two exhibitions–popped up, showing that Kuching creatives continued producing during the pandemic, and that the virtual experience is still an inadequate substitute for physical presence.

Despite the challenges faced this year, overall the mood is still hopeful, even somewhat optimistic, with collaborations and events planned for next year; albeit with a greater awareness on the potential uncertainty of the future. That being said, there has not been much active talk here on innovating new ways to leverage on digital platforms–the community is still generally banking on the pandemic to subside. (Sonia Luhong Wan, HAUSKCH, Kuching)

 

“On the positive side, I’ve seen artists and art collectives rally together in support of frontliners, and channeling their creativities towards PSA campaigns. Art collectives such as Pangrok Sulap have created works, perhaps even more than usual, with the aims to raise awareness on the current situation and to provide monetary support to communities in need. They created new woodcut print posters to raise awareness on social media, and donated sales from pre-existing printed t-shirts. This “aid through art” also emerged in the form of reusable face masks, with several artists creating fabric masks. One artist, Frida Sarto (of Kakamot) sold handmade face masks as a way to donate money to animal shelters during the lockdown period.

I’ve also seen art exhibitions and activities adapting, addressing the current experiences as well as finding innovative ways to engage their physically-distanced audiences. And I’ve seen an influx of art hobbyists taking the opportunity to practice more of their art, and to showcase these works on their personal social media; non-professionals exercising their creativities, and rallying other members of the creative communities.

On the not-so-positive side, I’ve seen professional creatives having to seek other work to support themselves.

With regards to understanding others’ experiences, however, the exhibition I co-organised with SICC (#Masked) to showcase artwork produced during the lockdown period was quite useful. Regardless of whether or not it was a good event, as curator for the exhibition I had the opportunity to have meaningful interactions with the artists and hear first-hand what their experience was. Of course I do hope that people who came to visit the exhibition managed to sense some of that as well.”  (Jared Abdul Rahman, Kota Kinabalu)

 

“Overall things have been slow at the state level. PORT nevertheless have not stopped organising events since March, maximising online platforms. Our recent Ipoh Music Symposium can be considered a huge success considering the situation we’re in. The symposium, forum and concert that were streamed via fb had a satisfying number of viewers (10,000 real-time viewers on the night of the concert itself). Rock Kapak exhibition had 500 physical visitors in a span of two weeks.

For some, the physical approach of events is still very important because through online platform, some percentage in terms of quality (sound, visual) will be lost. Events are being planned to adhere to SOPs.

Now is the best time to focus on documentation of music/cultural performances, interviews, forums and share them online. We have also been able to allocate more time for archiving works.” (Nur Hanim Khairuddin, General Manager, PORT, Ipoh)

 

“In the context of Penang’s creative community, we’ve been hit hard. For a state/city that depends on tourism, the recent CMCO was a double whammy, as most creatives here depend on tourists (both international and domestic) to purchase/consume their products, attend their shows, sign up for their workshops etc. Most creatives are cash-strapped and have resorted to grants and financial support from friends and family. Some have moved out of Penang — some back home; while others have relocated to KL for better commercial opportunities.

However, as a whole, the community is still creating. They have adapted pretty quickly to digitalisation. I have seen various shows, exhibitions, talks, mini performances, toolkits, community platforms, etc. that have materialised from this challenging time. Before the current CMCO, things have started to open up and the community was hopeful that we will have some sense of normalcy, in terms of audience and participation. eg. Hin Bus Sunday market had over a thousand visitors for consecutive weeks.

I think it’s worth pointing out that Penang always had commercial challenges, thus the community is always challenged financially. They are really resilient. Although the pandemic is a bigger hit financially, I see the community bouncing back, just like they always have. But the question is… for how much longer?

There isn’t a clear sense for the future right now. Everyone is gearing up for things to go back to normal, ie. when galleries and theatres can open up again, even with limited capacity. During the first half of the pandemic, there was a lot of talk about digitizing everything. Now, the conversations have geared towards adapting engagement outside of the digital sphere. The community is exploring and experimenting ways in which they can still conduct their projects which allows them to connect with people in person.

These conversation are done in smaller collectives though. The community in Penang is still as fragmented as before. Besides PAD’s initiatives, I don’t see other groups inviting artists from various groups together. Thus, it’s been challenging to garner a collective view on how we want to move forward as a community in Penang. I hear the Penang Arts Council NGO is currently being revived, so we shall see how that pans out. Hopefully the revived society is inclusive as there’s potential there in bringing different groups in the arts community together..

So how do we get everyone together? We (PAD) try. But it hasn’t been easy. Every group has their own agenda and don’t necessarily see eye to eye. The scarcity of resources has made this more evident

We have not had any significant show or productions in Penang since the lockdown. But I’ve seen quite a number in KL. The fact that KL galleries have been hosting shows after shows is encouraging. But that energy hasn’t quite gotten here yet.” (Stephanie Kee, Penang Art District, Georgetown)

 

Thank you Sonia, Jared, Nur Hanim and Stephanie!

 

To a better world for all in 2021,

Rachel Ng & Beverly Yong, RogueArt

 

 

 

 

 

Having launched the final and fourth volume of the Narratives in Malaysian Art series, Perspectives in September, we’ve been on the road, “Walking the Talk” at HOM Art Trans, Universiti Malaya, UNIMAS in Kuching, PORT in Ipoh, and the Sabah Art Gallery and KOTA-K Studio in Kota Kinabalu. The project was also featured in Options, The Edge.

 

There have been some great conversations and we’ve learnt a lot. Thanks so much to our hosts and collaborators and the participants involved for making it all happen. We’re in the process of putting up the footage on YouTube. In the new year, we’ll be at Hin Bus Depot in Penang with discussions at Ilham Gallery and UiTM Shah Alam in the pipeline as well.

 

 

We tied up our short introductory course to art writing for Penang Art District’s Art Writing Programme, spending a fruitful three weekends in George Town with a great group of artists, writers and facilitators.

And we’ve just sent off to print No Boundaries: A Collector’s Process, the third volume of the Helu-Trans Collectors Series of books, which should be making an appearance during SEA Focus in January.

Next year, we look forward to getting our teeth into a couple of exhibitions. Slated for June, Phantasmagoria at the National Art Gallery brings together works by Jalaini Abu Hassan from across his practice, “narrating” the changing Malaysian context. A little later in the year, we will be co-curating a collector’s exhibition in Singapore, and we’re also plotting projects with old and new friends in Sabah. Details of these and other plans soon…

 

Wishing all a magnificent 2020 ahead.

Rachel and Beverly, RogueArt

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

We’re pleased to announce that the report on Meja Bulat: Sidang Suara Seni is up online.

The report is based on a roundtable we co-organised with CENDANA last November, which was streamed on FB Live and attended by over 60 participants from across Malaysia.

It was a great opportunity for taking stock, addressing questions of “what artists want”, the state of support systems for art in Malaysia, not just in KL, and what may be envisioned for our visual arts landscape in the future. With negative and positive points to take away, we hope the report will be useful to policy-makers, the visual arts community at large and anyone interested in the health and future of our cultural infrastructure.

Thank you to CENDANA for initiating this project and inviting us to be involved. We plan to take Meja Bulat forward as an independent regular platform for discussion, and look forward to broader collaborations and conversations soon!

Read the report, scrutinise the transcript, watch the footage.

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Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 4: Perspectives/Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia Jilid 4: Perspektif, will be launched this September. This fourth and final volume looks at how we look at Malaysian art, and the forces and motivations that have shaped our understanding of its role and development. More on the volume when we get to the launch date.

We kicked off the NMA project 10 years ago, as an effort to bring together different voices and broad and diverse knowledge on art practices, history and infrastructure in Malaysia, and to help stimulate further research and discourse. We’re thrilled (and relieved!) to be finalizing the series, and will be celebrating its completion with a limited edition box set (100 in English, 100 in BM). We’re pre-selling the boxset for RM 180 to help fund the production costs for NMA4 – please do contact us if you’re interested in putting in an order.

The NMA project is really a gotong royong effort, and wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of its sponsors and supporters, and enthusiasm of the editorial team and many contributors. Thanks to everyone involved for their continued patience and support.

Do visit the project website, though it’s currently being updated, and visit Gerak Budaya, our official distributor, for more info on where to buy the books.

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RogueArt Other News 2018/2019

We’re honoured to have played a small part in the exhibition Chang Yoong Chia: Second Life, which ran from 26 November 2018 to 24 February this year at the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Beverly was part of the curatorial team with Tan Hui Koon and Teoh Ming Wah and RogueArt helped a little with planning and outreach. It was such a wonderful show to work on, with long-time friends and colleagues, and to get to know better and be inspired all over again by Yoong Chia’s magical work. We were really heartened by the overwhelming and positive response from visitors. For those who missed the show or would like to revisit it, the artist has uploaded exhibition views and texts on his website.

 

Beverly has also been busy on other books, co-editing with Yasuko Furuichi the third and fourth volumes of Japan Foundation Asia Center’s Art Studies Series, Condition Report: Shifting Perspectives in Asia, and Imagining New Ecologies, both focusing on the work and ideas of an emerging generation of curators in Southeast Asia and Japan. It’s been an honour and an education working with the JFAC, the contributors, co-editors and forum moderators, and of course the legendary Furuichi-san.

Rachel represented RogueArt at a Korean Contemporary Art Symposium, Korea Research Fellow 2018, last September. Hosted by Korean Culture Information Service and directed by Daehyung Lee, the symposium focused on Art and Technology and Contemporary Art and Its Variables. Rachel spoke on Narratives in Malaysian Art: A Knowledge Project. The symposium document is due to be released later in the year.

RogueArt are currently working on the third volume in the Helutrans Collectors Series, to be launched in Singapore this November. (We obviously like series, for their sense of continuity!). Where the first volume we worked on, Southeast Asia/Contemporary, explored the idea of regionalism through four private collections, this new volume looks more intimately at a single private collector’s process and engagement with contemporary art.

In the area of Collections, we have been focusing these past two years on helping with the conservation and management of Sime Darby’s collection of mostly Malaysian modern art, including its key collection of works by Ibrahim Hussein.

Find out more about our past and present projects at www.rogueart.asia, follow us on Instagram, Facebook.

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Please note that we have moved out of our Taman Tunku office premises. Kindly stop all mail to our old address. Please write to contact@rogueart.asia if you would like a forwarding address. Meanwhile, it’s best to contact us on e-mail or facebook.

 

 

We are so saddened by the tragic passing of Fatimah Sulaiman on 27 September. Our hearts go out to her family. Passionate, undaunted, generous, no-nonsense, she has been an inspiration. We are grateful to have had the privilege of her friendship and support over the years and will miss her very much. The art community loses a great champion.

 

 

 

 

Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 3: Infrastructures/Naratif Seni Rupa Malaysia: Infrastruktur is finally out! After three years in the making, we launched the 444-page volume (512 pages for the BM), together with a Malaysia Art Map, at Segaris Art Centre at Publika on 15 March 2016.

Congratulations to the editorial team, which includes Nur Hanim Khairuddin, Rahel Joseph, Tengku Sabri Ibrahim and Yap Sau Bin, aside from Rachel Ng and Beverly Yong. We are very grateful to the many, many people who participated in this volume. Thank you to our benefactors, contributors and readers for their patience!

For launch pics please visit http://narrativesinmalaysianart.blogspot.my/.

 

The books are now out in the shops at a recommended price of RM45 per copy. You can find them at:

BORDERS – All Stores

Book Zone PENANG

Times The Bookshop – All stores

You can also order online all three volumes (to date) of the NMA series from bookshop.gerakbudaya.com and www.rogueish.asia.

 

As for Volume 4: Perspectives, we look forward to announcing its completion later in the year…
The NMA Project is made possible by Khazanah Heritage and Art Initiative, CIMB Foundation, Bangsar Village (Eng Lian Enterprise), Lembaga Pembangunan Seni Visual Negara, National Visual Arts Gallery Malaysia, Mr Kenneth Tan, 30 Art Friends, Gudang Damansara, Rosemary and Steve Wong, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Malakoff Corporation Berhad, Libra Invest Berhad, Helu-Trans (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Ekuiti Nasional Berhad and Yayasan Sime Darby, with support from the Krishen Jit-ASTRO Fund, together with Friends of the project and other private supporters.

 

 

A quick update on RogueArt activities.

Over the coming months, we will be taking time to focus on completing Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 3: Infrastructures and Volume 4: Perspectives. We look forward to letting you know launch details in due course.

Beverly will be abroad from 20 May 2015, and will be on leave from 10 August 2015. If you need to reach us, please contact Rachel or direct enquiries via e-mail to contact@rogueart.asia, or to our office number +60 16 3085037.

 

WARNING: IMAGE HEAVY!

First off, a big congratulations to Adeline on her first ArtBasel HK show! (Adeline stepped down as a Director of RogueArt at the beginning of the year to take on the post of Asia Director at Art Basel).

We know we are terribly late with our blog post on my recent trip to Hong Kong and apologise to friends who have been waiting to see what I have to share. This year’s Art Basel Hong Kong (ABHK) was moved earlier in the calendar (from May to 14-18 March 2015) to allow art audiences (and art workers) a little bit of a breather before the Art Basel in June. But we know that some of the gallerists immediately went on to Art Dubai (18-21 March) after ABHK. I have to say I am impressed by their energy!!

This year’s trip was even more packed than usual with an additional art fair (Art Central) and more new galleries to check out. On top of that, Wong Chuk Hung (also known as South Island Art District) and Chai Wan Mei Art Districts held a number of late night events with open studios, gallery openings and workshops. The week was officially labeled Hong Kong Art week and indeed you had art – left, right and centre. Even the tram stations in Hong Kong island were used as ‘space’ for public art projects to create more visiblity.

Within 3 short days (and still fitting in four meals a day), I covered two art fairs (ABHK had 231 exhibitors, Art Central had 76 exhibitors), five gallery openings at Pedder Building and two others in the vicinity (de Sarthe and Pace), Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition at Asia Society; The 3^rd Annual Collector’s Contemporary Collaboration at HK Art Centre (featuring artworks from Taiwanese collectors), the opening of Para/Site’s new space at Quarry Bay (the new location is only a stone’s throw away from Quarry Bay MTR), and exhibitions at Wong Chuk Hung.

My only regret was not being able to catch four exhibitions – Institute of Contemporary Arts’ (London) exhibition at Duddle, Moving Images at Midtown Pop curated by M+ Museum, Dinh Q. Lê at 10 Chancery Lane and Drawing Room’s collaboration with Rossi & Rossi on an exhibition of Contemporary Filipino Art. I also regret not having the time to check out some public art projects that local property developers were organizing in various parts of Hong Kong (read the article here).

For a more comprehensive report on ABHK, check these reports:
ArtBasel Hong Kong 2015 Sales Report
Art Basel Hong Kong 2015: Rolling media round up
Highlights from the Fair by Artsy

So, a reminder to myself for next year’s trip to ABHK16 (24-26 March 2016) is to plan for a longer stay in Hong Kong to enjoy the art at a less frantic pace and allow for a few leisurely meals with friends and colleagues in Hong Kong. RN

 

Art Stage Singapore seems to have established itself as that annual January event to kickstart the region’s art engine. If Art Stage itself met with mixed reviews, this year Singapore had a lot to offer outside the fair as well. Right now, there’s the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Finalists, ‘Still Moving’, and ‘Medium At Large’ exhibitions at Singapore Art Museum, a solo exhibition of Suzann Victor’s work from her residency at STPI, La Salle College of the Arts’ 30th Anniversary exhibition ‘Modern Love’, and a good collection of exhibitions at Artspace@Helutrans (Arndt, Galerie Steph, Ikkan, RK Fine Art). Goodman Arts Centre opened its studio doors for an open house; and of course, there was the very successful crowd-pulling ‘Art After Dark’ event at Gillman Barracks, which must have seen a record number of visitors this year – collectors were not pleased having to jostle with the masses, but the not-your-usual-art crowd queueing up to see Gilbert and George, Ding Yi and Rina Banerjee among other excitements, was pretty impressed! Bravo to the organisers – hopefully some of the traffic will keep trickling through to support the galleries at Gillman Barracks.

Two strong photography-based exhibitions we managed to catch were Nguan‘s ‘How Loneliness Goes’ at ION Art Gallery, and ‘A Tree With Too Many Branches’ by Ang Song Nian at DECK managed by 2902.

For Singapore, this is only the beginning, and doubtless we’ll find ourselves down there again this year. We’re looking forward to the opening of The National Gallery of Singapore slated for September/November this year as well as the next edition of Singapore Biennale.

 

ART STAGE SINGAPORE 2015

 

‘STILL MOVING’ AT 8Q, SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

 

APB FINALISTS EXHIBITION AT SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

 

EXHIBITIONS OPENINGS AT ARTSPACE@HELUTRANS

 

 

‘IMPRINT’ BY SUZANN VICTOR AT STPI

 

LA SALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION ‘MODERN LOVE’

 

‘A TREE WITH TOO MANY BRANCHES’ BY ANG SONG NIAN AT DECK

 

NGUAN’S ‘HOW LONELINESS GOES’ AT ION ART GALLERY

 

‘ART AFTER DARK’ AT GILLMAN BARRACKS

 

 

OPEN HOUSE AT GOODMAN ARTS CENTRE

 

 

RogueArt was invited by Silverlens Galleries to curate Vincent Leong’s second solo exhibition in Singapore. For more information and enquiries on the exhibition, kindly contact Silverlens Galleries. Show continues until 23 November. Click here to see more of Vincent’s work at Silverlens.

As a special presentation at the opening night, ‪‎The Pinholes‬ were invited by Vincent Leong to perform the song ‘Divided Land’. The performance can be viewed here.