Over the centuries, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore have forged deeply divergent cultural histories. These nations however share a common rural heritage; their imagery, manual techniques, and beliefs being important sources in the formal expression of their cultural identities. The peoples of these countries also share an increasing awareness of the need for political empowerment and social emancipation.

Although the contemporary practices of Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore have diverted since the advent of Modernism and also as a result of the changes in these countries' socio-political landscapes, a conversgence of purpose and intensity of voice can be discerned on the fringes of their respective visual art movements. A shared access to technology and the resulting knowledge of foreign consumer culture has lead to a common exploitation of mass-media sources. A second common strand involves shared interest in their respective craft cultures as practitioners seek to explore their relevance to contemporary expression and form.

Subverted Boundaries aims to investigate how the practices of some of these countries’ artists, of widely differing backgrounds, can be compared in terms of process, use of materials and conceptual visions. The exhibition also shows these artists, pushing the boundaries of social, political, religious and formal convention to their absolute limits in their respective cultures, can influence the very cultures from which their art has evolved.

As the world's forum for contemporary visual practices extends outward from the old Euro-American centre, artists from Asia, particularly those from Southeast Asia, are increasingly recognised for their original and potent contributions to global artistic communication. The study of shared concerns within some of the non-mainstream practices of Southeast Asia addressed by Subverted Boundaries aims to shed light on the powerful and shifting forces that propel contemporary life in our region.

Featured Artists
Click on each artists' name for more information.

THAILAND

Thai_Luminaries
Vasan_Sitthiket

Thai_Medley
Araya_Rasdjarmreamsook

Light_to_Heaven
Saravuth_Duangjumpa

VIETNAM

Beauty_Will_Save_the_World
Vu_Dan_Tan

Cross-Bike-Airplane
Nguyen_Minh_Thanh

Goats_on_the_Grass
Gia_Le_Dinh

SINGAPORE

Untitled_Studies
Yvonne_Lam

lean_maTTer
Lim_Shing_E