LOW SZE WEE
curator, trained lawyer
La Biennale di Venezia, 50th International Art Exhibition, 15th June - 2nd
November 2003
Singapore
Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi, Palazzo Lolin, San Vidal 2893, 30124 – Venezia
Ground Floor (boat station Accademia, Line n.1 – n. 82)
Inauguration coctail: 13 June, at 6 pm
Artists:
Heman Chong
Teck Yong Francis, Ng
Swie Hian, Tan
Commissioner: Ching Lee, Goh
Vice-Commissioner: Paolo De Grandis
Curator: Sze Wee Low
Project manager: Boon Hui Tan
At the 49th Biennale in 2001, Singapore presented four artists whose works
addressed issues of identities, relationships of self and the physical, and
social environment and responding to the urban condition of city life in
Singapore, within a global context. The three artists of the 50th Biennale
continue to share these same concerns, within their own individual practices and
contexts. Individually, the works at the 50th Biennale stand as independent
entities - “islands” unto themselves. The various forms of expression employed –
painting, video documentation and installation, are a testament to the diversity
of the Singapore contemporary art scene. Seen as a group, they nevertheless,
share certain common interests, very much like islands within an archipelago. In
their artistic practices, the artists do not restrict themselves to a single
medium or form of expression. They experiment constantly and often work across
different media. Their works invite query and contemplation. Often, audience
interaction and participation form the very basis of their works. Their concerns
are never closed ones but ones that are always open to the wider international
cultural discourse, just as one archipelago remains linked to the others through
the very waters that separate them.
Describing his practice as a “trans-disciplinary” one which involves the use of
graphics, photography, text and video, it is difficult to locate Heman Chong’s
work within any particular category or genre. Born in Malaysia, educated in
Singapore and the United Kingdom and presently serving a one-year residency in
Berlin, Heman is interested in trans-cultural negotiations. In his own words,
his recent works have “dealt with the issues of understanding a different
culture, of adapting and learning other mannerisms, of assimilating alternative
models of communications”. He is also interested in the politics of cultural
production, in particular the production of contemporary visual art in Asia. His
works have included personal documentations of art world politics and happenings
in the contemporary art world. These coincide with his broader concerns
regarding the impact of globalization on contemporary Asian art as evidenced by
the growing market and rising interest of European curators in contemporary
Asian art. Heman’s works raise questions related to his role and identity as an
Asian contemporary artist working within an international art world. It is a
world that is becoming increasingly globalised. The outcome of this
globalisation has yet to be resolved and it is this process of change that
interests the artist. His strategies including collaborations with fellow
artists, point to possible means of understanding and engaging with this complex
and dynamic phenomenon.
In an increasingly globalised world, the notion of multiculturalism seems to
gain greater currency. This is apparent in the works of Tan Swie Hian. Born in
Indonesia and a second generation Chinese living in Southeast Asia, he has
explored the cultures of India, Southeast Asia and the Western World. In his own
words, his works represent an on-going concern in “trying to combine the spirit
of ancient Chinese philosophy, the Indian philosophy, particularly Buddhism, and
the feelings and thoughts of a Chinese Singaporean”. A man of diverse interests,
Swie Hian has written essays, stories, poetry and translations. In addition to
painting, calligraphy, printmaking and seal engraving, he also designs theatre
sets, costumes and masks. Going beyond the national or even geographical
boundaries, his works are marked by a deep understanding of different cultural
and philosophical traditions and locates the artist as a citizen of the world, a
universal humanist. He recently won the Crystal Award at the World Economic
Forum.
Locations, dislocations and space are the abiding concerns of Francis Ng. His
interests include the investigation of space and the related notions of
“in-between” spaces and “non-places”. His works have involved the juxtaposition
of existing and reconstructed spaces. By subverting spaces, he overturns
viewers’ expectations and alters their experience of such spaces. In working
with found materials within public spaces, Francis is also concerned with
incorporating the site’s unique qualities and meanings as part of his working
process. His work Delocating margins in 2001, won critical attention for its
monumental transformation of an old dilapidated shophouse into a fantastical
labyrinth that addressed issues of urban spaces, conservation and memories.
If the artists of the 49th Biennale provided viewers with a mental “map” of what
Singapore’s cultural landscape was like in 2001, the artists of the 50th
Biennale could be regarded as offering visitors with another set of coordinates,
with which to plot a different journey in the context of a globalised world.
Written by Low Sze Wee
Source: Venice Biennale Press
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