Art & Market

The print version of CHECK-IN 2024 is now ready to ship! This year, we have doubled the print run, and reduced the price to SGD38. A total of 300 copies are available, each with a unique “ticket number” e.g. 1/300, 300/300. Please consider buying a print copy to support the efforts that go into the making of CHECK-IN 2024. Click the link in profile to purchase a copy.

[NEWS] ART SG (@art.sg) will return for its third edition next month. Presented by Founding and Lead Partner UBS, it will take place at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, starting with a VIP preview on 16 January 2025, and opening to the public from 17 to 19 January.  A total of 105 galleries from 30 countries and territories will be taking part. GALLERIES is the biggest sector, and will hold the booths of 58, or about half, of the participating galleries. FOCUS features 36 presentations, with a special spotlight on digital art and new media. And FUTURES is dedicated to 11 galleries who have been in operation for less than 10 years. Click on the link in profile to read about what participating exhibitors will be presenting at the fair, and their expectations for its third edition.

[NEWS] S.E.A. Focus (@seafocus) is returning for its seventh edition at Tanjong Pagar Distripark from 18 to 26 January 2025, during Singapore Art Week (@sgartweek). Themed “Disconnected Contemporaries”, it is curated once again by John Tung (@johnsavage.fromthewoods), and explores the evolution of Southeast Asian art.  Altogether, there will be works of close to 40 artists from 21 exhibitors on display. Ahead of S.E.A. Focus 2025, find out what will be shown, and the expectations of some of the participating exhibitors. Click the link in profile to read the full preview, which also includes the line-up for signature programmes SEAspotlight Talks and OFF Focus, which accompany the main exhibition.  A&M is proud to be the official media partner of S.E.A. Focus 2025.

[ANALYSIS] ‘My Own Words’ is a monthly series which features personal essays by practitioners in the Southeast Asian art community. They deliberate on their locality’s present circumstances, articulating observations and challenges in their respective roles. This month, Tessa Maria Guazon (@tessamaria.guazon) reflects on her recent appointment as curator and head of the Vargas Museum (@upvargasmuseum). With her new role, she has opened up space for a new exhibition format and for innovations in the structure of the museum’s public programmes. This article is a part of CHECK-IN 2024, our annual publication, which comes in at 313 pages this year. You can buy a limited-edition print copy at SGD38 at artandmarket.net/publications/checkin-2024. Read the full essay in the link in profile. 1. The Vargas Museum is located inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City. Image courtesy of the Vargas Museum. 2. Monochrome band playing their set for the inaugural Vargas After-Hours, October 2023. Photo by the author. 3. Museum visitors at the second floor permanent exhibition. Image courtesy of the Vargas Museum. 4. Guided tours for students at the permanent exhibition. Image courtesy of the Vargas Museum. 5. Costantino Zicarelli (@costantinozicarelli), ‘Dust of Men’ series, 2023, graphite on paper, exhibition view of  ‘Fever Dream’ at the museum’s West Wing Gallery. Image courtesy of the Vargas Museum.

[DIALOGUES] Zhai Qiutong (@qtzhai) speaks with Wang Shuman (@shuman._.wang), a curator and writer specialising in video and media art. Currently based in Hong Kong, she serves as an associate curator at Tai Kwun (@taikwuncontemporary). They begin the conversation by exploring Shuman’s journey into curating time-based art, discussing her academic background, early career challenges, and the evolution of China’s contemporary art institutions. Themes of trauma, collective memory, and solidarity surface as they delve into Shuman’s curatorial projects and the complexities of navigating censorship and institutional constraints. Click on the link in profile to read the full interview. 1. ‘Letter, Testimony’, 2024, screening at LASALLE College of the Arts as part of Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) (@sipfsg). Image courtesy of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. 2. Shuman Wang, photo taken in 2023. 3. Payne Zhu (@payne_zhu), ‘Matchpool’, 2022, installation view at OCAT Shanghai. Image courtesy of OCAT Shanghai. 4. ‘In Solidarity With____?’, 2022, exhibition view at OCAT Shanghai. Image courtesy of OCAT Shanghai. 5. ‘The New Survivors’, 2023, installation view at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (@threeshadows_official). Image courtesy of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre.

[PROFILES] ‘A Day in the Life’ is a series where we invite artists to share a day in their life through images accompanied by brief descriptions. This month’s spotlight is on Singapore-based visual artist Lai Yu Tong (@laiyutong_things). Lai Yu Tong explores the elements of daily life through various mediums such as painting, sculpture, and image-making. Working from his home studio, he draws inspiration from the views outside his windows and incorporates everyday materials into his creations. Yu Tong’s works evoke a range of emotions, from melancholy to hope, while highlighting the peculiarities of the ordinary. In this article, he offers a glimpse into his home studio, daily routine, and recent exhibitions. Click the link in profile to read the full story. 1. Lai Yu Tong. Image courtesy of Renée Ting. 2. Lai Yu Tong, ‘Newspaper Painting No. 110’, 2021, synthetic polymer paint on newspaper, 63 x 76 x 4cm. Image courtesy of the artist. 3. Lai Yu Tong, ‘The World (Campfire)’, 2024, birch, pine, graphite on paper, tin cans, LED bulbs, electrical components, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist. 4. Studio view. Image courtesy of the artist. 5. A crow’s nest on a tree outside of Yu Tong’s flat. Image courtesy of the artist. 6. Yu Tong doing his part-time job. Image courtesy of the artist.

[NEWS] The 9th Asian Art Biennial (@asianartbiennial) has the evocative theme ‘How to Hold Your Breath’. It reverses the phrase “don’t hold your breath” and instead expresses latent hope for the possibility of change despite challenging circumstances. The biennial is curated by a team convened by Taiwanese independent curator Fang Yen Hsiang (fangyenhsiang), and includes four international curators: Anne Davidian (@annedavidian), Merv Espina (@junglekaraoke), Haeju Kim (@haeju__kim) and Asli Seven (@asli_seven). Organised by National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) in Taichung, it brings together 35 artist groups from over 20 countries across Asia and the Pacific region. Click the link in profile to read the full article. 1. Pak Sheung Chuen (@paksheungchuen), ‘Breathing in a House’ (video still), 2006, single-channel video, 6min. Image courtesy of the artist. 2. Yoshinori Niwa (@niwayoshinori), ‘Requesting People in Taiwan Who I Met by Chance To Declare if They Die, Taiwan Will Disappear’ (video still), 2024, 4K single channel video, 10min 27sec. New sequel commissioned by Asian Art Biennial. Image courtesy of the artist. 3. Nathalie Muchamad (@nathaliemuchamad), ‘Breadfruit, Mutiny and Planetarity’, 2024, site specific installation with prints on wool and cotton, wall drawings, wood, clay, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist. 4. Jasmin Werner (@jasmin1werner), ‘Self-supporting (Selbsttragend)’, 2024, food, daily products, wood, stain, varnish, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist. 5. Cetus Kuo Chin-Yun (@cetus_kuo), ‘Because Watching Pacifies’ (video still), 2024, two-channel video installation with 7.1 surround sound and objects, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.

[DIALOGUES] Clara Che Wei Peh (@claralikesart) interviews Celine Wong Katzman (@rojakgirl), an independent curator based in New York and Singapore. Celine is Co-Director at the School for Poetic Computation (@sfpc_nyc), a platform for the study of art, code, hardware, and theory, through lenses of decolonisation and transformative justice. Previously, Celine was Curator at Rhizome (@rhizomedotorg), Curatorial Fellow at the Queens Museum (@queensmuseum), and a mentor and facilitator of Art & Code, an artist residency programme at NEW INC (@newinc). This article is a part of CHECK-IN 2024, our annual publication, which comes in at 313 pages this year. You can buy a limited-edition print copy at SGD38 at artandmarket.net/publications/checkin-2024. Click on the link in profile to read the full dialogue. 1. Celine Wong Katzman. Photo by Douglas Ross. 2. ‘Rhizome Presents: CyberPowWow’, 2022, installation view at the New Museum, New York City. Pictured: Jason Lewis, ‘re:map’ (2001). Image courtesy of Cameron Kelly McLeod and Rhizome. 3. ‘Rhizome Presents: CyberPowWow’, 2022, installation view at the New Museum, New York City. Image courtesy  of Cameron Kelly McLeod and Rhizome. 4. ‘Wet Networks’, 2021-2022, installation view at the Queens Museum, New York City. Pictured: Melanie Hoff’s ‘FAILURE<> COLLAPSE<>YIELD<>CATALYZE’ (2021) and Erwin A. Karl’s ‘Flora for Cycle X’ (2018-present). Image courtesy of Dario Lasagni and Rhizome. 5. Project by Nneka Sobers for Instruments of the Black Gooey Universe class. Photo by Kedrick Walker. Image courtesy of School for Poetic Computation.

[NEWS] This past November, Yong Wee Loon won the 2024 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) award (@uobgroup) in the Established Artist category and the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award. His submission, ‘A Sip Through Time,’ is a still life diptych of a traditional coffee shop that strikes a sentimental chord across the Southeast Asian audience. The painting depicts a shopfront filled with tubs of childhood sweets and posters with retro typography while simultaneously hinting at the “presentness” of the scene with the presence of a QR code and security cameras. ‘A Sip Through Time’ will be on view in the 43rd UOB Painting of the Year Regional Winners’ Showcase along with other winning artworks including paintings by Sukit Choosri (Thailand) (@sukitchoosri), Muhammad Yakin (Indonesia) (@mmmyakin), Hasanul Isyraf Idris (Malaysia) (@hasanulisyrafidris), and Nguyen Viet Cuong (Vietnam) (@nguyenvietcuong.art). ‘43rd UOB Painting of the Year Regional Winners’ Showcase’ is on view from 16 November 2024 to 26 January 2025 at UOB Discovery Space in National Gallery Singapore. This is an entry in A&M’s December 2024 round-up. Click on the link in profile to read the full selection for this month. 43rd UOB Painting of the Year Regional Winners’ Showcase. Image courtesy of UOB Group.

[NEWS] ‘18@8: PLAY’ is a group exhibition celebrating a return to childhood playfulness in adulthood. Curated by Zhen Feng Ang (@fengz_art), the showcase joins together 16 artists based in Malaysia in the newest edition of the 18@8 series which originated at Wei-Ling Gallery (@weilinggallery) in 2005. This edition posits that recreational fun complements the responsibilities of adulthood by allowing people to face modern pressures to maintain productivity with renewed clarity. ‘18@8: PLAY’ will be held on 4 December 2024 at Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. RSVP to the event by contacting Wei-Ling Gallery at +60322601106 or email [email protected]. This is an entry in A&M’s December 2024 round-up. Click on the link in profile to read the full selection for this month. Anwar and Masafumi Matsumoto (@anwarsuhaimi), ‘Daughters II’, 2024, colored pencil on paper, 59 x 72cm. Image courtesy of Wei-Ling Gallery.

[NEWS] ‘To See A Landscape As It Is’ at Silverlens Manila (@silverlensgallery) is an exhibition featuring the Santos family from the Philippines. A decade ago, husband and wife, Soler and Mona (@soler_santos @monasantos), and their three children, Luis Antonio, Carina, and Isabel, were featured in their first exhibition at Silverlens Manila. This exhibition, titled ‘Gathered Narratives,’ becomes the departure point to examine each artists’ personal trajectories. At the same time, viewers can decipher the family resemblance among the artworks, piecing together their common inspirations from growing up together. ‘To See A Landscape As It Is’ is on view from 21 November to 21 December 2024 at Silverlens Manila.  This is an entry in A&M’s December 2024 round-up. Click on the link in profile to read the full selection for this month. 1. Soler Santos and Mona Santos, ‘Untitled 2’, 2024, mixed media on canvas, 121.9 x 180.3cm. 2. Carina Santos (@presidents), ‘Mythologies’, 2024, oil and pigment on canvas, 119.38 x 137.8cm. Images courtesy of Silverlens Gallery.

[NEWS] Yee I-Lann’s (@yeeilann) ‘Mansau-Ansau’ is titled after the phrase for “aimless strolls” in the language of the Dusun and Kadazan of Sabah. As the title suggests, the solo exhibition underlines Yee’s open spirit in her artistic journey that has spanned more than 20 years. Simultaneously, ‘Mansau-Ansau’ refers to a new bamboo pus weaving technique Yee serendipitously invented during her immersion with sea- and land-based communities in Sabah, Malaysia. The showcase invites viewers to engage with the artist’s multimedia experimentation to embrace traversing through less travelled paths. ‘Yee I-Lann: Mansau-Ansau’ is on view from 4 December 2024 to 23 March 2025 at Singapore Art Museum (@singaporeartmuseum). This is an entry in A&M’s December 2024 round-up. Click on the link in profile to read the full selection for this month. Installation view of Yee I-Lann’s ‘Flatten The Box’ (2024). Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.