S.E.A. Focus 2023: Advisory Selections
Now entering its fifth year, S.E.A. Focus (6–15 January 2023) has quickly established itself as a permanent fixture in the Singapore Art Week schedule, and it is recognised as an important fixture for anyone interested to know more about Southeast Asia's contemporary art scene.
Led by STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, and commissioned by the National Arts Council, Singapore, the fair is intimate (with only 25 galleries taking part), but hosts top galleries from the region, including Yavuz Gallery, TKG+, and Silverlens.
Ahead of the opening, we've identified a few outstanding artworks showing at this year's fair.
Jumaadi at 39+ Art Space
Concerned with the aesthetic roots and sociopolitical background of his homeland Indonesia, Jumaadi makes profoundly personal work.
The East Java-born artist intertwines intimate narratives in his work by depicting familial or romantic characters in a style that references wayang kulit, a traditional form of shadow puppetry originating from Java and Bali.
In Tree House (2022), Jumaadi's storytelling translates on buffalo hide as figures in a tree house enveloped by a thick forest of leaves and branches. Vivid greens and deep reds burst forth from the work, giving vibrancy to Jumaadi's beautiful visual language.
Steeped in personal experience and perhaps referencing the confinement of quarantine many experienced during the pandemic, Tree House will be presented at 39+ Art Space alongside four other works by Jumaadi.
Thun Dina at Intersections
A striking composition of both figuration and still life, Thun Dina's painting Out of the Mud (2021) exemplifies the Cambodian artist's refined use of dreamlike colour palettes.
Reflecting on his bittersweet experience of moving from rural Cambodia to Phnom Penh, Dina's paintings often capture moments of contemplation among youths experiencing upheaval.
Melancholic and moving, Out of the Mud depicts an expressionless young girl sitting beside an animal skull—a direct reference to 17th-century Dutch vanitas painting, a genre that gave form to the transience of life.
Along with pastel tones of lilac and pink, Dina's art historical references convey the emotional turmoil felt by many Cambodians leaving the countryside for an urban life in the hopes of finding wealth and success.
Jia Sung at Island
Mystery Relative by Jia Sung, a Singaporean-Chinese queer woman born in Minnesota, is one of three paintings on show with the New York-based gallery.
In using the motifs of Chinese mythology and Buddhist iconography, Sung's practice sheds light on the parameters set around the humanity of women—including queer women—and those considered 'Other'.
On a close inspection of Jia Sung's acrylic and gouache double portrait, one will note the exquisite embroidered detailing that decorates parts of the wall behind the figures. A medium that she often weaves into her work, it serves to acknowledge handcrafts and the material's role in feminised labour.
Since graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in 2015, Jia Sung's paintings have been exhibited across the United States including at RISD Museum and MoMA PS1, New York.
Indonesian artist Aliansyah Caniago and his wondrous 100-piece watercolour work was a joy to come across in Baik Art's S.E.A. Focus presentation.
A collection of detailed watercolour paintings of found leaves in London's Kew Gardens, the work is a continuation of Caniago's engagement with the landscape in the development of his hands-on practice.
Speaking on his approach, Caniago explains, 'My doodling has become ritualistic, and the activity of painting echoes the same spontaneous gestures in making small drawings'.
With Susan Baik at the helm, Baik Art has developed a cultural network between Seoul, Singapore, Jakarta, and Los Angeles through shared programmes and collaborative initiatives that she discussed with Ocula around of Frieze Seoul last year.
Main image: Jumaadi, Tree House (2022). Acrylic on buffalo hide. 111 x 95 cm. Framed: 118 x 112 x 5 cm. Courtesy 39+ Art Space.
