Ocula Report 4th Kochi-Muziris Biennale: Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life 15 Feb 2019 : Natalie King for Ocula 'Poems are like sentences that have taken their clothes off.' Marlene Dumas' poetic and sensual refrain accompanies her figurative watercolours on view in Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life, the fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) in the southern state of Kerala, India (12 December 2018–29 March 2019).Dumas' new series...
Ocula Conversation Ellen Altfest The paintings of Ellen Altfest are ethereal in their detail. Fields of minutiae come together as pulsating images; small brushstrokes of oil paint accumulate over a series of months to single out seemingly innocuous subjects, such as a hand resting atop patterned fabric (The Hand, 2011) or a deep green cactus reaching upwards from beneath a bed of...
Ocula Report Colomboscope 2019: Cross Currents and Dissonance 8 Feb 2019 : Nada Raza for Ocula On the rooftop of the former Rio Hotel complex in Colombo, it was hard to ignore the high-rise buildings, still under construction, blocking all but a sliver of what used to be an open view over Slave Island, once an island on Beira Lake that housed slaves in the 19th century, and now a downtown suburb. The hotel was set alight during the...
Manila based artist, Lyra Garcellano’s art is one of disclosure, using her life events as inspiration to project her hopes and dreams while traversing environments conditioned by social conventions, nationality and gender. Garcellano’s intimate, ethereal portraits embellished with motifs of antique frames or topographical maps, create contemplative moments evoked by the abstract self in space, emphasising the manifestation of memories in our projected selves.
Garcellano was one of three artists featured in the third installation of the BMW Young Artists Series. At STPI, the artists were given the opportunity to explore the print medium and further expand their creative boundaries and produce works that none otherwise could had been achieved alone.'This series has become a springboard for young artists who are going to shape and prescribe the future of contemporary art in Asia,' said Emi Eu, Director, STPI. Chief Curator, Heman Chong adds, 'This project steered by co-curators Joselina Cruz and Agung Jennong spanned different geographies and nationalities expanding the creative merits of BMW YAAS.'
BMW Asia has been an active partner in the Singapore government’s efforts to build and nurture a design industry here. Its generous sponsorship and support gave STPI full confidence to forge ahead with this project and help young artists achieve the breakthrough they are looking for. Artists were given free reign to exercise their imagination and explore printmaking as a powerful means of projecting their ideas and visions – as encapsulated in this exhibition.
'Over the past 40 years, BMW has always been supportive towards the sponsorship of cultural programs ranging from architecture and design, classical music and jazz, and most of all, contemporary art. We are pleased to have been able to support Asian artists over the past six years through the BMW Young Asian Artists Series, which has uncovered countless talented artists during this time,' said Mr Sethipong Anutarasoti, Corporate Affairs Director, BMW Group Asia.
