GROUP EXHIBITION

The exhibition takes its name from the astronomical concept of the Axis Mundi – the primordial axis of the world – that has long been considered a marker of stability across myths and culture. The ongoing discord in today’s global climate seems to represent a turning of the axis, thus fostering opportunities for long-held assumptions and socio-political structures to be challenged.

Resetting the world and proposing new possibilities of coexistence

Spanning the playful, the grotesque, and the mystical, the works featured in Turning the Axis of the World reflect a desire to start anew and open up new possibilities of coexistence. The exhibition brings to the fore our relationship with each other and with the natural world, and by extension, the wider cosmic balance.

By presenting multiple facets of Vietnamese history, Dinh Q. Lê’s haunting three-dimensional paper weavings retain relevance in an age where debate and controversy surge across local and international politics. Shirazeh Houshiary’s meditative paper-based video screens showcase humanity’s shared necessity of breath, highlighting kindred commonalities across cultures while urging us to develop a deeper relationship with the natural elements.

Ashley Bickerton’s magical depictions of sphere-studded mountains – a symbol of the axis mundi in Indonesia – suggests both another universe to venture into as well as an idyllic landscape on the verge of decay. The portal-like shapes of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s paper-based installations evoke a sense of journeying and adventure, with their reflective surfaces indicating a parallel necessity for self-reflection and introspection. Fluid ‘breast-stupa’ forms permeate Pinaree Sanpitak’s relief prints on paper, suggesting the shifting nature of symbols, nature, and our understanding of the world.

Other highlights include works by Heri Dono; Teppei Kaneuji; Jason Martin; Eko Nugroho; Manuel Ocampo; Inga Svala Thorsdottir & Wu Shanzhuan; Qiu Zhijie; Hema Upadhyay; Suzann Victor and Entang Wiharso. Each of these highly relevant works illuminates the diverse, thought-provoking concerns of life in a world ‘out of joint’ while simultaneously confronting worldly systems and embracing divergent narratives. Ultimately, these works invite viewers to consider our responses and agency in these uncertain times.

Turning the Axis of the World is guest-curated by Tan Siuli, an independent curator.