See Me, See You Part 2

National Gallery Singapore’s (NGS) first South-east Asia video art exhibition continues, as it introduces five new works by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia artists.

Created in the 1980s and 1990s, the works were first exhibited when video technology had just emerged in the region and threatened to displace painting and sculpture.

The versions in NGS have been jointly recreated by the artists and curators with original and restored footage, with elements of reinterpretation. For most of them, this marks their first showing in decades.

They include Indonesian Heri Dono’s use of videos to reference wayang kulit and the cloak-and-dagger politics of the Suharto regime (1966 to 1998), titled Hoping To Hear From You Soon (1992).

Malaysia-based Ray Langenbach’s The Language Lesson (1989) is a product of the artist’s experiences living abroad, involving two rattan mannequins asking unanswered questions in Malay and English.

As with the first edition, these early works of regional video art resemble installations that incorporate video elements, rather than having screens as their centrepiece.

There is a nature theme too, with, for instance, Indonesian artist Krisna Murti’s 12 Hours In The life Of Agung Rai, The Dancer (1993) using dried leaves found in Singapore; and Singapore’s Vincent Leow fashioning tree branches from painted steel in Dream World (1990).

To go with the exhibition, NGS is also hosting screenings of 4x4 – Episodes Of Singapore Art by Ho Tzu Nyen (Saturday, 3pm) and 9th August by Tan Pin Pin (Sunday, 3pm).

These ask questions of how subjects are mediated by video and whether television can play a role in encouraging more critical engagement with art and history.

Where: Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery, Level B1 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road
MRT: City Hall
When: Friday to Feb 4, 10am to 7pm
Admission: Free
Info: nationalgallery.sg/see-me-see-you

88 Years Of The Society Of Chinese Artists

Established in 1935, The Society of Chinese Artists (Soca) is one of the oldest art associations in Singapore.

Its membership roll reads like a who’s who of Singapore’s early art scene, including the four great pioneers Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang, as well as Cultural Medallion recipients Lim Tze Peng, Ong Kim Seng and Tan Kian Por.

For its 88th anniversary this weekend, it is launching a specially curated three-day exhibition bringing together works by 139 of its artists, including 19 late members.

A work by the society’s first vice-president Yong Mun Sen has been specially flown in by his grandson from Hong Kong.

Of note, pioneer art educator Chen Jen Hao, best known for his Chinese calligraphy, is represented with an oil work to show his range.

On Saturday, there will be a talk by scholar Yeo Mang Thong on how Soca, with some encouragement from the British, sought to rebuild Singapore’s art scene in the five years after World War II.

Soca president Grace Chen Liang says: “There is a lot of interest in Singapore’s art history now with the turn from globalism to regionalism. The early members of the society planted the seeds of a Singapore art style, even if they might have identified more with China. Their efforts have now grown into a vibrant tree.”

Where: Multi-Purpose Hall, Level 7 Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, 1 Straits Boulevard
MRT: Shenton Way/Tanjong Pagar
When: Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 7pm; Monday, 11am to 5pm
Admission: Free
Info: Go to soca.org.sg. There will be an art talk at SCCC Recital Studio, Level 6, on Saturday, from 2 to 3.30pm

Myat Kyawt’s Magnificent Humour

Born in 1966 in Mandalay, Myanmar artist Myat Kyawt is not averse to playing the jester.

The yellow-skinned characters in his acrylic paintings are almost always smiling.

But though there is mirth, there is also an undercurrent of danger and grotesqueness, as he simultaneously celebrates and mocks all that he casts his eyes on.

This exhibition at Art Seasons shows how the important artist has blended traditional Burmese iconography and aesthetics with global influences, including superimposing a self-portrait of himself smoking on the Mona Lisa.

He is as unpredictable as he is irreverent, whether painting the perspective from inside a kaleidoscope or titling a gaudy work Are You Stupid?.

Where: Art Seasons Singapore, 03-02 Cideco Industrial Complex, 50 Genting Lane
MRT: Potong Pasir/Geylang Bahru
When: Till Nov 11, Wednesdays to Saturdays, noon to 6pm
Admission: Free
Info: artseasonsgallery.com/exhibitions.acv