S.E.A. Focus 2024
January 20–28, 2024
Discover multi-dimensional works & new synergies at S.E.A. Focus 2024. The sixth edition of S.E.A. Focus returns from January 20–28, 2024, promising a compelling showing of the best works from established and emerging artists of Southeast Asia. Visitors can expect to see more large-scale works and installations, including a designated screening room featuring artists’ video works, all within the walls of the exhibition ground at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore.
Commissioned by the National Arts Council, Singapore (NAC) as a key event in the Singapore Art Week (SAW) calendar, S.E.A. Focus also welcomes Bank of Singapore for the first time as Main Sponsor for this edition.
“Bank of Singapore is proud to sponsor this extraordinary art platform celebrating Southeast Asia’s rich cultural heritage and artistic diversity. By contributing to the region’s flourishing arts scene through our sponsorship of S.E.A. Focus, we hope to foster and cultivate creativity, providing a unique opportunity for diverse artists to showcase their talents,” expressed Jason Moo, Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Singapore.
With much to anticipate is also the fresh spin that first-time S.E.A. Focus curator John Tung puts to this leading Southeast Asian contemporary art platform, where an assembly of works from 22 galleries and over 40 artists from the region will be presented to an international audience. Themed Serial and Massively Parallel, the showcase explores the interplay between humanity and technology in this increasingly digital age through art pieces that contemplate the human distinctiveness in creativity, artistic expression and the experience of art.
A rich, regional tapestry
A key highlight of the exhibition is the staging of “A Conversation with the Sun (Installation)”—the brainchild of acclaimed Thai artist and auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul—by BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY for the first time in Singapore. This interdisciplinary artistic endeavour will encompass a video installation with a large moving curtain backdrop mechanised by the design team of DuckUnit. Featuring selected footage documented by the artist over several years, it was first presented in Bangkok alongside a published book of his conversations with spectres of people and entities including prominent figures and the Sun—made possible with Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform GPT-3.
Some of the emerging artists to watch at S.E.A. Focus 2024 include Alexander Sebastianus Hartanto from Indonesia (ISA Art Gallery) who is showing a pentaptych of batik prints on pixelated archived photographs that beg a closer look; Goldie Poblador from the Philippines (MONO8) who is presenting a body of captivating blown glass works; and Singaporean artist Aiman (Art Porters Gallery), whose series of paintings depicts dynamic landscapes with a delicate balance of both pristine grandeur and underlying chaos.
SAM S.E.A. Focus Art Fund, which kickstarted in 2023 with the support of founding sponsor the Yenn and Alan Lo Foundation, continues its second iteration to recognise the region’s artistic talents. For this edition, Mami Kataoka, Director of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, has been invited to the join the jury to identify notable pieces to be added from S.E.A. Focus 2024 to the SAM collection.
Exploring more facets of the region’s art landscape
Complementing the main exhibition is the signature SEAspotlight Talks, a curated series of conversations by art professionals and thought leaders, that aims to spark dialogues on the efforts in the region to create, critique, curate and collect art in the current landscape. Among the speakers will also include artists such as Yee I-Lann (Silverlens), Heri Dono (The Columns Gallery) and Dinh Q. Lê (STPI—Creative Workshop & Gallery).
Another returning programme is OFF Focus, a film screening programme to showcase Southeast Asian talents in moving imagery, which will be hosted at Singapore’s popular indie cinema The Projector. Curated by Objectifs—Centre for Photography and Film, the screening features nine rarely seen short films created by renowned Thai artist-filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul on January 21, followed by an online Q&A with the artist himself.
