The centre stage is on two shows in LASALLE’s latest exhibitions, Jason Lim: Encounter under the banyan, and head heap heat. The effort is supported by LASALLE’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), in a bid to cultivate inquiry on contemporary art in Singapore and beyond!
Here’s a rundown on what to expect at the exhibitions.
Jason Lim: Encounter under the banyan
For his debut solo exhibition in a public institution in Singapore, artist Jason Lim will perform a programme of durational works that explore the concepts of risk, change, and the transformation of materials. He examines and explores the behaviours and relationships between the human body and the basal elements – earth, air, fire, and water. Through his performances, he ventures to slow down time, to better register minute changes in the structure and properties of matter.
Jason begins on the opening night with Duet with light, a display involving fire and wax. Over the course of several weeks (see schedule below), he will return frequently to the space to add on to his previous work. Once he is satisfied with the outcome, he will move on to his second performance – now involving clay – titled Under the shadow of the banyan tree. Similar to his first exhibition, he will return continually to develop the exhibition from start to end. Jason encourages visitors to witness the exhibition’s transformation to completion.
Our team was present for the opening display, and it was certainly a curiously beguiling demonstration. The mood was sombre and disquisitive, with enforced silence in place. Jason began in a semi-contorted form, laying on the floor, his contracted hands fiddling with bright orange candles. His movements were gradual and poised, each and every development showing clear purpose. As the exhibition advances, so does his pose – he ends with both hands covered with layers of wax, gripping whatever is left of the remaining candles.
“I am creating three-dimensional images. I often work the same piece in a variety of locations, and with the same materials. Every single element of the performance has its own energy, and its configuration is neither constant nor stable. The only constant in my performances is change,” shares Jason in 2017.
Performances and exhibitions are held in the Earl Lu Gallery. Admission is free.
- Performance (Duet with light):
- Friday, 9 February 2018, 6:30–8:30 pm
- Wednesday, 14 February 2018, 7:00–8:30 pm
- Wednesday, 21 February 2018, 7:00–8:30 pm
- Exhibition:
- Tuesday, 13 February – Wednesday, 7 March 2018
- On performance days, the gallery closes at 6:00 pm.
- Performance (Under the shadow of the banyan tree): Tuesday, 13 March – Sunday, 18 March 2018
- Exhibition: Tuesday, 20 March – Thursday, 12 April 2018
head heap heat
Inspired by their personal aesthetics and through imagined or existing cityscapes, head heap heat features the works of four artists – Madison Bycroft, Haffendi Anuar, Lawrence Lek, and Yola Yulfianti – as they deal with issues of survival where the present manifests into a future carrying the troubles of today.
The bizarre title head heap heat adumbrates an esoteric meaning; the nouns function as three sides of an equilateral triangle, without hierarchy yet following the alphabet; when reshuffled they can allow semantic permutations. “head” pertains to the realm of thoughts and ideas, “heap” introduces material and volume, “heat” conjures perception and the senses.
Haffendi’s colourful paintings and sculptures, while immobile, highly suggest movement and material play. Each of the sculptural volumes are interpreted in non-monumental terms; information about their weight, origin, and whether they are fragments or part of a whole, remain purposefully vague.
Lawrence’s CGI film Geomancer is stylistically reminiscent of virtual reality games, and explores the aspiration of an environmental satellite to become an artist in Singapore – albeit in an alternate future where the anti-AI film has been introduced.
Yulfianti’s video installation teleports viewers to the streets of her hometown Jakarta, registering through her body the sensual experiences felt through its noises, tropical rains, and notorious traffic jams. She brings the texture of the metropolis through moving images onto staggered lengths of tulle that multiply and refract the bodies and lights in the video.
Madison Bycroft acts as the actor, director, and academic writer in her pieces. Through pervasive performance and writing, she crafts new imaginary worlds and tests the boundaries and jargon conventionally associated with specific domains. Her linguistic eclecticism is matched only by her perpetual shifting of typecasting, depicted with a multitude of costumes, wacky scripts and drag.
The exhibition is held in Gallery 1. Admission is free.
- Exhibition Period: Saturday, 10 February – Thursday, 12 April 2018
- Opening Hours:
- 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Tue to Sun
- Closed on Mon and Public Holidays
Photos by DANAMIC Creative Director, Brandon Neo.
