khaihori

MAT RAMLEE: An appreciation, a look back

2011-08-09T21:03:00.002+08:00

The role of Malay film, and its icons, is a complicated one in Singaporean art and culture in the twenty-first century due to the society’s relationship and understanding of its past. Between 1940 and the early 1970s Singapore was home to film studios that produced works of art, entertainment and – often – unending silliness that is still appreciated beyond its own borders. The more than 250 films produced during that era still resonate in all aspects of society, with references appearing in song, language, and any other form of communication. Collectively, these films constitute one of the great texts produced in Singapore.

The complications related to these films lies in the politics and culture of Separation. When Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, the role of Malay language film in the nation-state became an anomaly. Originally, these films were a vehicle for owners of theatres to have local product for their audiences in a period when Malay – as is still true – was the national language of Singapore and Malaya, and a tool for unifying disparate ethnic groups. Following Separation, the Malay language, and its films, would be seconded as the society focused on English as a unifying tool of communication, and economic and security issues took precedent. It was also during this era that other forms of entertainment – principally television – made cinema going less popular.

Two studios produced almost all of the films created in Singapore between the 1940s and the early 1970s. The first studio, Malay Film Productions (MFP), was located on Jalan Ampas and was an offshoot of the Shaw Brothers’ theatre and amusement park business. MFP began production in 1940 and 1941 with eight films. Although it closed during the Japanese Occupation, production returned in 1947 and MFP dominated the market until the mid-1950s. By that time there were several other studios – such as Nusantara – operating, but the main competitor to emerge was Cathay Keris, which began producing films in 1953. By the late 1950s both of these studios were producing up to twelve films a year. This era, between 1956 and 1964, was a “golden age” for local cinema. Cinemagoers could attend films that not only entertained their audiences, but also touched upon issues and debates in society. It was an era in which artists – in front of and behind the camera – poured their ideas and hopes into film, reflecting the possibilities that Merdeka (Independence) and Merger held in their lives.

Film production in Singapore went into decline by the early 1960s due to a variety of factors. The industry had been beset with labour strikes, and work in other industries – such as journalism – often drew away talent. Administratively, the studios had difficulties replacing charismatic figureheads who migrated or passed away. At MFP, there was a shift of film production to Kuala Lumpur after Run Run Shaw moved to Hong Kong in 1959. The death of Loke Wan Tho, the head of Cathay, in an airplane crash in 1964 was one of the key turning points at the other Singapore-based studio, which went into further artistic decline following the death of influential director Hussain Haniff. The last film made during this era was in 1972, although production had slowed considerably by the mid-1960s as much of the talent migrated to active studios in Kuala Lumpur or sought employment in other industries.

The two Malay film icons featured in this exhibition represent this era of film production between the 1940s and 1970s. Their works are known to an audience disparate in age and geography, with their films more easily accessible today; they are shown on an almost continual loop on Malaysian cable channels, while in Singapore and Indonesia their works are usually seen on VCD. In many respects, P. Ramlee and Mat Sentol are honoured more today than during their filmmaking heydays. Their legacy in the artistic community and larger society is a thread that connects Singapore to its pre-Independence past. The actual content of their contribution, however, is often obscure – just as the artist Khairuddin Hori has aptly depicted.

P. Ramlee is the dominant icon of Malay cinema. Born in Penang in the late 1920s, P. Ramlee arrived in Singapore as MFP was renewing production following the Japanese Occupation. He began his career as a musician in the studio band, dubbing the singing voice of other actors while also occasionally appearing as a supporting actor. Ramlee soon grabbed the attention of those at the studio, and the wider audience, and quickly became a star. By the early 1950s he was featured in a variety of roles, and his numerous talents – singing, songwriting, acting – soon made him the biggest star in the Peninsula. By 1955 P. Ramlee parlayed his fame into production. He used his position to force the studio to allow him – and his nationalist friends – to write and direct films. Beginning with Penarek Bechak (The Trishaw Driver – 1955) Ramlee directed a series of comedies and dramas that were not only profitable monetarily but also artistically.

Among the most important films of this era was Semerah Padi (1956). The film tells the story of a community in Sumatra in the pre-colonial era. Using a standard plot of a love triangle, P. Ramlee subtly touches on a variety of issues such as the lack of cultural boundaries between Indonesia and Malaya as well as the role of Islam as a unifying belief. The themes present in the film, which many seem to have forgotten amidst the love triangle and the distance of time, leave Ramlee as an icon that reflects back upon the audience. Khairudin has captured this phenomenon through pixilation. It suggests not only the blurring of such themes in Ramlee’s work – as well as many of the films of the era – but also the willful amnesia of his cultural and social milieu. Ramlee and his colleagues were making films that challenged the audiences understanding of a variety of subjects, ranging from elitism and poverty to the role of the individual and religion in society. That Ramlee is mostly remembered for his wonderful singing voice, or his mastery of mise-en-scène in his films, is a shame. The audience should look beyond its own uncertainty over his status, beyond his star power, to bring more clarity to his contribution to the cultural and political debates of the time.

When Ramlee moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1964 it was an end of an era in Singapore-based film. It was also the beginning of the influence of Mat Sentol, who faced a period of declining budgets and audience. Mat Sentol had been involved in film production for years, usually appearing as a background player. With the industry in flux by the early 1960s, Mat Sentol parlayed his unique talents into farce, when he began headlining a series of “Mat” films. The first film – Mat Tiga Suka (Crazy Mat) – was made for $10,000, cheap even in that era. The film was originally planned as a pilot episode for television, but the production was more than the fledgling Television Singapura could afford. By the late 1960s and early 1970s Mat Sentol starred in a dozen films in which his
“Mat” character fell down, was misunderstood, and eventually backed into a successful conclusion; all were made on extremely limited budgets. Although rough around the edges these productions have a charm that overproduced films of today rarely have.

The limited budget that Cathay Keris provided for the “Mat’ films required innovation. Mat Sentol responded through the development of his own unique form of special effects, often appearing to be hand-drawn cartoons to depict explosions or flying objects. His appearance on the edges of everyday life in the works of Khairudin Hori reproduce how Mat Sentol would appear in his own films. His presence in our lives, as is true with his films, is one in which he is both part of the scene and outside of it.

The role of Malay film in Singaporean art and culture is often forgotten. In a citystate that focuses on the future and economic development, the presence of artists from an earlier era is often blurry, or a startling, out-of-body presence in our collective memory. These works force us to imagine, and revisit, this earlier era of production when artistic debates were centre stage in the most popular form of entertainment and when the artists had to work with increasingly slim budgets in a newly independent state. May it shine a light, and reconsideration, of their position as pioneers of the Singaporean art scene.

Mr Timothy P. Barnard
Associate Professor
Department of History
National University of Singapore

On The Business Times

2011-02-19T08:43:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-02-02T08:24:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-30T23:08:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T19:59:00.007+08:00

Mat Sentol, cult filmmaker in 1960s Singapore
Born 1933, Muar, Johor, Malaysia

Amongst films directed:
Mat Bond
Mat Tenggek
Mat Tiga Suku
Mat Raja Kapor
Mat Gelap
Mat Lanon
Mat Karung Guni
Mat Magic
Mat Spy
Mat Toyol
Tiga Botak
Darakula

Most famous in Singapore for award winning children's tv programme Mat YoYo and Aksi Mat YoYo

rapidshare downloads for his films

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T16:34:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T16:23:00.001+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T16:16:00.001+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T16:11:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T16:05:00.004+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T15:04:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T14:31:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T14:06:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T14:03:00.002+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T14:01:00.004+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T00:13:00.001+08:00

Reconstructing Sentol 2011: coming soon!

2011-01-23T00:10:00.003+08:00

I heard an exhibition featuring myself is happening. Where is it?!

US AND THEM AND YOU on Berita Harian 26 Nov

2010-11-26T17:16:00.003+08:00

Khairuddin Hori: Us and Them and You, by June Yap

2010-11-20T08:42:00.012+08:00

Race, we are given to believe, is a sensitive topic, a subject to be dealt with, with kid-gloves. The story of the delicate incidents of racial riots from Singapore’s 1964 past has been told and retold, as a bulwark against possible future conflict, although more as a bogeyman, with its crux generally left untouched — that of strategies for the negotiation of difference. It is clear that ethnic difference is a potent subject, as it has been the basis for hasty profiling and the rationale for violence; but it is also this same identity politics that binds communities — invigorating struggling nationalisms in the spirit of Franz Fanon, or alternatively, triggering a crippling colonial imperative, or equally incapacitating postcolonial compunction, à la Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The White Man’s Burden. The series of works presented in Khairuddin Hori’s Us and Them and You, titled after the Pink Floyd song of 1973 from their Dark Side of the Moon album, with the addition of ‘you’ (appearing to point to its public), however is less about race per se, as it is about the more general notion of difference, but a difference that is connected to the dynamics of identity production by and within a community.

Described as a series of photographs of ‘real-life characters from the Singaporean Malay-Muslim community’, according to the artist, here, ‘us’ refers to a sense of fraternity and shared identification with a majoritarian characterisation of what the self is to correspond to within the community, and where ‘them’ then refers less approvingly to those who deviate from this standard and are seen as ‘outsiders’ of the dominant identity. The coupling of ‘Malay’ and ‘Muslim’ secures both race and religion into one, and for most part within Singapore the two are conflated, seen to be interchangeable and referring to the same, with policies supporting and effecting the relationship between the two. Within the broader context of local census however, the Malay-Muslim community is in a minority, and thus Khairuddin’s interest in difference within the community may be read not only as a reflexive gesture against easy but narrow preconceptions of minorities within the minority, but an occasion for discussion and negotiation.

The characters depicted in Khairuddin’s series are real, in the sense that they are as they are portrayed in his images, their representations of themselves unaltered by the artist, other than their being selected by him. They too are members of the Malay-Muslim community, but who may not appear to conform to the relatively conservative identity and representation that is in favour. Superficially, their appearances as tattooed, pierced, heavily made-up, bearing dreadlocks or just baring themselves, may seem transgressive, but no more so than such style and fashion accoutrements, in any extreme would be within a broader contemporary social context — such as committed goth, punk and rastafarian lifestyles and appearances undertaken within communities of other ethnicity — may startle. However there arguably is a particular expectation, that is due to the coupling of race and religion, and that causes these images to appear more fraught. They represent what is usually not encountered, if for no other reason than a reduced probability as a minority, and assembled together, their presence cannot be overlooked. Yet, it would be naive and disingenuous to imagine that presenting their portraits would evince some transformative change in their status within the community. Moreover for the individuals portrayed this is who they are in their lives, and their families, friends and those in their personal spheres would already be aware and familiar with their expressions of themselves, so any disquiet would only come from a non-personal public, and even then, would it be an unanimous response?

The series of images is part of the artist’s project to document a variety of personalities from the Malay-Muslim community, and the selection presented in this exhibition are in fact of individuals who are from the more public sphere of culture, entertainment and the arts. They are performers — model and fire player; and producers — creative director, event and concert manager, DJs, record producer, tour guide, make-up artist, tattoo artist and fashion designer (with Khairuddin himself also as a curator at the Singapore Art Museum). To assume that the Malay-Muslim community is a through and through homogenous one would be somewhat unsophisticated, and the differences that these individuals draw attention to, complicate the Malay-Muslim identity, even if it is of an interruption by professional pursuit. Furthermore, these aspirations perhaps are not so different from that of more nationally recognised figures, such as Najip Ali or Anita Sarawak, and in fact one of the individuals was previously from the popular 80s and 90s Malay children’s television series Mat Yoyo (or Aksi Mat Yoyo). But more precisely, the singling out of their difference from within the community points to a negotiation not merely of appearances, but of culture, race, religion and globalised market economy, an encounter that they are evidence of, rather than cause. Their representation in the gallery space thus symbolise the various contestations and contradictions within and faced by the community, society and world they are essentially a part of.

Khairuddin’s portrayal of these figures in front-facing and larger-than-life form is intended to produce a sense of confrontation with its public, a strategy that has been used in his earlier works as well, such as Badang (2005) and K & A (2006), both produced in collaboration with artist Ahmad Abu Bakar. It is in a way inevitable that these figures appear as role-models of some sort by their presence, and by their ability to realise their chosen professions, but because they are of a minority, they also suggest further consideration of the navigation of the Malay-Muslim trope, that the artist is familiar for, in a more nuanced fashion than merely that of appearances. More importantly, and in the same vein of seeing beyond superficial impressions, Khairuddin’s work represents not merely issues of being Malay-Muslim, but also of race, religion and society at large for other ethnic communities locally. The question isn’t then of whether one stands as ‘us’ or ‘them’, but that there is the possibility of another position that would not quietly acquiesce to the simple binary, and one that here is made possible with the addition of ‘you’.

June Yap is an independent curator and art historian based in Singapore.

US AND THEM AND YOU

2010-11-06T12:57:00.008+08:00

Hi all,

New solo exhibition coming up soon at The Substation. Please do come for the opening on 29 Nov at 7pm if you can.

Opening on 29 Nov 2010, 7pm
Exhibition runs from 30 Nov - 19 Dec 2010
Venue is The Substation, 45 Armenian Street, Singapore

Nazri 1982 featured in Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2010-03-11T20:17:00.002+08:00

Big thanks to Syed Muhd Hafiz :)

CONTENT: navigating a point

2010-01-09T12:34:00.003+08:00

Curated by

Audrey Wong
Khairuddin Hori

Featuring SMU-ASEAN Artist
Residency Programme participants

Dani Iswardana (Indonesia)
Eko Nugroho (Indonesia)
Rich Streitmatter-Tran (Vietnam)
Som Sutthirat (Thailand)
Shahrul Jamili Miskon (Malaysia)
Kai Lam (Singapore)
Sookoon Ang (Singapore)
Zack Razak (Singapore)
Ming Wong (Singapore)

and SMU student artists

Joyce Koh Bao Zhu
Ooi Tong Si
Sara Ang Mei Xin
Teng Dong Hao
Ephraim Loy Suan Je
Lin Dingxiang
Daniel Yu Wenjie
SMU FLARE

Content: navigating a point is the visual arts feature for SMU's Arts Festival in 2010. Crafted in partnership with our neighbour and contemporary arts center The Substation, the exhibition highlights are artworks from a selection of nine contemporary artists from Southeast Asia. These artworks were developed after the artistsí participation in SMU's first ever residency programme, the SMU-ASEAN Artist Residency Programme.

Derived from the Latin 'navigare' meaning 'to sail', to navigate is fundamentally to locate one's own position against other known locations. In the context of the exhibition, this refers to the artists' navigation to Singapore which is commonly marked as a dot or a 'point' on world maps due to its small size. It also alludes to the artist's personal negotiations and necessary journeys in achieving various objective/s through their art.

Amongst the artists represented at the exhibition are Ming Wong, whose solo installation Life of Imitation at the 53rd Venice Biennale received a Special Mention, Rich Streitmatter-Tran, co-curator of The Mekong at Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane in 2009, and Eko Nugroho, comic book and street artist who is now amongst Indonesiaís pool of internationally prominent contemporary artists.

Exhibition opens on 15 Jan 2010, 7 pm
Venue: SMU T-Junction
Please RSVP by 11 Jan 2010 via email to visual_arts@smu.edu.sg

Exhibition continues:16 Jan - 12 Feb 2010, open daily except public holidays
Venues: SMU Gallery & SMU-ASEAN Artist Residency Studio
Time: 12pm to 8pm

Berita Harian 2, opens 12 Jan 2010

2010-01-09T09:59:00.001+08:00

Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (ICAS) co-presents
*Berita Harian 2 – Utusan Melayu;
the surreal
the contemporeal
the cosmoreal

12 JAN, Tuesday
7.30 – 9.30pm
ICA Gallery 2, LASALLE College of the Arts

Symposium
Malay Newspapers: Shifting Functions and Representations

The symposium that will grace the exhibition involves the meeting of minds between artists and academics – a sharing session touching on the function of Malay newspapers in pre-independence and contemporary Singapore.

Panel Exchange

Khairuddin Hori
The birth of Berita Harian 2003 and the need for a legacy of critique in redefining ‘Malay Representation’ in ‘Contemporary Art’

Dr Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied
Malay newspapers in the Life of the Singapore Malays in the pre-independence period

Gene Sha Rudyn
“Berita Harian fails Malay” – coverage of a theatre actor’s work 1998 – 2000 subsequent failure, 2001 -2010

Dr Maznah Mohamad
Malay Newspapers Today: A Misfit?

Moderator:
Adeline Kueh (Senior Lecturer of LASALLE College of the Arts)

Adeline’s previous stints include being the Director of the Intermedia Lab with the Office of Research & Creative Industries, as well as Director of Studies, Art Theory & Art History in the college.

Rooted in cultural studies, her research interests include notions of monstrosity within Southeast Asian contexts, smart fashion, architecture and the future of cinema. She has chaired and presented at a number of cultural studies conferences in UK, Australia, Finland and Hungary.

Speakers:
Zaki Razak (Curator of Berita Harian 2 – Utusan Melayu)

Originally trained in graphic design, Zaki made a switch and later graduated with BA (Hons) in Fine Arts from the University of Huddersfield, UK in 2006. To date, he has undergone residency at The Land Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand, curated an exhibition at the National Youth Council, Singapore and exhibited at 1a Space Gallery, Hong Kong.

He is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts programme at LASALLE College of the Arts.

Dr Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied (Co-curator of Berita Harian 2 – Utusan Melayu, Assistant Professor at Department of Malay Studies, NUS)

Much of Khairudin’s work has revolved around the history of Muslims in Southeast Asia, with a special focus on the construction of identities, native resistance to colonial rule, the impact of colonial administrative structures and policies on the lives of ethnic minorities and western perceptions of Islam in the region.

He is currently researching on the histories of minorities in Penang and the Philippines as well anti-colonial resistance in British Malaya.

Dr Maznah Mohamad (Visiting Fellow at Department of Malay Studies, NUS)

Dr Mohamad joined ARI as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in 2006. Concurrently, she is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, NUS.

Maznah’s publications include, The Malay Handloom Weavers: A Study of the Rise and Decline of Traditional Manufacture (ISEAS, 1996); Risking Malaysia: Culture, Politics and Identity (co-edited, Penerbit UKM, 2001) and Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Malaysia (co-authored, Routledge, 2006). She has also published articles on Malaysian politics, Islam, democracy and human rights.

Gene Sha Rudyn (Participating Artist; Theatre practitioner)

Gene Sha Rudyn began performing professionally in his late teens and joined the theatre industry in 1991, playing Tanggang in Si Tanggang at the Singapore Arts Festival Fringe and The Pauper in The Prince and The Pauper the following year.

Two landmark moments in his career were the 2007 six-state Malaysian kampung tour of Anak Bulan Di Kampong Wa’ Hassan and the 2009 mosque premiere of AL-IKHLAS (SINCERITY) – a monologue in seven acts re-introducing God, both unprecedented.
He has performed at international festivals in Australia, Hungary, Japan and New Zealand, and currently leads Keelat Theatre Ensemble.

Khairuddin Hori (Participating Artist; Curator of Berita Harian, 2003)

Khairuddin Hori graduated with a Master of Arts from LASALLE in 2006 and attained a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1998. He has since explored and presented works across various media and disciplines including theatre, painting, sculpture, installation, performance art and the curatorship of contemporary arts.

In early 2009, Khairuddin presented 'Jakarta Biennale Community College', a makeshift school of sorts at the 13th Jakarta Biennale. Meanwhile, Khairuddin's last solo exhibitionTrading Craft, where he employed six Asian curators as his art-makers was presented by Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore at The Substation Gallery (Singapore) and The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand) in 2007.

Berita Harian 2 – Utusan Melayu is part of the ICAS programme of exhibitions showcasing contemporary art practice. This exhibition is supported by National Arts Council, Lee Foundation, National University of Singapore, Abd. Gafoor Mosque and Villains.

Artwork for Berita Harian 2

2010-01-08T01:00:00.001+08:00

Title: "Aku bukan binatang jalang yang dari kumpulannya terbuang," Nazri, b. 1982
Size: 2 x 3 meters
Medium: Photography & digital print on PVC canvas
Year: 2010

Nazri, born in 1982, is Singaporean Malay. He has five stars tattooed on his body, an embodiment of the five stars in Singapore's national flag. Nazri is a professional costume designer and make-up artist and is a fashion school graduate.

HAPPY NEW DECADE 2010

2009-12-31T20:09:00.000+08:00

Berita Harian 2, coming soon...

2009-12-27T20:45:00.000+08:00

Karlheinz Stockhausen on 9/11

2009-05-17T13:58:00.002+08:00

Well, what happened there is, of course—now all of you must adjust your brains—the biggest work of art there has ever been. The fact that spirits achieve with one act something which we in music could never dream of, that people practise ten years madly, fanatically for a concert. And then die. [Hesitantly.] And that is the greatest work of art that exists for the whole Cosmos. Just imagine what happened there. There are people who are so concentrated on this single performance, and then five thousand people are driven to Resurrection. In one moment. I couldn't do that. Compared to that, we are nothing, as composers. [...] It is a crime, you know of course, because the people did not agree to it. They did not come to the "concert". That is obvious. And nobody had told them: "You could be killed in the process."

Karlheinz Stockhausen
German composer
Born, 22 August 1928 – Died, 5 December 2007

Singapore artists at the Jakarta Biennale

2009-02-15T23:26:00.003+08:00

Click here for the original article!

You are invited!

2009-01-31T16:54:00.004+08:00

Dear Friends,

I have been invited to share a work for Jakarta Biennale 2009 which is scheduled to take place from 06 - 27 February 2009 at the Galeri Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia (amongst its other venues, check out www.jakartabiennale.com).

With funds allocated as my artists' per diem, I have decided to set up a 'college' of sorts, one that I am calling 'Jakarta Biennale Community College'. It is an open school by all, for all.

I would like to call upon any of you who might be interested in sharing some knowledge with the public to come forward and contribute to the college's curriculum.

Participation and facilitation of workshop/lecture/lesson/tutorial/seminar e.t.c is not limited to any specific audiences or subjects. You might want to share some secret knowledge of astronomy, maybe a traditional grandmother's recipe, a conspiracy theory, perhaps a secret martial arts system or even, a technological breakthrough. Each session provides a modest allowance of 100,000 Indonesian Rupiah for its facilitator/s.

Should you be interested in spreading some love at the Jakarta Biennale Community College, please communicate your intentions to Miss Diah Sekarwidhi through an email to JktBiennaleCommunityCollege@gmail.com.

Your participation is our treasure. :)

cheers,
Khai

Performativity 3

2008-11-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Screen shot of:
Relation in Time (2008)
Khairuddin Hori & Maria Chua

Two Coats of Paint - Performativity #3

2008-10-29T22:14:00.004+08:00

Two Coats of Paint
Third installment of the Performativity series

What: Performance art video exhibition

Artists: Khai Hori (Singapore)
Veliana Veli (Indonesia)
Thao Nguyen (Vietnam)
Maria Chua (Malaysia)

Where: Praxis Space
LASALLE College of the Arts
1 McNally Street
Singapore 187940

Dates: 5 – 13 Nov 2008

Project Abstract
Derived from combining Performance Art and TV, Performativity was first jointly curated by Thanavi Chotpradit (Thailand) and Khairuddin Hori showcasing performance-centered video pieces by emerging artists from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and The Philippines. It was launched at VER Gallery (Bangkok) belonging to internationally acclaimed artist and Hugo Boss Prize recipient Rirkrit Tiravanija in 2006. Last month, Performativity 2, consisting of video pieces by seven Singaporean artists had a one-month screening at 24HR Art, The Northern Territories’ Center for Contemporary Art in Darwin, Australia.

It’s upcoming third installation subtitled Two Coats of Paint will be exhibited at Praxis Space, an experimental gallery dedicated for students and alumnus of LASALLE College of the Arts from 5th to 13th November 2008.

Two Coats of Paint suggests a destruction (of sorts) through an action not dissimilar to laying fresh paint over a masterpiece. In this instance, the four artists will respond, adapt, appropriate, borrow and even steal from classic pieces of performance-centered video art by European and American avant-gardes from the 1960s to the 1980s such as John Baldessari, Marina Abramovich, Bruce Nauman and Yoko Ono.

This collaborative endeavor also extends the tutelage between former tutor and LASALLE alumnus (Khairuddin Hori) and his students (Veliana Veli and Maria Chua).

If you happen to be in Darwin, Australia in the next 12 days...

2008-10-06T22:44:00.001+08:00

WHAT:
Performativity 2
A screening of performance based videos by 7 Singaporean artists curated by Khairuddin Hori.

ARTISTS:
Michael Tan, Siti Salihah, Lilpinkdevil, Kimberly Shen, Ezzam Rahman, Urich Lau & Khai Hori

WHERE:
24 HR ART, The NT Centre for Contemporary Art
Vimy Lane, Parap, Darwin NT 0820, Australia
www.24hrart.org.au/

DATE:
12 Sep – 18 Oct 2008

Was in the papers recently!

2008-08-23T12:03:00.002+08:00

News report in The Straits Times with regards to HAO's fundraising.

HAO - Confronting the Future of Arts & Culture from Asia

2008-08-01T00:01:00.002+08:00

Stop wondering! Here's HAO, the Summit and workshop sessions with emerging Asian artists, art managers and curators you have been dreaming about!

WHERE
Sentosa Island, Singapore

WHEN
9 – 12 September 2008

ORGANISER
The Substation – Singapore’s leading non-profit contemporary arts centre

CONVENOR
Khairuddin Hori

AIMS OF HAO
• The HAO Summit aims to nurture a sustainable and informed fellowship of future Asian contemporary arts leaders, professionals, and visionaries to take art into the future, through inspiration and professional mentorship.

• We aim to transform the fellowship and networks forged through the HAO Summit into long-term action and information exchange networks across Asia. The HAO Summit will be the first of other meetings, summits and events of the fellowship.

Click here for the HAO website and updates!

HAO FUNDRAISER - Interdependence 101

2008-08-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Semerah Padi, revisited (2005 - 2008)
84 x 118 cm
Digital print on photographic paper
Edition: Unique (1 each only)

These digital prints are new works that continue a series from an earlier exhibition, Labilabu, commissioned by The Esplanade and first presented at the Esplanade Tunnel in 2005. Called Semerah Padi, revisited, the series reconstructs and appropriates various characters and scenes from the classic P Ramlee film of the same name, with models donning costumes replicating the originals from the film. However, details of the costumes and models are obscured through a deliberate pixillation of the images.

8 of these prints are up for sale to raise funds for his HAO, an arts summit that I am convening with organisational support from The Substation. HAO: Confronting the Future of Arts and Culture from Asia, will be held in Singapore from 9 – 12 September 2008, coinciding with the time of the Singapore Biennale.

Half the proceeds from the sale of each of these one-off prints – priced at $3200 each - will be set aside for bursaries to enable young artists, curators and arts managers from South-east Asia and Asia to travel to Singapore to attend this Summit.

Semerah Padi, revisited (2005) layout of installation at the 80 meters Esplanade Tunnel in 2005

The sale of just one of these prints can fund the travel, accommodation, food and full participation costs for one Asian participant to HAO. We know that there are some young artists particularly from the Southeast Asian region, who would love to attend the HAO Summit but cannot afford to pay the full costs. Your contribution will be offered as a bursary to these participating artists/curators/art managers.

The prints can be purchased as individual works; however, some prints form natural pairs in dialogue, and can be purchased as pairs. Buyers of the prints are invited to participate in the HAO Summit too. The amount from the sale that goes towards the HAO Summit - $1600 out of $3200 – will be a donation to The Substation and qualifies for double tax-exemption, as The Substation is an Institute of Public Character (IPC). The other $1600 is the value of the artwork. The Substation itself does not take a commission from the sale.

Should you wish to view images of the works, please contact Audrey Wong at tel. 6337 7535 or email: audrey@substation.org, or myself at email: khaihori@gmail.com.

MAT* Never Die!

2008-05-28T09:54:00.003+08:00

I am sad to announce that Reconstructing Sentol, to be shown at The Cathay as part of the Month of Photography 2008 mid next month has been unceremoniously withdrawn. Whether or not I will show it sometime somewhere else, we will just have to wait and see. But if anyone wants to offer me a show with it, please do not hesitate to contact me at khaihori@gmail.com.

* To be pronounced 'mutt' not 'matt'

2008-05-03T22:21:00.001+08:00

Duchamp, Picasso, Judd, Manzoni, Mondrian and Warhol

2008-02-19T15:31:00.009+08:00

The watercolours (framed) exhibited at Trading Craft, The Substation Gallery, Singapore.

This series comprising 7 pieces of watercolours (black & white) were shown at the Trading Craft exhibition presented by Institute of Contemporary Arts (Singapore) at The Substation Gallery (Singapore) & The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand) in 2007. The pieces are appropriations of seminal artworks by Marcel Duchamp, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Piero Manzoni, Andy Warhol & Donald Judd.

Each piece is painted on 21 x 30.5 cm, Daler Rowney Aquafine, 250gsm paper.

Click here for link on Trading Craft on this blog

First acquisition of 2008

2008-01-03T11:59:00.001+08:00

First work acquired by a private collector in 2008.

Anti-Social Painting, series (2006)
120 x 120 cm, oil on canvas

Acquisitions...

2007-12-31T01:40:00.001+08:00

Both works below recently acquired by a private collector.

After Lichtenstein (2007)
1 part of 8 pieces joined to form a low table,
installed & exhibited at Trading Craft, The Substation Gallery in 2007
73.5 x 30.5 cm, aerosol paint & oil on canvas

Anti-Social Painting, series (2006)
120 x 120 cm, oil on canvas

Da Vinci is Dead

2007-11-20T15:40:00.000+08:00

Title: Da Vinci is Dead
Medium: Watercolour on Paper
Size: 30.5 x 21 cm
Year: 2007

super close-up!

Daniel Buren, 1974

2007-11-20T14:17:00.000+08:00

This painting was recently sold at The Substation's Charity Auction. I wonder who bought it... ;)

Title: Daniel Buren, 1974
Medium: Watercolour on Canvas
Size: 30.5 x 30.5 cm (each)
Year: 2007
Private Collection

Dead (2007)

2007-10-15T23:24:00.000+08:00

watercolour on paper

Untitled performance at FOI 4

2007-10-06T22:16:00.000+08:00

Performance at Future of Imagination 4, International Performance Art Event, Singapore, 27 September 2007

above pic by Angkrit Ajchariyasophon

above pics by Chua Chye Teck

If you were also thinking of moving to Berlin...

2007-09-06T22:35:00.000+08:00

Q: Do you think Berlin is a potential capital of the arts as Paris once was?

A: No, Berlin has too many economic problems. It has become an island, just as it was in the Cold War. The German art scene is developing very fast. Today, issues such as German nationality, its sad history and identity, the ugliness of Germany—these are no longer relevant. Being German is no longer a defining factor. Subsidised art is a bad thing in Germany. Independence is crucial.

Georg Baselitz
in an interview by Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz
www.theartnewspaper.com
6 September 2007

I Want My T-Shirt!

2007-08-26T23:06:00.000+08:00

T-shirts from the Restitution project is now here! Available at the moment in 3 sizes (S,M & L) on white Hanes Beefy Youth t-shirts with individually hand-signed label on the front-bottom-left. Email me if you want it. In very llimited edition - at SG$35 only, who says you can't afford contemporary art?!

The hand-signed label:

Dirty My Linen (2007)

2007-08-21T22:02:00.001+08:00

Performance at Yani's Laundromat, Cullen Bay, Darwin, Australia
Interpositions (performance event featuring Australian and Singaporean performance artists) as part of Darwin Festival 2007
Presented by 24HR Art (www.24hrart.org.au)

above pics by Juliana Yasin

above pics by Lynn Lu

Restitution - Cards Available NOW at The Substation Box Office, FREE!

2007-07-20T14:34:00.000+08:00

Take it back right now!
For the favours owed, objects borrowed, emotions stolen, injustices performed and rights withheld, demand Restitution.

In the Restitution project, I will be giving away limited edition, specially designed postcards for public use. However, if you are not personally able to grab the Restitution cards from The Substation but wish to engage with the project, drop me an email with name and mailling address. I will personally snail-mail the card to you as soon as it is delivered to me hot out of the press!

Pre-orders for the Restitution t-shirt will be accepted soon. Watch this space! :)

Trading Craft - A Performance of Curators

2007-04-10T16:45:00.000+08:00

Pictures from the Singapore event at The Substation gallery
(photos: Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore)

Performance by Dr Thomas J Berghuis (China/Netherlands/Australia)
(photo: June Yap)

Performance by Dr Thomas J Berghuis (China/Netherlands/Australia)
(photo: June Yap)

Performance by Wong Hoy Cheong (Malaysia)
(photo: June Yap)

Performance by Mikke Susanto (Indonesia)
(photo: June Yap)

Pictures from the Bangkok event at The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University
(photos: Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore)

Performance by Adeline Ooi (Malaysia)

Performance by Chumpon Apisuk (Thailand)

Participate (2007)

2007-01-27T00:15:00.000+08:00

21 x 25 cm, watercolour and bubblejet photoprint on paper
Collection: Rirkrit Tiravanija

Not Very Important... (2007)

2007-01-27T00:07:00.000+08:00

21 x 25 cm, watercolour and bubblejet photoprint on paper
Collection: Wong Hoy Cheong

I wanna live in a city where...

2007-01-26T23:13:00.000+08:00

These works by French-British artist Martin Firrell seems so much more relevant for the Singapore Biennale (2006) compared to the novelty-mug-selling Barbara Kruger and one-night-only-wonder Jenny Holzer!

www.martinfirrell.com

Portrait of a Wag (2006)

2006-12-30T07:32:00.000+08:00

21 x 25 cm, watercolour, graphite and bubblejet photoprint on paper

Hori Family circa 1969 (2006)

2006-12-29T16:24:00.000+08:00

21 x 25 cm, watercolour and bubblejet photoprint on paper

...

2006-12-27T21:23:00.000+08:00

“An overseer’s eye fell on the cage one day and he asked the attendants why this perfectly good cage should be left standing there unused with dirty straw inside it; nobody knew, until one man, helped out by the notice board, remembered about the hunger artist. They poked into the straw with sticks and found him in it. “Are you still fasting?” asked the overseer, “when on earth do you mean to stop?” “Forgive me, everybody,” whispered the hunger artist; only the overseer, who had his ear to the bars, understood him. “Of course,” said the overseer, and tapped his forehead with a finger to let the attendants know what state the man was in, “we forgive you.” “I always wanted you to admire my fasting,” said the hunger artist. ”We do admire it,” said the overseer, affably. “But you shouldn’t admire it,” said the hunger artist. “Well then we don’t admire it,” said the overseer, “but why shouldn’t we admire it?” “Because I have to fast, I can’t help it,” said the hunger artist. “What a fellow you are,” said the overseer, “and why can’t you help it?” “Because,” said the hunger artist, lifting his head a little and speaking with his lips pursed, as if for a kiss, right into the overseer’s ear, so that no syllable might be lost, “because I couldn’t find the food I liked. If I had found it, believe me, I should have made no fuss and stuffed myself like you or anyone else.” These were his last words, but in his dimming eyes remained the firm though no longer proud persuasion that he was still continuing to fast.”

from A Hunger Artist (1922)
Franz Kafka

Teaching a Fish the Alphabet (abridged)

2006-12-10T11:50:00.000+08:00

Performance video made to premiere at the Indonesia International Performance Art Event (IIPAE, Jakarta), 7-9 December 2006.

K & A (2006)

2006-12-10T02:32:00.000+08:00

Illustrated view of K & A at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore (ICA) commissioned for the New Contemporaries exhibition curated by June Yap. 'New Contemporaries: The Second Dance Song' was a satellite event of the Singapore Biennale 2006.

K & A is the second collaborative work between Ahmad Abu Bakar and myself. Each of these potraits were 3 x 3 metres in size and situated at the entrance of the gallery. A pink K & A neon sign was placed on a wall in the middle of the gallery and could be seen from outside of the glass door.

Badang (2005)

2006-12-10T02:27:00.000+08:00

"When embarking on this project, Ahmad Abu Bakar and Khairuddin Hori sought a collaborative methodology that would move away from a mere presentation of a collection of their individual works. The result is this singular installation as the culmination of dialogues and conversations between two artists from different generations who share a friendship and thus, certain common grounds and points of references, such as being Malay.

The exhibition project quickly became an excuse to explore the furthest realms where their minds could meet and its title refers to this common ground, alluding to the Malay legend of Badang, a royal slave who attained super-human strength after eating the vomit of a beast. Here, Badang is playfully positioned as an allegory of being an artist.

This then is an exhibition where the objects are, at best, testaments, but otherwise, indexes to a communication process as artistic exchange.

A video interview of the two artists is also presented within the exhibition space and provides glimpses of the artistic negotiations and rationale behind mounting the exhibition."

The Great Art & Craft Swindle (performance, 2006)

2006-12-10T02:07:00.000+08:00

Performance lecture at the Comparative Contemporaries Conference that took place in October 2006 at The Substation in Singapore. Tearing up and shredding of Channels & Confluences, A History of Singapore Art by Kwok Kian Chow, published in 1996 by National Heritage Board & Singapore Art Museum. On its sleeve, this book is described as "the first fully-illustrated historical survey of Singapore art" and "a valuable reference to the art collector and art students alike" while "also an inspiring resource for artists and those who appreciate the fine art heritage of Singapore". No other book with such claims and ambitions has been published in Singapore.

Open SEA (2006)

2006-12-10T01:33:00.000+08:00

Work by Patiroop Chychookiat (Thailand)

Work by Lynn Lu (Singapore/Tokyo)

Work by Sharon Chin (Malaysia)

"Open SEA (Southeast Asia), the first of what is designed as series of presentations on contemporary young artists and curators from Southeast Asia, aspires to bridge the enervated network between young contemporary Southeast Asian artists, curators and its audiences by informing each other’s creative tendencies and developments. In this inaugural exhibition at The Substation curated by Singaporean artist Khairuddin Hori, Open SEA presents Lynn Lu, Sharon Chin and Patiroop Chychookiat.

Open SEA primarily introduces these emerging personalities of Southeast Asian contemporary art through a showcase of their bio data and creative potential above the discussion of any particular artwork/s itself. For this reason, accompanied by original artworks, the exhibition plans to showcase documentations of their encounters with art.

In a collateral event on 5th August, public members are invited to spend a ‘day-out’ with the artists at the Wunderspaze studio. This ‘open’ 5-hour event where extreme ‘up-close’ experiences could be expected, departs from traditional formats of artist talks, forums or workshops employed to acquaint the public to artists’ creative thoughts and processes. Here, artists and participants could choose to view and share their favourite films, cook, play games, take a trip around the neighbourhood or simply share their personal experiences with art."

Artists' Day Out

I Want My F-16 (2006)

2006-12-10T01:26:00.000+08:00

Installation at Warong M Nasir on Killiney Road, Singapore. Yes, F-16 refers to the American made fighter jets and yes, the exhibition has to do with minority issues in Singapore...

Anti-Social Painting (series, 2005-06)

2006-12-09T23:50:00.000+08:00

Oil on canvas, 120 x 160 cm
One is a series of paintings made between mid 2005 - early 2006.

Babeliographia, New Sensation (2006)

2006-12-09T12:41:00.000+08:00

Performance at Future of Imagination 3 (FOI, Singapore's International Performance Art Event) at The Substation gallery.

Babeliographia, I am Singaporean (2006)

2006-12-09T12:36:00.000+08:00

Performed at 'Satu Kali', Malaysia's first international performance art event in Kuala Lumpur.

Spritual Idols (2005)

2006-12-09T12:09:00.000+08:00

Performance at Queen's Gallery, Bangkok
26 November 2005
for Asiatopia 7/2005
International Performance Art Festival

Action

Duskin wears a typical white Islamic skullcap; Khai wears a traditional Jewish headdress. Both artists (idols) are topless, wearing only blue jeans. Labels on the front of the pedestal provide audiences with information of the idols’ actual identities.

"Khairuddin bin Hori
Singaporean
Muslim

Duskin Drum
American
Jew"

The idols sit cross-legged on top of a flight of stairs, facing each other surrounded by 100 shot glasses filled with red wine combined with pure-gold leaf (becoming an elixir). A sign on one of the steps says: "Instruction: Put your hand towards an idol for a shot of elixir."

They feed each other with shots of the elixir. Members of audience will be provided with a shot of the elixir via a tray whenever they approach and put a hand out towards any one idol or whenever one of the idols serves a shot towards them.

When an idol stands, the other follows. After a brief moment of standing, they will walk away signifying the end of action. Performance ends when all shots of elixir are consumed or when either one of the idols stands up.

Emancikazee (documentation of 'live' performance, 2004)

2006-12-08T23:54:00.000+08:00

'Live' performance at Asiatopia 6 in Bangkok and Chiang Mai (Thailand, 2004). In the performance, audiences were invited to whip the performer a total of 100 times. For each whip, the voluntary collaborator also gets a 20 Thai Baht bill and a thin, pink, leather ornament which could become adorned as a bodily accessory (like a bangle or necklace).

45 Armenian (documentation of 'live' performance, 2004)

2006-12-08T23:52:00.000+08:00

Performance with Kai Lam, Rizman Putra, Isrizal and Zulkifle Mahmod at the public opening of 45 Armenian, my solo installation/performance project at The Substation, Singapore (2004). This edit focuses specifically on my performance.

God You Are A Fake (solitary performance, 2003)

2006-12-08T18:30:00.001+08:00

Documentation of the destruction of 44 pieces of woodcut prints in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2003).