Dark Was The Night We Found Light
Curated by INSTINC and 1PROJECTS
INSTINC and 1PROJECTS present a joint exhibition: Dark Was the Night We Found Light. As we the world over embark on a different and unknown future. Yet to overcome the remnants of a disquieting upstart to the second decade of the millennium. More often than not, the imminent reality of what is now and to come seems dark, uncertain and perhaps even fearsome.
We may face some of the most significant challenges our species has come upon, yet with these also comes the opportunity for broader and deeper reflection and change. The circumstances are fit for a collective turnaround. A significant shift in ways of life if we consider the impacts and imbalances these hold within our societies and planet.
Dark Was the Night We Found Light invites us to see and question the stark realities faced by many and possibly shed light on a future already here. Yet the exhibition brings about an expectancy of hope and light within the dark by presenting playful, humorous, oniric yet poignant and thought-provoking works.
The exhibition presents four artists Justin Lee (Singapore), Natalia Ludmila (Mexico), Prasert Yodkaew (Thailand) and Pornwipa Suriyakarn (Thailand). They are brought together by the parallels within their practices and works rather than nationalities. That is to say that the concerns explored in the exhibition are not limited to one region and pertain to us all.
In his current work, Justin Lee reflects upon the mundane of our social behaviour. For Lee, social behaviour and interactions are similar to the act of exchanging objects. We hold the expectation that when we give, we will receive the same amount. In the installation Toy r LUST, Lee questions how our social behaviours are shaped not necessarily by nature but by society's constraints, structures and expectations.
In her video work, Natalia Ludmila looks into text and how it can be used for artistic research. By displaying digital collages of cites from the influential book Orientalism by Edward Said. Her work puts forward notions of colonialism and its effects on and shaping many contemporary societies.
Prasert Yodkaew poetically highlights in his video performance "Rice Falling Into the Sky" the everyday difficulties many people face. For example, to put a meal on their tables, particularly regarding daily wagers. The artist thought of this in a Thailand context, yet it is a global issue. In another work, Prasert Yodkaew presents a train passenger view of a settlement along railway tracks. This type of housing is found on the outskirts of many large urban hubs in Thailand. A large number of Thais have migrated to cities expecting a betterment in their lives. Nonetheless, faced with a high cost of living, they are forced to settle in encroachments and travel to the city for work every day.
Lastly, Pornwipa Suriyakarn works with digital collages that blend traditional and contemporary Thai imagery. Her work brings about concepts of mass media, commentary on post-truth, and contemporary Thai idiosyncrasy. The contemporary Thai character involves traditional and present-day ways of life and mindset. Her work is baroque, charged and with an overt saturation of visual elements. However, in its vastness, we are invited to take time to meditate and decipher what is in front of us, perhaps one element at a time.
Featuring new works by:
JUSTIN LEE | SINGAPORE
NATALIA LUDMILA | MEXICO
PRASERT YODKAEW | THAILAND
PORNWIPA SURIYAKARN | THAILAND
OPENING RECEPTION 28 JULY 2022 6 PM ONWARDS
EXHIBITION OPENING: 28 JULY - 7 AUGUST 2022 | 11 AM - 7 PM | Free Admission
ARTIST TALK: 30 JULY 2022 | 2 PM - 3 PM (Link here for registration) | Free Admission
Dark Was The Night We Found Light Artist Talk
A digital get-together with all 4 artists, INSTINC Space, and 1Projects to share more about their respective artistic processes when preparing for the exhibition!
Justin Lee [Singapore]
Justin Lee (b. 1963, Singapore) was awarded Mont Blanc Young Artist World Patronage Project 2006, Hamburg, Germany. He has also received the Lasalle Scholarship (Master of Fine Art), NAFA Scholarship for his BA degree course at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, in 2005. The National Art Council, Georgette-Chen Arts Scholarship for his Diploma in Fine Arts from the Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore, which he completed in 1999. In 2000, he was selected to complete a 6-months intensive training programme at the Tyler Print Workshop in New York under Mr Ken Tyler's supervision. He returned to Singapore and worked for two years as an apprentice at the Singapore Tyler Institute.
Justin Lee also has several exhibitions in Singapore and abroad. His first solo exhibition was "Double Happiness, a Fantasy in Red" (2003), and his second solo was "Toy Nation" (2003). His third solo exhibition occurred at Esplanade Tunnel and level 3 Community Wall (April/July 2005).
Lee was invited to participate in the Singapore Art Festival in Japan (24 July 05, Aoyama Kottou Douri, Tokyo), Gwang Ju National Museum and Okgwa Museum in Korea, "6th Culture and Art Festival of Songzhuang" in Beijing, Bangkok (BACC), Taipei- Taiwan, "CausewayEXchange-2011" in Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia. Plus, "Art Garden" at Singapore Art Museum-2011 & 2012, Singapore National Museum and "Life after Death" at Asia Civilizations Museum, Singapore (2011) and Japan "Itoshima Arts Farm" (2012). In addition, his experimental short video work was showcased in Singapore Art Museum in Panorama: Recent Art from Contemporary Asia, 2012.
Justin Lee's practice brings a different understanding of contemporary Singapore society and way of life, blending East and West cultures. By doubting questions, Justin Lee seeks to record everyday life in his art based on his culture and surroundings. He believes art is integral in helping people grow and see the importance of role-playing and awareness of themselves. His current works reflect how text influences and controls our daily lives. His works also reflect on words and images from mass media such as signage, billboards and adverts for consumer products that dominate our thoughts and expressions.
Toy r LUST series
Justin Lee’s current work reflect upon the act of mundane social behavior that can be seen as similar to an exchange of objects, with the expectation that when you give, you will receive the same. Lee believed that social behavior play a large role in the development of a child's social behavior, as parents or caregivers are typically those who decide the settings and situations that the child is exposed to. Lee’s installation questioning social behavior setting on how one can committed to their social structure or can be determined by different situations and moments
“Time perspective is one of the most powerful influences on all of human behaviour.
We're trying to show how people become biased to being exclusively past-, present- or future-oriented.”
“Human behaviour is incredibly pliable, plastic.”
― Philip Zimbardo
Natalia Ludmila [Mexico]
Natalia Ludmila (b. Mexico City) is a multidisciplinary artist whose studio-based research points to the political. Questioning forms of representation, and the construction of false or biased narratives in the context of conflict. She holds a BFA from Mexico National University and an MA University of Canberra, Australia. She has exhibited work in solo and group shows across the world. She was the second prize recipient in the XVIII Ibiza Biennale. And has been awarded grants for international residencies spending time at a.farm, Vietnam. Banff Centre, Canada. Cittadellarte, Italy. INSTINC, Singapore. Currently, she is a member of the feminist artist network and collective Room to Bloom, exploring ecological and decolonial narratives.
Ludmila currently lives and works in Bangkok.
INTO TERRITORY
Into Territory is a body of work that stems from the ongoing project WrittenSpoken. The project explores the nature of text and how to remodel it into raw material for aesthetic research. This means enacting other modes of reading that activate texts and, perhaps, grant them additional layers of meaning. In past iterations of the series, I have employed texts from printed and digital news media outlets. In order to question forms of representation and the undercurrents that influence first who articulates the narrative and second how it is constructed, particularly in regards to situations of conflict.
Prasert Yodkaew [Thailand]
Prasert Yodkaew (Thailand), graduated from Silpakorn University Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts with BFA and MFA degrees. In his work Prasert Yodkaew does not intend to provide answers for the audience; instead, he is looking to confront by employing paradox designs. That involves devices, creatures, and three-dimensional decompositions of traditional architecture mixed with biological specimens. In addition, in his practice, Prasert Yodkaew blends western engineering with Thai elements to generate a precarious balance between the two.
Prasert Yodkaew took part in the exchange programme "Bangkok-Quebec" at Oeildepoisson Gallery in Quebec, Canada. He has several solo exhibitions, such as "Sciencefaith" at Projectpace Gallery in Luang Prabang, Laos. "How to get back to heaven" at Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, China. "Predetermined" at Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok, Thailand and "Nightmare" at Vin Gallery, Saigon, Vietnam. He has participated in group shows in the US, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Prasert Yodkaew's works have been exhibited in "Anthropos Navigating Human Depth" at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Singapore, "Art Sanya" at Venue Art Sanya in Hainan, China, "Art Stage Singapore 2017" by 1 Projects Gallery at Marina Bay Sands and "Asian Drums" at VT Art Salon Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan. He was awarded several times in Thailand for his works and participated in the Maduzi Hotel Art Fair in Bangkok. Additionally, he exhibited a sculpture installation at the cave exhibition 'Metro- Sapiens' in Ratchaburi province and exhibited “Thai Charisma(Heritage+Creative Power) Bangkok Art and Culture Centre( BACC) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Prasert Yodkaew lives and works in Bangkok.
rice falling into the sky
The poor are those who cannot reach their full potential. Due to various social factors impacting the poor people all over the world, such as the economy, and social and political stability of each country. Thailand is one of the countries that is ranked as having high social inequality, in fact, one of the World’s highest. It interests me to study the way of life of the poor who are subjected to this high inequality they face in Thai society; especially the railroad community, who are the people significantly affected by the country's capitalistic economic development plan. This plan caused people from the provinces, aspiring to improve their social and economic status, to migrate to pursue opportunities in urban environments and societies. After an invasion of public areas for more shelter, they subsequently morphed into slum communities causing this group of people to not have full access to the welfare of the government which subsequently resulted in the difficulty they face in life today. The outcome of the fore-mentioned reasons uncovers the problems of social structure in various dimensions, such as the problem of land tenure and ownership, educational and career problems, and many other aspects.
Pornwipa Suriyakarn [Thailand]
Pornwipa Suriyakarn (b. 1986, Bangkok) graduated with a master's degree from the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts. Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. And currently pursuing a PhD. in Fine Arts Management from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Bangkok Thonburi University, Thailand. Additionally, Pornwipa Suriyakarn teaches art as a faculty member at the same University.
In her training in sculpture, Suriyakarn's early works involved the creation of art from ancient and fresh plaster. However, her works were given a more contemporary nature in the combination of antique and industrial materials. Her practice has currently diversified to involve 3D and 2D processes. Her latest choice is digital techniques of image-making reminiscent of traditional collage. These images present the viewer with a mix of contemporary content and nostalgic Thai movie memorabilia.
Pornwipa Suriyakarn won a National Art Award in 2012; she was awarded 3rd prize: Bronze Medal in the Mixed Media Category in the 58th National Art Exhibition. In addition, she has exhibited her works in group and solo shows across Thailand.
Miracle
Today we are living in an era of change or cultural globalization. It is an era of movement, exchanging knowledge and the human way of life. Because communication is very convenient in this modern world. Thus, a multicultural event occurred, that is, traditional culture was merged with modern culture and facilitated contemporary aspects in various fields. There is an overlap between truth and untruth. Incorporating Thainess by using language to connect the content of the story you want to communicate. And to be more contemporary due to the current state of Thai society that is full of multicultural.
