"Eidolon" | Artist Sharing and Panel on Memory and Spaces

“Eidolon” | Artist Talk and Panel on Memory and Spaces
Sun 27 Apr 2025 | 2 pm | City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium | Free, registration required: https://bit.ly/NGSEidolon
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Located in the City Hall Courtyard, “Eidolon”—the latest OUTBOUND commissioned artwork by artist duo Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier—features a simple yet rigorous line that bisects the space. Derived from the Greek word for "phantom," it may be read as a veil, a screen, a threshold, a mirage or a spectre. The work subtly disrupts the Gallery’s space, counterpoising the physical building and its history.

This programme brings the artists and Jakarta-based architect/urbanist Marco Kusumawijaya together to explore the lingering “phantoms” of urban environments, diving into aspects of hauntology as a fundamental spatial and cultural condition. The session begins with a sharing by the artists, followed by a panel discussion moderated by curator Goh Sze Ying. The speakers will reflect on how residual impacts of colonial legacies and contemporary urban regeneration continue to haunt and shape our lived experiences and influence how we navigate public spaces in Southeast Asia today.

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About the Speakers
Artist duo Vong Phaophanit (b. 1961, Laos) and Claire Oboussier (b. 1963, London) began working together over 30 years ago. Their practice encompasses installation and sculptural works, film and photography, drawing and public commissions exploring concepts of language, memory, deterritorialisation and forms of meaning-making that exceed national and cultural borders.
Previous projects include “The Quiet in the Land” (2005), Luang Prabang; “Dream House” (2017), Toronto; “In Other Words” (2018), Cambridge University; commissioned works for Thailand Biennale 2018 and Singapore Biennale 2019 and a major permanent video installation “The Call of Things” (2018) in the city of London. 2022 saw the launch of “Borderless”, a hand-carved stone work for the facade of the Cleveland Clinic, London.
Their work is held in collections globally including TATE, Irish Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Arts Council UK, Denver Art Museum and British Council Collection.

Marco Kusumawijaya works in the fields of social housing, urban studies and arts through design, research, writing and citizen activism. He was chair of the Jakarta Arts Council in 2006–2010, Founding Director of Rujak Center for Urban Studies in 2010–2017, Head of Coastal Committee in Jakarta Governor Delivery Unit, 2017–2019; and member of Jakarta Academy in 2022–2024.
His fellowships include residencies at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles in 2008 and the International House of Japan and Japan Foundation, Tokyo in 2009. and awards include Dubai International Awards for Best Performance in Improving Human Settlements, 2008, and Indonesian Institute of Architects’ Awards, 2008, for his collaborative works in the reconstruction of 23 villages in post-tsunami Aceh. Among his four published books is the latest 3-volume 1,719-page Kota-kota Indonesia: “Pengantar untuk Orang Banyak” (Indonesian Towns: Introduction for Everyone, 2023).

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About OUTBOUND
Inaugurated in 2018, “OUTBOUND” reimagines transitional spaces and key entrances at the Gallery through a series of unique artwork commissions, developed in collaboration with leading artists from around the world, to provoke critical reflection, curiosity, and playfulness in our visitors as they traverse the building beyond exhibition galleries while shifting perceptions of what might be considered art.

#NationalGallerySingapore #OUTBOUND #Eidolon #Hauntology

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