In-gallery Conversation with Curator Grace Samboh
Fri 23 Jan | 7pm - 8.30pm | National Gallery Singapore, Supreme Court Wing, Level 3, UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, Dalam Southeast Asia | Free, registration required:
https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/talks/In-gallery-Conversation-with-Curator-Grace-Samboh.html
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Join curator Grace Samboh for a screening of documentary "Basoeki Abdullah Seniman Empat Zaman"*; followed by a post-screening discussion about Basoeki Abdullah’s sprawling network of connections to Singapore and his last and presumably largest commission work: a panel of 700 cm painting and four panels of 250 cm wide paintings depicting the all the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement in the time that Indonesia was hosting its 10th Summit, in 1992.
Samboh’s research examines contemporary practices outside the existing centers of the Indonesian art scene, reconnecting them with the past and central narratives. Her work with Hyphen— has included presentations on Basoeki Abdullah and his regional connections, such as at Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
*The documentary will be in Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles.
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About the Speaker
Grace Samboh (b. Jakarta) lives and works either in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, or wherever her friends are at. Her work is rooted in research as it justifies her curiosity. She makes exhibitions, produces artworks, manage programs, and would like to write more. She believes that curating is about understanding and making at the same time. Her research looks at contemporary practices outside the existing centers and slowly reconnects them all with the past and central narratives.
With Hyphen— (est. 2011), her concern is to encourage arts and artistic research projects and publications in and from Indonesia. With Enin Supriyanto, Yustina Neni & Ratna Mufida, she used to run Equator Symposium (Yogyakarta Biennale Foundation, 2010-2018) where they explored the possibility of connecting equatorial countries through current life situation with an admiration to the past and optimism towards the future. Since 2019, she is direct programs in Jakarta's RUBANAH Underground Hub.
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About the Exhibition: "Diplomacy and Desire: Basoeki Abdullah in Singapore"
Basoeki Abdullah's luminous portraits of political figures and attractive women made him one of Southeast Asia's most sought-after painters. The exhibition showcases two significant paintings that the artist donated to Singapore: "Labour" (gifted to Singapore City Council in 1959) and "Struggle for the Re-establishment of the Democracy and the Right for the People" (gifted to the National Museum Art Gallery in 1981). Centring on these works, the exhibition explores how this exemplary Southeast Asian artist navigated high society and was attuned to the “geopoetic” value of his artwork.
Once described as "the Rembrandt of the East," Basoeki (1915‒1993) achieved international fame when he won an art contest held for the coronation of Queen Juliana of Amsterdam in 1948. His artworks can be found in national collections across Southeast Asia. The exhibition invites us to consider the “power” of art in postcolonial Southeast Asia and to see this prominent portraitist anew.
#NationalGallerySingapore #BasoekiAbdullah #DiplomacyandDesire #GraceSamboh
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