R. Streitmatter-Tran's Page

Exhibition on Vietnam and Cambodia contemporary practice
curated by Biljana Ciric

Participating artists: Hoang Duong Cam, R.Streitmatter-Tran, Tiffany Chung, Sopheap Pich, Vandy Rattana, Chan Dany, Ly Daravuth, Leang Seckon, Sophiline Shapiro and John Shapiro, Tran Luong, Dinh Q.Le

Opening of the exhibition: September 7th , 2008
Exhibition dates: September 7th through September 24th, 2008
presented by Ke Center for the Contemporary Art
supported by Art Hub Foundation
gallery opening hours: 10:00am-20：00pm
free admission

http://www.kecenter.org

Singapore is fast becoming a second home. This time around, it's going to have been an intensive six days in the nation state. I came as an observer for the Asia Europe Foundation's (ASEF) Mini Summit on New Media Art Policy and Practice as both a practicing artist and media educator. According to the ASEF website, the three days activities are described as:

The summit gathers senior government representatives, artists, researchers and policy-makers for a three-day dialogue on different artistic practices in different Asian and European countries. The summit intends to distil key tenets of the discussions to convey as policy recommendations on New Media Art. This is part of a continuous contribution to the development of a vibrant and dynamic international digital arts community endowed with opportunities and structures for international collaborations, industry partnerships and artistic expression.

In close cooperation with the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA 2008), the Mini summit encompasses crucial topics such as: ambient intelligent, location- based media, iterative design cycles, academic research and creative communities, open source and open networks, the role of small independent new media labs, media education, and the relationship between media and civil society.

It was a good opportunity to meet some of the most interesting personalities and organizations contributing to the advancement and critique of new media in arts and technology spaces, education and policy bodies in Europe and Asia. The Netherlands seemed to have a particularly strong presence here. I also had a chance to catch up with some old friends, such as Thasnai from Chiangmai University. My workgroup was Media Education, Media and Civil Society.

The big new media event in Singapore this week is the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA). The ASEF group attended the opening of ISEA at the Singapore National Museum and the following day presented the outcomes of our workgroups at ISEA at the Singapore Management University. Which brings me to my second reason for being in Singapore this week. I am contributing to the launch of the n.e.w.s site, also in conjunction with ISEA.

It has been an exciting project thus far. Two days ago I met with Renee from The Netherlands and Weng Choy of The Substation to discuss the launch of the project. We were joined by Mustaf and Ingrid yesterday evening for dinner and had a project discussion this afternoon over brunch. The event and site officially launches tomorrow evening, July 28 from19:00 to 22:00 @The Substation, 45 Armenian Street, Singapore. The online site can be viewed at: n.e.w.s

n.e.w.s. is a horizontally-organised, cumulative knowledge-based website for contemporary art and new media framed by curatorial contributions from around the globe, bringing together voices and images from North, East, West and South. n.e.w.s. reflects geographic diversity and facilitates a framework for collaboration, content and visions of change outside the normal parameters of the established art world networks.

Our work for the upcoming Singapore Biennale is going great. Chaw Ei has informed me that the construction of the fiberglass molds in complete. Aung Ko, Mai Tung and Chaw Ei have done a fantastic job. I'm looking forward to meeting with Michelle Tan, exhibition manager for the biennale and her crew tomorrow to discuss some final issues regarding the installation.

Chaw Ei designs the positive for the 4 door ornaments

Detail of the door ornament

Aung Ko supervises final detailing on the steeple positive.

Meanwhile, we've been asked to do some writing on the art work for the Singapore Art Gallery Guide and a special online edition for Universe in Universe based in Berlin. I've also an urgent task of finishing my curatorial report for the Mekong Art and Culture Project by the end of the month and continued work on the the Asia Pacific Triennale (APT6).

It's been a lot to juggle, especially when balanced with teaching at RMIT University where I am currently teaching two courses. But it's all been enjoyable, and everything I ever wanted. Life is good.

We are in full-production with the development of our installation, September Sweetness, for the Singapore Biennale. The past months have been mainly logistical challenges, but Yangon-based artist Aung Ko is now safely with us in Vietnam and fully engaged in the work.

As I've said before, this blog, as the digital counterpart to my sketchbook, is record of ideas and processes. An architecture that has been constructed for hundreds of years becomes a formidable challenge when the material is altered. In this case, sugar for the traditional materials of brick or plaster. We have been consulting with a number of experts from structural engineers to cooks, and at the end of the day, spend hours in our room playing with different model configurations.

Our greatest asset so far has been our arts assistant, Mai Tung. Tomorrow, we have an appointment at a factory that may manufacture our full-scale fiberglass molds.

3d rendering that will be used later to determine lighting effects. Thanks to Tom from Vinamation for his help!

Chaw Ei and Aung Ko draw up sketches for mold segments

Chaw Ei constructs a preliminary model from modeling clay

Experimenting with different sugar formulas. This time combining sugar and lime (calcium oxide)

Consulting with a structural engineer about weight displacement

Reconciling mold designs with the model after speaking with the structural engineer

Imagine this scaled to 12 feet and made completely out of sugar.

Coffee, Cigarettes and Pad Thai:
Contemporary Art in Southeast Asia
28 June - 27 July, 2008
Curator: Eugene Tan
Eslite Gallery
Tapei, Taiwan
www.eslitegallery.com

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Alvin Zafra, Poklong Anading, Louie Cordero, Ho Tzu Nyen, Winner Jumalon, Jane Lee, Donna Ong, Nippan Oranniwesna, Ana Prvacki, Pomtaweesak Ramsakul, Handiwirman Saputra, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Richard Streitmatter- Tran, Agus Suwage, Titarubi, Tintin Wulia, Wong Hoy Cheong

This exhibition aims to explore the state of contemporary art practice in Southeast Asia within the context of post-colonialism and globalisation. Coffee, cigarettes and Pad Thai can be seen as metaphors for Southeast Asia's relationship to the West.

The region is one of the top coffee producers in the world, through countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Yet, the coffee that is produced by these countries are often re-packaged by corporations in the West and introduced back to the region as lifestyle products, by multinational corporations such as Starbucks. Similarly, for cigarettes, of which Southeast Asia is also a major producer, the West has become aware of the health hazards of smoking and are attempting to reduce its consumption in its societies by banning advertising, among other measures. But in Southeast Asia, advertising by cigarette companies, owned by the West, is still widespread and the region is seen as one of the strong markets for cigarette consumption. While coffee and cigarettes highlight the economic relationship between Southeast Asia and the West, Pad Thai highlights the superficial perception that the West has about the region.

With the growing popularity of Thai food in the West, Pad Thai has become a popular and widely available dish in trendy Thai restaurants in American and European cities. This has had the effect where people in the West feel that they have an understanding of the region, through their engagement with the cuisine. Ironically, Pad Thai is also one of the earliest ways in which contemporary art from the region was introduced to the West, particularly through the work of Thai artist Rikrit Tiravanija, whose relational works in the early 1990s involved him cooking Pad Thai for visitors to his exhibition. Tiravanija has recently, also became the first Southeast Asian artist to have a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, having won the Hugo Boss Prize in 2006. The popular dish of Pad Thai has therefore come to perform an important cultural role for Southeast Asia. This exhibition, therefore, serves to highlight how artists from the region are engaging in their own ways with these issues of globalisation that Southeast Asia finds itself in. In particular, it aims to examine the how this is being done through the diverse practices of the artists and within the context of their specific environments.

The Gleaners and the Ghillies (Construction). 2008. 120 x 80 cm. C-print. Edition 1 of 3.

My latest series of photographs, The Gleaners and the Ghillies, has been included in this exhibition. If you are in Taiwan, please do have a visit!