Come January 2024, the region’s finest artists will showcase their artistic endeavours, offering perspectives on the impact of technology on how we see, make and present art

S.E.A. Focus, the leading platform for Southeast Asian contemporary art, is set to make its sixth appearance from20 to 28 January 2024 at 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Commissioned by the National Arts Council, Singapore (NAC), the homegrown annual showcase is a key event in the Singapore Art Week (SAW) calendar which marks the city’s signature visual arts season. With technology playing an increasingly important role in various aspects of human life, the 2024 exhibition will explore the intriguing interplay between humanity and technology, as well as what gives distinctiveness to being human in the midst of an impending technological confluence. Titled Serial and Massively Parallel, the showcase will see a curated assembly of artworks from 22 galleries and more than 40 artists from around the world responding to the theme.

Visitors will be able to experience more large-scale and off-the wall artistic creations that reflect the fusion of Southeast Asian influences and digital advancements in the world today. There will also be an opportunity for collectors to have first dibs and acquire these artworks at the preview.

“As the leading platform dedicated to championing the diversity of Southeast Asian creativity, we look forward to inviting all visitors on an enthralling voyage into the realm of Southeast Asian art with a fresh lens through S.E.A. Focus 2024. We warmly welcome both newcomers and seasoned collectors to join us in celebrating the talents, both established and emerging, who contribute their distinctive essence to enrich our vibrant art landscape,” says Emi Eu, Project Director of S.E.A. Focus and Executive Director of STPI.

“Since 2019, S.E.A. Focus has been a key highlight of SAW, which focuses on showcasingSoutheast Asian art by both established and emerging talents in the region. Their presence also enhances and adds to the diversity of the visual arts scene, creating a special moment in SAW. We are excited by its fresh curatorial approach and the breadth of Southeast Asian artists it presents. We invite all to be part of this experience,” added Tay Tong, Director, Visual Arts (Arts Ecosystem Group), National Arts Council.

A directed experience

Curating S.E.A. Focus for the first time is John Tung, a curator with extensive experience through his work with the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Singapore Biennale, Singapore International Photography Festival, and numerous other independent engagements. His selection of works for S.E.A. Focus 2024 poses questions about the nature of creativity, the evolving landscape of artistic expression in an increasingly digital age, and the experience of art as a uniquely human endeavour and phenomenon.

Speaking on his curatorial approach, Tung says: “As digital technologies and artificial intelligence increasingly makes its mark on our lived experiences, the upcoming edition ofS.E.A. Focus offers an opportune moment to think of its role and function amidst the contemporary arts ecology. That is not to say that the presentation is focused on the digital, but rather, locating its place amidst a breadth of practices and mediums arising from the intrinsic human impulse to connect and to create. In doing so, I hope audiences will find opportunities for reconnecting with shared experiences and see new ways of recognising the world around us.”

Southeast Asian art world sensations

With over 40 regional and international artists showcasing their works, Singapore’s Aiman, the Philippines’ Poklong Anading, Thailand’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Indonesia’s Mella Jaarsma, and Malaysia’s Tan Zi Hao are some names to watch. Represented by Kuala Lumpur’s A+ Works of Art, Tan was one of two artists whose works were selected under theSAM S.E.A. Focus Art Fund in the last edition. Inaugurated in 2023, the Art Fund recognises and supports notable pieces of contemporary Southeast Asian art by facilitating their inclusion in the SAM collection. This initiative kicked off with the support of founding sponsor, the Yenn and Alan Lo Foundation, established by the Hong Kong and Singapore-based husband-and-wife arts patrons Yenn Wong and Alan Lo. With a seed amount of US$25,000 (S$34,150) per edition, Wong and Lo have committed to support the Art Fund for three years.

For the second edition of the SAM S.E.A. FocusArt Fund (2024), Mami Kataoka, Director of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, has been invited as guest juror. Kataoka will join other jury representatives from SAM to select artwork(s) not exceeding the fund value from the S.E.A.Focus exhibition.

Well-rounded presentation on Southeast Asian artAlongside the main exhibition, S.E.A. Focus 2024 will see the return of its signature programmes to spark meaningful discourse and to foster the appreciation of the moving imagery as an art medium. Through a curated series of panel discussions, SEA spotlight Talks will illuminate new insights over stimulating conversations with art thought leaders and the audience. OFF Focus will witness a second collaboration with Objectifs–Centre for Photography and Film to showcase distinctive films from Southeast Asia with a curated film screening programme.

The exhibitors

S.E.A. Focus 2024 is delighted to present 22 new and returning galleries from around the world, including:

1. A+ Works of Art (Malaysia)
2. Art informal (Philippines)
3. Art Porters Gallery (Singapore)
4. Baik Art (USA, Korea, Indonesia)
5. BANGKOK CITY CITY GALLERY (Thailand)
6. FOST Gallery (Singapore)
7. 7.Gallery VER (Thailand)
8. Intersections (Singapore)
9. ISA Art Gallery (Indonesia) – new
10. island (USA)
11. MONO8 (Philippines)
12. neugerriemschneider (Germany)
13. Nova Contemporary (Thailand)
14. Richard Koh Fine Art (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia)
15. ROH (Indonesia)
16. Sàn Art (Vietnam) – new
17. Silverlens (Philippines, USA)
18. STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery (Singapore)
19. The Columns Gallery (Korea,Singapore)
20. TKG+ (Taiwan)
21. Wei-Ling Gallery (Malaysia)
22. Yavuz Gallery (Singapore, Australia)

For more information and updates on S.E.A. Focus 2024, visit www.seafocus.sg.