Hung Duong
01.
Stemming from a personal attempt to “see through” and understand the diverse forms and expressions of contemporary art in Southeast Asia, SEA-through is a platform where I gather thoughts, organize travel notes, and share my writings on the ever-growing and increasingly interconnected visual art scenes of the region.
As someone who is betrothed to this region, I myself am also a learner. Through my writing, I hope to expand my vision, gain more knowledge, and connect with friends who share my passions.
Saigon: Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần
View of “Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần: iii.x_Unrealized Utopia,” 2024. Steel form: Analysis of an Image, 2024. Hanging: TUU–Das Kino, 2023. Utopia,
Bangkok: Bangkok Art Biennale 4th edition – Nurture Gaia
A cartography of Bangkok and its parallel manifestations, BAB and its seventy-six artists strove not only to showcase its breadth
TOP TEN 2024
It has been a great honor to write, converse, and think alongside the artmakers of Southeast Asia for the last
Kuala Lumpur: Liew Kwai Fei
For artist Liew Kwai Fei‘s solo show (23 October – 17 November, 2024), organized by The Back Room KL, titled
Yogyakarta: Timoteus Anggawan Kusno
Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, Asset Object Related to “After Colossus,” 2024, machine-learning-trained generated images and archival images on 35-mm film, acrylic,
Jakarta & Yogyakarta: Ade Darmawan
View of “Ade Darmawan: Water Resistance,” 2024, Cemeti Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Kurniawan Widodo. Tuban (2019–),
03.
Core writing elements
The four pillars which ground my art writing are:
Material/Medium; Form; Concept;and Inspiration.
Each pillar will guide you into different yet interlaced aspects of contemporary art in Southeast Asia.
Material/Medium
Material/Medium refers both to the actual materials, and the socio-historical allegories and eco-political tensions embedded in them.
Form
Form pays tribute to the struggle to visualize and manifest creative thoughts through an array of expressions.
Concept
Concept embodies the perfect work inside our head: how its abstract existence propels artmakers to pursue innovation in their daily practices.
Inspiration
Inspiration alludes to effervescent thoughts, fleeting encounters, life-changing experiences, or just random miscellanies of a quotidian nature.
