In 1981, the Filipino artist and curator Raymundo Albano adopted the phrase ‘suddenly turning visible’ to describe the rapid transformation of Manila’s urban landscape. The visibility that Albano was evoking was an aspirational one as the Philippines, along with much of Southeast Asia, had embarked on their most ambitious infrastructural projects so far. The driving force was the logic of developmentalism—a desire for rapid economic growth, in which art had a critical role.

Illuminating the lesser-known links between art and architecture and the role of institutions in the development of art in the region, the Gallery presents Suddenly Turning Visible: Art and Architecture in Southeast Asia (1969–1989).This exhibition reflects the rapid modernisation of the region during this period, a time when artists and architects articulated new approaches that freely reinvented international art movements such as abstraction, realism and conceptual art in dialogue with folk and vernacular traditions.Cassettes 100.It traces this story through three influential art institutions in Manila, Bangkok and Singapore, presenting artworks from the period alongside archives, and newly commissioned and restaged works.

HIGHLIGHTS

Uncover the links between art and architecture during one of Southeast Asia’s most transformative periods, exemplified by three art institutions—the Alpha Gallery in Singapore, the Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art in Bangkok, and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Manila.Khoo Sui Hoe. Children of the Sun. 1965. Oil on canvas. 230 x 230 cm. Acquired with the support of an individual in honour of the memory of the late June Tan Poh Hah, and the support of Soo Khim, Daniel Teo and Heritage Research Sdn. Bhd, Penang.Experience a series of rare artworks associated with the three institutions, which showcase the contributions made by Southeast Asian artists to global dialogues on experimental and conceptual art in the 1970s.For more information, please click HereRelated Links:

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