Organized by Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
Co-organized by The Backers Foundation
Supported by 8/ ART GALLERY/ Tomio Koyama Gallery, Ponte Vecchio Hotta
The Backers Foundation and AIT will co-present "Shaping Voices, Silent Skies", an exhibition held from July 1 (Sat) to July 17 (Mon, National holiday) at 8/ ART GALLERY/ Tomio Koyama Gallery. This exhibition marks the 10th edition that the Backers Foundation and AIT have partnered on a joint residency programme that invites international artists to Tokyo, this year welcoming Miti Ruangkritya from Thailand, and Sarah Abu Abdallah from Saudi Arabia to present their works show for the first time in Japan, in addition to new works created during their stay in Tokyo. Working mainly with photography and images from the Internet, Bangkok-based Miti Ruangkritya focuses on the environmental changes caused by rapid development that have occurred in urban areas of Thailand in recent years, in addition to the desires of city dwellers, and the tumult, silence and other shifting moods of the city itself. In Imagining Flood (2011), one of the artist's representative works, Ruangkritya presents a disquieting night-time scene of Bangkok whose streets appear silent and deserted. Filmed on a day when the capital suffered damage from floods, it heightens the strangeness of the city and our fear of nature to an almost fantastical level. In recent years Sarah Abu Abdallah, a young artist from Saudi Arabia who has gained attention in international exhibitions such as the Sharjah Biennale 11 (2013), has produced video works that incorporate thought processes particular to painting, a field in which she received training. In the video work SAUDI AUTOMOBILE (2012) the figure of Abu Abdallah, is filmed as she silently applies whitish-pink paint to an abandoned car. As reflected in the artist's comment, "This wishful gesture was the only way I could get myself a car," the work reveals the artist's focus of attention: the gender norms of a nation where women are prohibited to drive cars. What the artist have in common is that, although they sense the illusions generated by globalized cities and societies, and the realities that lie behind them, their work expresses quiet criticism rather than conflict. While reflecting the social situation in which we find ourselves, their expressions reveal an attitude that consciously avoids integration into political and gender stereotypes. In addition to works shown for the first time in Japan, in this exhibition Ruangkritya will superimpose images of urban development in Bangkok with those of Tokyo, and Shibuya in particular where development is visibly advancing, in order to suggest a hidden sense of anxiety toward environment pollution that such urbanization may cause, while Abu Abdallah has conceived dreamscapes inspired by Japanese anime and Manga. We hope you will share in our anticipation to see how the artists respond to the city's whispers during their three-month residency.
Texts by Naoko Horiuchi [AIT] / Translated by Jaime Humphreys
Miti RuangkrityaBorn in 1981, lives and works in Bangkok, ThailandRuangkritya is a Thai based image maker. His work focuses on an issue or a topic surrounding his life. In particular, the city often surfaces as a dominant subject – from its environments and people and to its transformation and growth. His work is included in the public collection of Takamatsu City Museum of Art and many others.http://www.a-i-t.net/en/residency/2017/05/miti.php
Sarah Abu AbdallahBorn in 1990, lives and works in Qatif, Saudi ArabiaAbu Abdallah lives and works in Qatif, Saudi Arabia and studied art in both Rhode Island school of design for her masters in digital media, and in the college of art and design in University of Sharjah. She is an artist and a puzzle-maker who works across a variety of media include video, installation, poetry and images. http://www.a-i-t.net/en/residency/2017/05/sarah.php