The second part of National Gallery Singapore’s free exhibition See Me, See You: Early Video Installation of Southeast Asia is now open, bringing visitors a new line-up of refreshed works by five artists – Heri Dono (Indonesia), Krisna Murti (Indonesia), Hasnul Saidon (Malaysia), Ray Langenbach (USA/Malaysia) and Vincent Leow (Singapore). 

This is the world’s first-ever retrospective survey of early video installation of Southeast Asia, uncovering new perspectives of the region’s history of video installation art. As a museum dedicated to modern Southeast Asian art, the Gallery places importance in highlighting the contribution of video art pioneers and to fill the gap in Southeast Asian art history. 

In Part 2, the Gallery has commissioned the recreation of the video installation artworks from the late 1980s and 1990s to continue the retrospective survey which offers a fascinating look at the pivotal moments when video installation first emerged in the region. The artists broke away from conventional art forms of paintings and sculptures that were prevalent at that time, and adopted an interdisciplinary approach by combining installation, performance and audience participation together with video, leading to a new form of art.

The exhibition reopens at Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery at Level B1 of National Gallery Singapore. The five works include original footage from the installations’ first exhibitions, as well as reinterpretations that reflect its contemporary presentation at the Gallery. For most of the artworks, this will be the first time they are exhibited in decades. 

Featuring steel branches that emerge from dark gravel and concrete, Singapore artist Vincent Leow’s Dream World (1990, remade 2023) is a meditation upon the impact of rapid urban development on the natural environment. Leow juxtaposes these raw construction materials with handheld footage of moving through foliage, presenting the tensions that arise between envisioned and man-made realities. 

Indonesian artist Heri Dono’s Hoping to Hear from You Soon (1992) was amongst the first from Southeast Asia to use video projection, and the artwork investigates the relationship between moving image and the long tradition of shadow puppetry in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Its structure alludes to everyday roadside eateries, where conversations could unfold under the cover of warung tarps, unfettered by state surveillance. 

Indonesian artist Krisna Murti’s 12 Hours in the Life of Agung Rai, the Dancer (1993, remade 2014/2023) explores the representation of traditions through technological tools and local natural materials. The installation’s 2023 iteration features dried leaves found in Singapore, contrasting this natural material to the videos, which are the work’s technological component. 

Inspired by the birth of his daughter, Hasnul Saidon from Malaysia explored cycles of growth and reproduction in In the Precious Garden (1993, remade 2023). The work features inscribed text on a circular cloth to present a reading experience without a prescribed introduction or conclusion. Three television screens placed along the cloth’s perimeter suggest the orbit of two spheres, evoking a sense of the intersections between manifold layers of reality. 

Ray Langenbach’s The Language Lesson (1989, remade 2023) is a product of his experiences living abroad. The knowledge he acquired when he moved to Malaysia and that which he gleaned from American culture surfaced within him a sense of cultural duality, which he sought to explore through this artwork. Two rattan mannequins face each other, sharing unanswered questions in Malay and English. Visitors listening in can formulate their own responses.

The exhibition title, See Me, See You, takes its name from the 1986 artwork by Jean Marie Syjuco, See Me, See You (Revenge of the Giraffe), which was featured in Part 1 of the exhibition, and incorporated live feed from a video camera. It refers to the video camera’s immediacy and documentary potential, as well as its cultural significance as a tool that enables people to make their lives visible. From its nascent years until today, video installation has unveiled modes of affecting audiences through layered spatial and temporal experiences, gaining ground as a medium that is now a staple of contemporary art. The exhibition then encourages visitors to experience the unique video presentations that stand in contrast to how we encounter video today, engaging with these innovative works to further understand and appreciate the region’s art history.

See Me, See You – Early Video Installation of Southeast Asia (Part 2) runs till 4th February 2024 at National Gallery Singapore. Admission is free, with more information available here