Additional writeups on the artists

AMANDA HENG: Amanda Heng (b. 1951) is one of the founding members of The Artists Village, Singapore's first contemporary art collective, and has maintained an influential presence in Singapore art since the late 1980s. Locating herself at the intersection of Eastern and Western values and traditions, she employs a diverse range of media (ranging from photography to assemblage) to investigate issues of memory, identity, communication, gender roles and the urban condition. She has presented her work at the 1st Singapore Biennale (2006), the 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale (1999) and the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1999), among others. Heng is also actively involved in organising and participating in talks, workshops, and other occasions of public fora and exchange, including the female artist collective WITAS (Women in the Arts, Singapore).

MANIT SRIWANICHPOOM Manit Sriwanichpoom (b. 1961), known for his photography and video works, is an artist whose practice addresses the social and political issues of modern Thailand. His works, such as the Pink Man series and This Bloodless War, are infused with darkly subversive humour, combining the glossy imagery of consumer society with stark images of the cruel and obscene effects of global processes. He has presented his work at international platforms including the 6th Gwangju Biennale (2006), the 1st Pocheon Asian Art Festival (2005) and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). Sriwanichpoom is also a writer and critic, and has published art criticism and articles on topics such as gender equality and state censorship in the Thai periodical Silpa Wattanatham.

SOPHEAP PICH Sopheap Pich (b. 1970) is perhaps Cambodia's most well-known and significant contemporary artist. Trained in painting at the University of Massachusetts, he found upon his return from the United States that his paintings did not connect with the Cambodian people. In response, he began experimenting with commonplace materials and visual metaphors familiar to Cambodians. This eventually led to the development of the rattan and wire sculptures that now dominate his work. These sinuous and organic forms bring to mind shapes and forms such as body parts or indigenous tools, pointing to pertinent socio-economic issues in Cambodia. Pich has exhibited extensively, and recently participated in the 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale (2009) and the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (2009).

SUZANN VICTOR Suzann Victor (b. 1959) received her Diploma in Fine Arts (Painting) from LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore. She has gained widespread recognition for her dramatic installations which combine a theatrical flair with her fluency in cultural theory, and address subjects such as the female body and the postcolonial condition. Victor has exhibited on many major international platforms, including Thermocline of Art (2007), the 2nd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1996), and the 49th Venice Biennale (2001). In 1991, Victor assumed the artistic directorship of the artists' initiative 5th Passage Ltd. She was amongst those caught in the controversy surrounding the 1994 performance art event during which artist Josef Ng snipped off his pubic hair. The subsequent media-incited moral panic led to a decade-long ban on state funding for performance art.

NINDITYO ADIPURNOMO The work of Nindityo Adipurnomo (b. 1961) reflects his early and enduring fascination for the tensions and traditions of his native Javanese culture. His choice of materials and exploration of themes challenge viewers to reassess their assumptions about issues such as the roles and position of women in society. An important aspect of his practice is his collaboration with local craftsmen, who help him realise his works. In 1988 Nindityo and his spouse, artist Mella Jaarsma, co-founded Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A rallying point in Indonesian contemporary art, Cemeti welcomed unconventional artists rejected by conservative institutions of the day, and continues to be a driving force in both the Indonesian and international art scene.