A+ Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang No.3

Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang No.3: Ampannee Satoh & Kentaro Hiroki 11 – 27 October 2017

A+ WORKS of ART d6 - G - 8 d6 Trade Centre 801 Jalan Sentul 51000 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia +60 18 333 3399 info@aplusart.asia www.aplusart.asia

Gallery Opening Hours 12 pm – 7 pm, Tuesday to Saturday Closed on Sunday – Monday and public holidays Copyright © A+ WORKS of ART 2017.

All rights reserved.

All articles and illustrations contained in this catalogue are subject to copyright law. Any use beyond the narrow limites defineded by copyright law, and without the express of the publisher, is forbidden and will be prosecuted.

A+ WORKS of ART is proud to present Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang, which is an ongoing series of preview exhibitions by artists the gallery collaborates with, and this ongoing series of previews showcases artists’ existing and/or ongoing works. The title of this series is a reference to a riddle in the famous P. Ramlee movie Nujum Pa’ Blalang (1959).

Satu – Banyak-banyak Dua – Sikit-sikit Tiga – Jarang-jarang Empat – Kadang-kadang For this edition of Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang, A+ WORKS of ART presents works by Thai artist Ampannee Satoh ( b. 1983, Pattani,Thailand) and Japanese contemporary artist Kentaro Hiroki (b. 1976, Osaka, Japan).

Ampannee Satoh shows Burqa Series (2010) and Kentaro Hiroki shows Back of Photograph (2004) a conceptual drawing installation.

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

1

Ampannee Satoh b. 1983, Pattani,Thailand

Burqa Series 2010 Pigment print on paper Available in suites in two size: 150 ∑ 100 cm (Ed. 5 + 1AP) 120 ∑ 80 cm (Ed. 10 + 1AP)

Ampannee Satoh (b. 1983, Pattani, Thailand; lives and works in Pattani and Bangkok, Thailand) examines the lives of contemporary Muslim women through her photographic lens. She received her Master of Fine Art (Visual Arts Education) from Silpakorn University, Thailand in 2013, after completing a Certificate course in Fine Art Photography at the Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication, L’École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie i n Arles, France in 2010. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Photography) from Rangsit University, Thailand. She is currently the Head of the Department of Photography in Faculty of Art and Design, Rangsit University, Thailand. She was the Grand Prize winner of Young Thai Artist Award 2007 in the Photography category.

Satoh’s Burqa Series is a response to a specific instance in French politics that has ongoing impacts on religion, multiculturalism and lifestyle choice. In 2010, the Senate of France passed a law prohibiting concealment of the face in public spaces, including the wearing of burqa, the traditional outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions. Supporters of this ban of religious garb-attire defend their stand by citing issues of security, social cohesion and sexism; for them, banning burqa allows clear identification of a person, eases facial recognition and expression in communication, and frees women of traditional religious practices. In reality, the ban has intensified feelings of oppression on female Muslims in France, throwing deep doubts into concepts of liberty, fraternity and equality that are so valued in French society. The photographs of female Muslims wearing burqa —head-to-toe coverings in blue, white and red, the colours of the French f lag—against iconic landmarks in France, are Satoh’s tiny space to call for the diversity of rights.

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

3

Burqa 1 2010 Pigment print on paper

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

5

Burqa 2 2010 Pigment print on paper

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

7

Burqa 3 2010 Pigment print on paper

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

9

Burqa 4 2010 Pigment print on paper

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

11

Kentaro Hiroki b. 1976, Osaka, Japan

Back of Photograph 2004 Installation of five(5) painting on paper, graphite, colour pencils on paper Dimensions variable

Kentaro Hiroki (b. 1976, Osaka, Japan; lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand) graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Osaka Art University, Japan and subsequently took a Foundation Course from Central Saints Martin School of Design, London Institute, UK. He obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK in 2001 and MA in Fine Art from Malmö Art Academy, Sweden in 2003. He has staged solo exhibitions in Bangkok, Thailand (National Gallery o f Thailand, 2016; Bangkok University Gallery, 2015 & 2006; and nosapce gallery, 2007) and Sweden (Gallery Mors Mössa, Göteborg, 2005; Peep Gallery, MA Exhibition Malmö Art Academy, Malmö, 2003; and Rosseum Center for contemporary Art, Malmö).

He has participated in numerous group shows in the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. Among the notable group exhibitions he has participated in are the Singapore Biennale 2016. His works are collected by Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden; Osage Art Foundation, Hong Kong; and Singapore Art Museum. He is currently an art lecturer at the School of Architecture and Design King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand.

Hiroki has been working on different projects for which he creates realistic copies of originals using pencil drawing. His work deals with the parameters of the value o f objects, in the tradition of wabi-sabi, the traditional art o f impermanence. His typical process begins with carefully looking at the condition of and around the original object and reproducing it through drawing, paying close attention to signs of the passage of time (e.g., mark, scratch, stain, damage). He then installs his pieces in specific manners to transform the space into a metaphysical room—with both his physical copies and the space they occupy making up a single conceptual piece. Each installation embodies ironical thought in silence. His most recent work rubbish was exhibited at the Singapore Biennale 2016.

Back of Photograph is an early conceptual drawing series, which plays on the notion of authenticity. A collection o f photographs purchased at a f lea market in London w ere reproduced by the artist i n Sweden. The faithful reproduction of scribbles and notes on each photograph’s back lends each piece a sense of identity and authority, which were further strengthened by stamps that read “Please return to” and “Copyright” of other people or organisations.

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

12

Back of Photograph 2004 Graphic, colour pencils on paper, Sweden, original photograph purchased at second hand street market in London, 2001 14 × 20.5 cm

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

13

Back of Photograph 2004 Graphic, colour pencils on paper, Sweden, original photograph purchased at second hand street market in London, 2001 13.5 × 10 cm

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

Back of Photograph 2004 Graphic, colour pencils on paper, Sweden, original photograph purchased at second hand street market in London, 2001 10.5 × 8.5 cm

14

Back of Photograph 2004 Graphic, colour pencils on paper, Sweden, original photograph purchased at second hand street market in London, 2001 19.5 × 24.5 cm

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

15

Back of Photograph 2004 Graphic, colour pencils on paper, Sweden, original photograph purchased at second hand street market in London, 2001 16.5 × 20.5 cm

Image courtesy of Gilang Mustofa

A+ WORKS of ART — Kadang Kadang Dekat Dekat Akan Datang Nº3

16

A+ WORKS of ART is a contemporary art gallery based in Kuala Lumpur.

Founded in 2017, A+ WORKS of ART strives to engage contemporary practices and discussions in new media art, especially photography, video, Installation and performance art.

While the main geographic scope of the gallery is Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia, it keeps its ears attuned to global conversations on social issues, critical imagination and material experimentation.

Collaboration is A+ WORKS of ART key ethos, based in the belief that wonderful things can happen when people share and exchange ideas.

Artists working with gallery are not so much represented by the gallery but engaged in an ongoing conversation and collaboration. Likewise, curators, writers, collectors and galleries are welcome to initiate conversations about potential collaborations. The name, A+, refers then not just to the gallery’s strive for distinction and professionalism in its services and working processes, but also a sense of readiness to start a dialogue with any interested party.

Founded by Joshua Lim, who has decades of experience in the hospitality industry, A+ WORKS of ART represents a natural progression for the avid art lover. Lim has been an art supporter for the past decade through his ongoing art acquisition and his promotion of contemporary art in his network.

COVER Ampanne Satoh Burqa Series (detail) 2010 ——— Design: Nowornever Design

A+ WORKS of ART d6 - G - 8 d6 Trade Centre 801 Jalan Sentul 51000 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia +60 18 333 3399