Redefining paper

Six artists challenge the conventional expectations of the medium in an exhibition celebrating Thailand-Singapore ties

- STORY: THANA BOONLERT

BELOW Pinaree Sanpitak's breast stupas.

Like Proteus, paper can change its shape, form and role. It is a medium for transmitting knowledge and a substrate that new ideas feed and grow on. It is a creature with fibrous anatomy. Such preoccupation with how paper can be anything but a rectangular sheet sets the tone for the exhibition titled "Forms Of Encounter" at Central Chidlom.

"I have brought together a range of works which I think defy expectations of what print can potentially mean," said John Tung, an independent curator, at a press preview.

Running until the end of this month, the exhibition is held to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Thailand. It also coincides with the city-state's 60th anniversary of independence. A collaboration between the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) and the Embassy of Singapore in Thailand, the exhibition brings together three Thai artists, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Natee Utarit, and Pinaree Sanpitak, and three Singaporean artists, Charles Lim Yi Yong, Heman Chong and Suzann Victor.

And the exhibition lives up to its claim. Rirkrit and Lim call into question the stability of records on paper. Tung used an ultraviolet flashlight to reveal some secrets in Rirkrit's trio on the wall near the gallery entrance. Known for relational artworks, ranging from serving food on ceramics to handing out T-shirts, he extends an invitation to look for something missing in his thermochromic prints. With effort from a flashlight or a warm hand, Untitled 2020 (Paradise Regained I) shows an endangered arctic fox walking through a snow-laden valley. Meanwhile, a leopard and birds are seen in two other pieces and a spectral presence highlights the far-reaching impact of human activities on the environment.

Opposite, Lim's