Spot Art 2013 - Chua Shu Ruei

In the recently concluded Singapore Biennale 2013, there was a parallel event called Spot Art 2013.

SPOT ART is a high quality, juried art festival for art students and artists under 30 in Asia that aims to strengthen relationships between artists, art institutions and arts professionals in Southeast Asia. Our event will take root as a dynamic and meaningful event for the art world, as well as for the general public, where young artists can mingle with an international audience of art professionals, art collectors, peers and tourists. SPOT ART is an opportunity not only for artists to be seen and heard, but also for the audience to reflect on their creativity as a sign of our times. It is a time to look and listen to what they are saying, reach out to them as they do to us and offer our support and encouragement as they work tirelessly to enrich and advance our cultural heritage. SPOT ART is a new and innovative addition to the burgeoning art infrastructure in Singapore. 

Congrats to Chua Shu Ruei from ASWARA,  the only Malaysian entry selected under a rigourous process by a 7-person selection committee.

Two of her 'Manusia' series artworks were selected for the exhibition : Orang Boxes 2 and Orang Boxes 3

Orang Boxes 2

Orang Boxes 3

They are print installations that combine extended and alternative printmaking with light boxes. She uses digital print and ready made/industrial prints.

Look familiar? Aren't those orange boxes we see so much during Chinese New Year? Just how does Shu Ruei conceptualise her work?

She credits it mainly to her Fine Art training at ASWARA where they were encouraged to incorporate local traditional heritage culture into contemporary art. "This is as a way to preserve and evolve the significance of traditional culture so that it can continue to be relevant within a contemporary context", Shu Ruei explains.

The Manusia series is her Diploma graduation project at ASWARA. In her final semester, she majored in Printmaking and minored in Sculpture.

We first met Shu Ruei when she accompanied ACG members and Art Malaysia's Editor-in-Chief, Liew Kean Yap on a short visit to her lecturer, Juhari Said's Akal Di-Ulu (studio / home / farm).

She is a soft-spoken and a dedicated artist. Imagine, in her research of our Malaysian Chinese Lion Dance, she followed a local lion dance company (Wan Seng Hang Dragon and Lion Arts) for over 2 and a half years. She frequently visited their workshop to observe their materials and techniques. She also followed and documented them during performances and practice sessions.

And then incorporated this research into the Manusia series which deals with the issues of dehumanisation, identity and self-categorisation.

http://www.shuruei.weebly.com