ART SG speaks to Russell Storer as he debuts as Head Curator for International Art at the National Gallery of Australia, after previously serving as Director of the Curatorial and Collections department at the National Gallery Singapore, and overseeing Asian and Pacific art at QAGOMA, Brisbane. In our conversation, Russell discusses the relevance of Southeast Asian art to Australian audiences, lessons from his curatorial practice in both regions, and how art might define and reconstruct prevailing cultural and historical narratives.

Pinaree Sanpitak is an internationally acclaimed artist who works across various mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture and installation. A recurring motif in her art is the ‘breast stupa’, which brings together the sacred Buddhist icon with a universal symbol of femininity, fertility, and sensuality. Distilled into abstractions of vessel and mound, each iteration is expressively different in form and tenor, suggesting the multi-faceted narratives around these familiar symbols. ART SG visits Pinaree in her Bangkok studio, and speaks to her about her practice and upcoming projects, including her participation at the Venice Biennale.

Arin Rungjang revisits lesser-known events in Thai history, deftly drawing together distant events across time and space to find their intersections with the present. His practice spans different media and often involves video and site-responsive installations. In this photo-feature, Arin brings ART SG on a journey through Bangkok to the Democracy Monument and Wat Borom Niwat, places that have inspired his work.

ART SG interviews pioneering Myanmar artist Htein Lin and curator Louis Ho, in conjunction with ‘Another Spring’, a solo exhibition of the artist’s latest works, which runs until 19 March at Richard Koh Fine Art Singapore. ‘Another Spring’ marks the first presentation of contemporary Burmese art in Singapore since the 2021 military coup. In our conversation, Htein Lin and Louis Ho speak about making art amidst the country’s ongoing conflict, and what we can look forward to from new waves of contemporary artists in Myanmar.

Korakrit Arunanondchai’s latest exhibition, ‘A Machine Boosting Energy into the Universe’, launches with Singapore Art Week on 14 January at the Singapore Art Museum’s new space at the Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Ahead of the launch, ART SG speaks to curator Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol about Korakrit’s practice and the Museum’s future programming.

Alongside the Venice Biennale, the quinquennial documenta which takes place in the German city of Kassel is one of the art world’s most significant events. First conceived as a survey of modern and contemporary art, documenta is today considered a barometer of shifts in the art world, setting the artistic and cultural agenda for the years to come. The upcoming edition will be the first helmed by a collective– ruangrupa from Indonesia. ART SG speaks with two of its members, Ade Darmawan and Iswanto Hartono, about their curatorial processes and approach, as well as what to expect from documenta 15.

The Future Is Now, a major retrospective of legendary artist Nam June Paik’s work, opens at the National Gallery Singapore in December, at the end of a global tour spanning two years and presentations at Tate Modern, London, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California. In conjunction with the exhibition opening in Singapore, ART SG speaks with Ken Hakuta, Nam June Paik’s nephew and executor of the artist’s estate. Hakuta, also known as ‘Dr Fad’, is an inventor and television personality who hosted a TV show promoting creativity and innovativeness in children. In this interview, he reflects on the life lessons imparted by his uncle, and Paik’s legacy.