>>> Japanese
AIT SLIDE TALK #32: "A-I-R and the City / Laboratory of relations"
Talk by Marianna Dobkowska from the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 22nd, 19:00-21:00
Venue: AIT Room, Daikanyama
*The talk will be held in English, with no Japanese translation.
Top Left: "We Are Like Gardens" temporary permaculture garden, project by Juliette Delventhal and Paweł Kruk at A-I-R Laboratory, summer 2012
Photo : Michał Grochowiak, Courtesy of CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw
Top Right: Bread and pizza baking oven project of Juliette Delventhal and Paweł Kruk at A-I-R Laboratory, summer 2011, Photo: Michał Grochowiak
Courtesy of CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw
Bottom Left: Francis Thorburn "Vehicle # 11: Amphibian", moving sculpture and public event, summer 2012, Photo: Bartosz Górka
Courtesy of CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw
Bottom Right:Beginning of the soudwalk in the frames of workshop "Urban Sound Design Studio" led by Caroline Claus, Warsaw, July 2015
Photo: Bartosz Górka, Courtesy of CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw
We are pleased to be hosting Marianna Dobkowska, curator at the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw for a one month residency in Tokyo supported by The Backers Foundation.
During Dobkowska's talk she will present some of the projects she has curated and produced at Artists-In-Residence Laboratory, a residency program where she is a curator. Founded in 2003, Artists-In-Residence Laboratory is a department of the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, one of the major institutions of contemporary art in Poland.
A-I-R Laboratory hosts up to 30 international artists a year and focuses on production and research based practices within the context of the residency treated as an artistic medium. Since 2014 the team of A-I-R Laboratory started a new program at the socrealist interior of the former hat shop Porthos in the center of Warsaw.
Invited architects gathered portfolios of the building while designing the revitalization of its interiors. Activities programmed in the space are directed to stimulate discussions: about the heritage of socialist realism and the social responsibility of the institutions of art.They are also focused on establishing new relations with local communities.
Throughout the talk, questions and comments from the audience will be welcomed.
We look forward to your attendance at this special event.
【Outline】
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 22 2015, 19:00 - 21:00
Organized by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
In cooperation with: The Backers Foundation
Venue: AIT Room Daikanyama (Twin Bldg. Daikanyama B-403, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku)
Capacity: 30. *Booking Required.
Admission: JPY1000 (JPY800 for Students and AIT Base Members / Free for AIT House and Support Members)
Other details: Admission includes one free drink
*Talk will be in English only
[ CONTACT ]
Send an email with its subject as "AIT SLIDE TALK #32" to otoiawase@a-i-t.net, including your name, and contact.
[ Curator Biography ]
Marianna Dobkowska
Marianna Dobkowska curates projects, residencies and exhibitions, edits and designs publications and produces new works at the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw. She studied art history at Warsaw University and curating at Jagiellonian University in Cracow. She was a curator and manager of the Polish-Norwegian production and research based project and exhibition, Rooted Design for Routed Living. Alternative design strategies and editor of the book under the same title as well as co-manager of Re-tooling Residencies, a project dedicated to investigate the current condition of the residency models and fostering development of new residency-based initiatives in Eastern Europe. Dobkowska's curatorial projects include a solo show of American artist Jesse Aron Green The Allies, a cycle of exhibitions of young Ukrainian artists Transfer and We Are Like Gardens - a permaculture garden established in the park surrounding CCA Ujazdowski Castle. During her research stay at AIT Marianna Dobkowska focuses on social practice Japanese art, grassroots initiatives and programs that have a wide community base.
facebook.com/air.laboratory.csw
www.csw.art.pl
www.re-tooling-residencies.org
www.design-in-residence.org
>>> Japanese
The Backers Foundation and AIT residence programme vol.8
"Today of Yesterday" New works by RATTANA VANDY and KANITHA TITH, Cambodia
Saturday, July 11 - Saturday, July 25 at YAMAMOTO GENDAI (Shirokane-Takanawa, Tokyo)
Opening Reception: 6pm - 8pm on Saturday, July 11
Left: Rattana Vandy "Bomb Ponds", 2009／ Right: Kanitha Tith "Companions", 2011, Photo by Rattana Vandy
Exhibition flier Download（PDF / 3.3MB)
The exhibition will mark the 8th time that The Backers Foundation and AIT have partnered on their joint residency programme and will present works by two Cambodian artists in residence, Rattana Vandy and Kanitha Tith.
Vandy is an artist who utilises video and photography to create works that touch on history and memory. A self taught photographer, he has featured in international exhibitions such as "dOCMENTA (13)" and is currently showing alongside other emerging artists at "TIME OF OTHERS", Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. With experience as a journalist, his previous works include "Preah Vihear", a photographic series showing the modest everyday circumstances of soldiers involved in border disputes, and "Bomb Ponds", a photo-based project that documented the ponds that have emerged at sites bombed by the US military during the Vietnam War.
Vandy takes a poetic approach to interpreting fragmented memories and remnants of human existence, in turn offering an alternative perspective on history. For this exhibition, he will present "Bomb Ponds" and "MONOLOGUE", the latter being his latest video work that is based on the stories of the people who lost their lives during the 1970s' Khmer Rouge era. Furthermore, "Shadow in the Dark", a new work produced in Tokyo that comprises of poetry and sculpture made from countless nails - a reflection upon the emotions and spirituality of the inner self.
Tith is an artist who produces works across a range of media including sculpture, installation, video and performance. In 2010 she received an honourable mention at the inaugural You Khin Memorial Women's Art Prize, an award that recognizes contributions to improving the rights and social status of women in Cambodia. Two years later she participated in "SurViVart", a community project aimed at promoting art and dialogue in Cambodia, for which she invited people to gather and exchange ideas at her house in Phnom Penh.
Tith's thin wire sculptures are delicate and powerful monuments that she creates through a near-meditative process, not only as an examination of her own memories and experiences, but also a reflection on the impact of her country's social circumstances. For this exhibition, Tith will present a new sculptural work based on her research questioning about the relation to the interpretation of "Spirit" in Southeast Asian ritual culture.
Like much of Southeast Asia, Cambodia has experienced rapid economic and social changes in recent years. On the other hand, complex social circumstances and historical oblivion have resulted in few opportunities to learn of the country's hidden imagination. Influenced by the ephemeral things that emerge from society and time, the fresh perspectives of today's young artists can give weight to the idea of today being a continuation of the past.
We look forward to your support and attendance at this special exhibition.
About the Exhibition
The BAR（The Backers Foundation and AIT Residence Programme）vol. 8
"Today of Yesterday" New works by RATTANA VANDY and KANITHA TITH, Cambodia
YAMAMOTO GENDAI, 3F, 3-1-15 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Saturday, July 11 - Saturday July 25, 2015 / Free Admission
Open daily from 11am - 7pm / Closed on Sunday, Monday and National holidays
Organised by Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT)
Co-organized by The Backers Foundation
Supported by YAMAMOTO GENDAI, YOKUMOKU and EASTWEST Inc.
Opening Reception to be held from 6pm - 8pm on Saturday, July 11
[ Artist Information ]
Rattana VANDY(Born in 1980 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Still from "MONOLOGUE", 2015, Single channel HD video, color, sound
Vandy lives and works between Phnom Penh, Paris and Taipei. In 2007, he was one of the co-founders of Stiev Selapak / Art Rebels, and in 2009 he was also one of the co-founders of Sa Sa Art Gallery. He contributed, in 2011, to establish SA SA BASSAC, the first dedicated exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Cambodia. Vandy Rattana began his photography practice in 2005 concerned with the lack of physical documentation accounting for the stories, traits, and monuments unique to his culture. His serial work employed a range of analog cameras and formats, straddling the line between strict photojournalism and artistic practice. His recent works mark a shift in philosophy surrounding the relationship between historiography and image making. For Vandy, photographs are now fictional constructions, abstract and poetic surfaces, histories of their own. He lately began interested in film-making. The short-film "MONOLOGUE" is his latest work. In 2014, he co-founded Ponleu Association, which aims to provide access to international reference books, through their translation and publication in Khmer. It also publishes its own books, focusing on various fields of knowledge (philosophy, literature, science, etc.)
www.vandyrattana.com
Kanitha Tith (Born in 1987 in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia)
Tith lives and works in Phnom Penh, she works revolves around the production of sculptures and
installations that investigate the possible relationships between the artist's personal experience and
memories and her environment, namely the fast-changing landscape of Cambodia. Her sculptural work
made of woven metal strings are informed by her childhood memories and combine her interest in the
relationship between human and non-human form with spatial strategies that straddle Tith's domestic
sphere with the public arena. The material used by the artist - metal strings, found traditional cooking
stoves or collected objects belonging to her neighbours - pertains to the realm of daily Cambodian material culture. By so doing, Tith questions the status of the artist and its potential to engage with issues
of community, gender and women's identity. The artefacts created by Tith thus act as documents of the
effects of the economic and social development in Cambodia on the private and urban spheres, on the
individual and her environment, and formulate a visual poetics that evoke the possibility of change. Tith
collaborates on film (with French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou Davy) and music (with the American Cambodian band Dengue Fever) projects and is active as a costume designer.
About Backers Foundation
The Backers Foundation is a private group of patrons from the business world who first joined together in 1994 to provide support for the Japan Animal Welfare
Society. Since then, the 60 members have funded a variety of organisations. They also participate in self-organised committees set up for projects to which they
volunteer their personal time under the motto of enjoying the good things. One of these efforts is a terakoya, or after-hours school for children, that the foundation
has operated since 2005. Through the BAR (Backers and AIT Residence Programme) series, 14 artists, six curators and 1 editor have been invited from countries
including the USA, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Argentina, India, Kenya, Morocco and Indonesia.
Further Information
Press Enquiries
Ms. Suzuki at YAMAMOTO GENDAI
Tel: 03-6383-0626 / i@yamamotogendai.org
Backers Foundation/Artist-in-Residence Enquiries
Rika Yoda at Arts Initiative Tokyo
Tel: 03-5489-7277 / otoiawase@a-i-t.net
>>> Japanese
AIT ARTIST TALK #67: "Today of Yesterday"
Talk and Film Screening by Rattana Vandy and Kanitha Tith from Cambodia
Date: Wednesday, July 15th 2015, 19:00 - 21:00
Top Left: Rattana Vandy, Looking In My Office 7, 2006 / Top Right: Rattana Vandy, Surface, France, 2011
Bottom Left: Kanitha Tith, Season of Cambodia, Transparent Studio at Bose Pacia, NYC photo courtesy: Pete Pin
Bottom Right: Kanitha Tith, "Endlessly"(2011), Photo by Heng Ravuth
'History, memory, time.'
An evening talk and video screening with two emerging artists from Cambodia.
Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT] is pleased to present AIT ARTIST TALK #67 on Wednesday, July 15.
Commencing at 7pm, the talk and video screening will be led by Rattana Vandy and Kanitha Tith,
two Cambodian artists who are currently in Tokyo with the support of The Backers Foundation and AIT.
The event has been organised in conjunction with Vandy and Tith's exhibition,The BAR Vol.8 "Today of Yesterday", which will open on Saturday, July 11 at YAMAMOTO GENDAI.
A self taught photographer with a background in journalism, Rattana Vandy (b. 1980) is an artist working
predominately with photography and video. As one of Cambodia's up-and-coming artists, Vandy has had
his work featured in recent exhibitions including "TIME of OTHERS" at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of
Contemporary Art and "dOCUMENTA(13)", and was also shortlisted for this year's Hugo Boss Asia Art Award.
In his most recent video work, "MONOLOGUE", Vandy speaks to those who lost their lives during the
reign of the Khmer Rouge, addressing the time and pain that have since been removed from history.
Through a translation project that has been reviving Khmer-language philosophy and technical texts
lost through the bookburning policies of the Pol Pot era, Vandy has been reflecting on memory and history.
Kanitha Tith (b. 1987) is an artist who produces works across a range of media including sculpture,
performance and installation. As an artist that questions the stereotypical roles assigned to women in
Cambodia and the loss of history and place under the weight of power and capitalism, Tith's previous
works include "Season of Cambodia" (2013), an installation comprising wire sculptures and women's
underwear, and "Heavy Sand" (2012), a performance in which she wore a bathing suit and showered
in a mix of water and sand. In 2010, Tith received an honourable mention at the inaugural You Khin
Memorial Women's Art Prize, an award that recognises contributions to improving the rights and social
status of women in Cambodia.
While celebrating strong economic growth in recent years, Cambodia is a country where much remains
buried in history and time. Throughout the evening, the artists will use their talk and video screening
as the basis for taking a broader look at their country's social circumstances, while also shedding light
on the thinking behind their practice.
We hope that you can join us for this insightful and thought-provoking evening.
＊Also participating in The Backer's Foundation/AIT joint residency program is Marianna Dobkowska,
a Polish curator who will arrive in Tokyo on July 7. Dobukousuka will also be presenting an evening
talk on Wednesday, July 22. The event will be held in English only, with further information to be
uploaded to the AIT website in the coming weeks.
【Outline】
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 15 2015, 19:00 - 21:00
Organized by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
Co-Organized by: The Backers Foundation
Venue: AIT Room Daikanyama (Twin Bldg. Daikanyama B-403, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku)
Twin Bldg. Daikanyama B-403, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku
Capacity: 30. Booking Required.
Admission: JPY1000/JPY800: 'Base Members' and Students/Free: 'House Members'
and 'Support Members'
Others: 1 free drink, talk will be in English with consecutive Japanese translation
[ CONTACT ]
Send an email with its subject as "AIT ARTIST TALK #67" to otoiawase@a-i-t.net, including your name, and contact.
[ Artists Biography ]
Rattana VANDY(Born in 1980 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Still from "MONOLOGUE", 2015, Single channel HD video, color, sound
Vandy lives and works between Phnom Penh, Paris and Taipei. In 2007, he was one of the co-founders of Stiev Selapak / Art Rebels, and in 2009 he was also one of the co-founders of Sa Sa Art Gallery. He contributed, in 2011, to establish SA SA BASSAC, the first dedicated exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Cambodia. Vandy Rattana began his photography practice in 2005 concerned with the lack of physical documentation accounting for the stories, traits, and monuments unique to his culture. His serial work employed a range of analog cameras and formats, straddling the line between strict photojournalism and artistic practice. His recent works mark a shift in philosophy surrounding the relationship between historiography and image making. For Vandy, photographs are now fictional constructions, abstract and poetic surfaces, histories of their own. He lately began interested in film-making. The short-film "MONOLOGUE" is his latest work. In 2014, he co-founded Ponleu Association, which aims to provide access to international reference books, through their translation and publication in Khmer. It also publishes its own books, focusing on various fields of knowledge (philosophy, literature, science, etc.)
www.vandyrattana.com
Kanitha Tith (Born in 1987 in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia)
Tith lives and works in Phnom Penh, she works revolves around the production of sculptures and installations that investigate the possible relationships between the artist's personal experience and memories and her environment, namely the fast-changing landscape of Cambodia. Her sculptural work made of woven metal strings are informed by her childhood memories and combine her interest in the relationship between human and non-human form with spatial strategies that straddle Tith's domestic sphere with the public arena. The material used by the artist - metal strings, found traditional cooking stoves or collected objects belonging to her neighbours - pertains to the realm of daily Cambodian material culture. By so doing, Tith questions the status of the artist and its potential to engage with issues of community, gender and women's identity. The artefacts created by Tith thus act as documents of the effects of the economic and social development in Cambodia on the private and urban spheres, on the individual and her environment, and formulate a visual poetics that evoke the possibility of change. Tith collaborates on film (with French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou Davy) and music (with the American Cambodian band Dengue Fever) projects and is active as a costume designer.
