Page 57 - La Biennale di Venezia issue of World of Art Magazine

SERBIA
Regaining Memory Loss
DJORDJE OZBOLT, IN GHOSTS WE Commissioner: Vladislav Scepanovic.
TRUST, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, Curator: Nicoletta Lambertucci.
180X200CM, 2019
COPYRIGHT:DJORDJE OZBOLT Exhibitor: Djordje Ozbolt.
Venue: Giardini

For the Serbian Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition,
Djordje Ozbolt presents new paintings and sculptures that address
memory, both personal and collective. Ozbolt’s installation, entitled
‘Regaining Memory Loss’, has been created in direct response to
the cultural and political heritage of the Pavilion. Incorporating
imagery from his early life, Ozbolt’s work explores the manner
in which a personal past can coexist with engrained cultural and
political histories. The paintings and sculptures in the Pavilion
expose the artist’s attempt to reconcile his first-hand memories
of an era with its imposed and continually changing narratives.
The artist’s visual language, formed in a distinct historical context,
questions – sometimes humorously – the concrete embodiment of
history. Ozbolt’s work is characterised by an incessant incorporation
of eclectic visual images. The work in the Pavilion sees his visual
language expanded to incorporate very personal references which
originate from a shared and recognisable architectural and cultural
heritage. Layering his imaginative and colourful style together
with these fragmented recollections, Ozbolt’s work questions the
extent to which history is just a subjective interpretation, both in its
unconscious and conscious retellings. (excerpt)

SINGAPORE

Music For Everyone: Variations on a Theme
SONG-MING ANG, Commissioner: Rosa Daniel, Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council (NAC).
RECORDER REWRITE, Curator: Michelle Ho.
2019. FILM STILL. FILM Exhibitor: Song-Ming Ang.
STILL COURTESY OF Venue: Arsenale
THE ARTIST.

Artist Song-Ming Ang will represent Singapore at La Biennale di
Venezia. His presentation, Music for Everyone: Variations on a
Theme, explores the myriad of ways people relate to music, on
a personal and societal level, and how music can affect a sense
of agency. Commissioned by the National Arts Council Singapore,
the multidisciplinary presentation comprises film, digital prints,
sculptures and banners, and will be on display at the Arsenale’s
Sale d’Armi building from 11 May to 24 November 2019. Ang
is a contemporary artist whose conceptual works examine the
social aspects of sound and music, bridging various creative fields
including the visual arts, experimental music and popular culture. His
practice also traverses a variety of media, ranging from video and
performance, to installation and participatory art. The presentation
for the Biennale Arte 2019 takes reference from a series of music
concerts, titled Music for Everyone, organized in the 1970s by
then-Ministry of Culture of Singapore, to promote Western classical
music education and appreciation, and to foster a sense of national
identity. The works present a counterpoint to state-prescribed forms
of music and commonly held notions of the arts. They draw on
principles of experimental music and conceptual art to playfully but
persuasively show how art can be created by anyone using simple
ideas and elementary techniques. (excerpt)
WORLD of ART 57