Since its inauguration in 2015, National Gallery Singapore has focused on mapping the history of art in Southeast Asia and actively sought to develop the grounds from which a new museology may be expressed. These efforts have centred greatly on Between Declarations and Dreams: Art of Southeast Asia from the 19th century to the present, the Gallery’s evolving collections display that advances the region’s attitudes towards art and its poetics. Over the years, Between Declarations and Dreams has grown with experimental approaches being added to its curatorial repertoire. In 2020, the project space Dalam Southeast Asia (in Malay, dalam means within) was carved out of the existing spaces to narrate pressing perspectives between activism, modern art museum and the postcolonial moment. The Gallery’s changing exhibitions have also emerged from themes first identified within Between Declarations and Dreams.

This is a website about a gathering that occurred over two weekends in October 2022 at the historically significant City Hall Chamber located at the heart of the Gallery.

Convened by curators of the Gallery in association with their allies, October Gathering #1 celebrated the affirmations and challenges issued by artists and cultural workers from across Southeast Asia over the past three years. As Singapore and the world cautiously emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, October Gathering #1 sought to chart burgeoning issues in the field to think through artistic agencies as they evolve within the exigencies of the present moment.

Conversations ranged from our ability to develop ethical paradigms that enable more inclusive measures for accessing art, challenges confronting the study of art and artistic labour, to actively engaging with the paradigm of “consumption,” which is regarded today as the most widely prevailing method of expanding art’s publics. No consensus was sought, yet the participants of the inaugural October Gathering agreed that it has become urgent to offer eclectic insights into these evolving phenomena.

Formats included workshops, legal clinics, panel discussions, actions, monologues, and performances.

Collaborators

A Cyborg Island Manifesto: A Performance, A Position, A Provocation: Amanda Lee Koe
A Party for Bodies in Inertia: Ramesh Krishnan
An Uncommon History of the Common Fence: A Prologue by Jason Wee & The Reading Spiral: Jason Wee, Justin Zhuang, Lilian Chee
Archival Intelligence | A Legal and Digital Workshop for Artists and Researchers: Angelina Gomez, Annie Jael Kwan, ArDrive, Arweave, Farah Wardani, Joel Sherwood-Spring, Jonathan Kok, Kathleen Ditzig, Kristian Wilson, Ryan Su, Simon Soon, Tammy Nguyen
Concert for the Haunted: Ahmad Taquidin, Arif Ayab, Eswandy Sarip, Joleen Loh, Kamal Sabran, Marilyn Giam, NADA (Rizman Putra and Safuan Johari), Ruby Jayaseelan, Shridar Mani, Syaheedah Iskandar, Syimah Sabtu, Tini Aliman
Darkened Rooms: Charmaine Toh, Janice Loo, Mintio, Sean Lee
I Am An Artist (He Said): Amanda Lee Koe, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Heman Chong, Phoebe Scott, Roger Nelson
Learning from “Craft”:Conan Cheong, Fajrina Razak, Joel Sherwood-Spring, Nalina Gopal, Roy Ng, Teo Hui Min
Old Habits Die Hard: Pooja Nansi, Qinyi Lim, Wulan Dirgantoro ​
Pop-up Library: Erica Lai, Jying Tan, Lenette Lua, Lucas Huang & the convenors of October Gathering with support from the National Reading Movement
The Distance Between Us: Moving Image Speaks to Performance Art​: Cheng Jia Yun, Clarissa Chikiamco, David Hanan, Kaloy Olavides, Goh Sze Ying, Ray Langenbach
The Neglected Dimension: Anissa Rahadiningtyas, Arahmaiani, Noorashikin binte Zulkifli
The Original is an Illusion: Reconstructing Towards a Mystical Reality: Biljana Ciric, Simon Soon, Seng Yu Jin
Two Planets: Adele Tan, Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit, Tini Aliman, Zarina Muhammad

Main Convenors

Anissa Rahadiningtyas, Erica Lai, Jying Tan, Lenette Lua, Lucas Huang, Marilyn Giam, Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, Shridar Mani, Goh Sze Ying, Tamares Goh