The Sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

231 Solomon Enos b. 1976 Wai’anae, Hawai’i, United States Lives and works in Kalihi, Hawai’i Born and raised in Wai’anae, Solomon Enos is a native Hawaiian painter, teacher and activist. Dedicated to preserving and communicating his Maoli culture through art, Enos has garnered respect for his paintings, children’s book illustrations and major mural commissions. Between 2006 and 2007, he published Polyfantastica , an epic 40 000-year backstory to Hawaiian culture in a weekly comic in the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper. Enos, with his family, also acts as caretaker of the Kalihi Valley Nature Park in Hawai’i. Exhibitions (group): Hawai‘i State Art Museum, Honolulu, 2009; ‘Nä Akua Wahine: Celebrating the Female Gods of Hawai‘i Nei’, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, 2005; ‘Right to Know: Multimedia Installation on the World of Information’, The Arts at Marks Garage, Manoa, Hawai’i, 2005. Publications: Ka Mo’olelo O Hi’iakaikapoliopele ( The Epic Tale of Hi’iakaikapoliopele ), text and translations by Puakea Nogelmeier, illustrations by Solomon Enos, Awaiaulu Inc., Honululu, Hawai’i, 2006; Akua Hawai’i: Hawaiian Gods and their Stories , text by Kimo Armitage, illustrations by Solomon Enos, Kamahoi Press, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai’i, 2005. Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian b.1924 Qazvin, Iran Lives and works in Tehran, Iran With a distinguished career spanning over 50 years, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian is a senior figure in contemporary Iranian art. Farmanfarmaian spent many years living in New York as an art student and, later, as a fashion illustrator at department store Bonwit Teller, where she worked alongside Andy Warhol. She returned to Iran in 1957 and established herself as an artist, holding major exhibitions in Tehran, Paris, Venice and New York. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, she took refuge in New York, returning permanently to Tehran in 2000. Exhibitions (solo): Leighton House Museum, London, 2008; The Third Line, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2007; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2006. Exhibitions (group): ‘East-West Divan’, 53rd Biennale of Venice, 2009; ‘The Power of the Ornament’, Belvedere, Vienna, Austria, 2008; Biennale of Venice, 1964 and 1958. Subodh Gupta b.1964 Khagaul, Bihar, India Lives and works in Gurgaon, Haryana, India One of India’s most prominent contemporary artists, Subodh Gupta works in a wide range of mediums, including painting, installation, photography, video and performance. He is perhaps best known for his large sculptures constructed from dozens of stainless steel and copper utensils, which translate the conceptual art format of the readymade into a rich exploration of everyday life in India, including the shifting notions of artistic and economic value. Born in the predominantly rural state of Bihar in central India, Gupta studied for a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) at the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, India, between 1983 and 1988. He has lived in New Delhi since 1990, and currently resides in the rapidly growing satellite city of Gurgaon. Exhibitions (solo): Hauser & Wirth, London, 2009; Arario Gallery, Beijing, 2008; BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, United Kingdom, 2007. Exhibitions (group): ‘Altermodern’, Tate Triennial, Tate Britain, London, 2009; ‘Indian Highway’, Serpentine Gallery, London, 2008; 51st Biennale of Venice, 2005. Gonkar Gyatso b.1961 Lhasa, Tibet Lives and works in London, United Kingdom Gonkar Gyatso grew up during the period of the Cultural Revolution in China, when much art and culture was destroyed, and traditional Tibetan art forms — most of which were tied to religion — were forbidden. While studying Chinese calligraphy in Beijing, Gyatso became aware of the distinctiveness of his heritage and, after graduating, moved to Dharamsala, India, where he studied traditional Tibetan thangka (scroll) painting before moving to London. Gyatso founded the Sweet Tea House there in 1985, which became the first Tibetan avant-garde artists’ association. Since his move to London, his works have aimed to map the shifts in identity and belonging caused by continual migration. His current practice combines traditional calligraphy and the iconography of Buddhist thangka with collages of colourful stickers, cut-out text and mass-media imagery, subverting typecast notions of Tibetan culture and considering the popularisation of Buddhism in the West. Exhibitions (solo): ‘Tibetan Word: Art of Communication’, Sweet Tea House, London, 2004. Exhibitions (group): 53rd Biennale of Venice, 2009; ‘A Question of Evidence’, Thyssen- Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna, Austria, 2008; ‘Thermocline of Art: New Asian Waves’, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2007. Kyungah Ham b.1966 Seoul, South Korea Lives and works in Seoul Kyungah Ham works in installation, video, performance and traditional art and craft. Her seemingly absurd actions — like replacing cappuccino cups in France with those ‘stolen’ from a Korean cafe, or filming the journeys of people wearing yellow in several Asian cities — result in arrestingly deadpan yet disturbing works. In 1989, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Seoul National University, Korea, and undertook the Graduate Program in Painting at the Pratt Institute, New York, in 1992. She was awarded a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York, in 1995. Recent works include blue- and-white porcelain sculptures of weaponry and Persian carpets traced in oil, critically exploring the dynamics of war. Exhibitions (solo): SSamzie Space, Seoul, 2008. Exhibitions (group): Prague Biennial, Czech Republic, 2009; ‘Correspondence’, Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2008; Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, 2006; Yokohama Triennale, Japan, 2001. Ho Tzu Nyen b.1976 Singapore Lives and works in Singapore Ho Tzu Nyen’s practice includes filmmaking, painting, performance and writing, and investigates the forms, methods and languages of art; the relationship between the still, the painted and the moving image; and the constructed nature of history. Between 1999 and 2002, he undertook a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dean’s Award) at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, and from 2003 undertook a Master of Art (Research) at the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, National University of Singapore. In May 2009, Ho Tzu Nyen presented his first feature film, HERE , at the 41st Directors’ Fortnight, at the Cannes International Film Festival, France. Exhibitions (solo): The Substation, Singapore, 2003. Exhibitions (group): Singapore Biennale, 2006; 3rd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Japan, 2005; 26th São Paulo Biennial, Brazil, 2004. Film festivals: Cannes International Film Festival, 2009;