JAKKAI SIRIBUTR & MOVANA CHEN ART BASEL HONG KONG, 2022

April 8, 2022 / News

PRESS RELEASE

27 – 29 May

press@flowersgallery.com www.flowersgallery.com

Flowers Gallery is delighted to participate in Art Basel Hong Kong 2022, with an ambitiously-scaled knitted sculptural installation by Hong Kong-based artist Movana Chen, and an online viewing room of textile works by Thai artist Jakkai Siributr from his Phayao-a- Porter project.

MOVANA CHEN

Movana Chen’s multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the exploration of communication across cultures, often shredding and repurposing dictionaries, maps and books to create sculptural installations and wearable works that represent new forms of language.

Chen’s large hanging sculptural installation Dreconstructing (2004 – 2008) comprises of 24 of her wearable pieces in one monumental artwork. Individual sections from Dreconstructing have been exhibited and worn in performances around the world, from The Art of Dress at Espace Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong and Singapore, to Sydney Contemporary and Seoul Fringe Festival. Seams and circular apertures within the work remain as evidence of the past interaction of the work with the human body.

Dreconstructing is knitted from shredded magazines, which the artist has collected since 1997. The material incorporates multiple languages, Chinese, Japanese, English, and Korean, reflecting the intention of Chen’s work to connect across borders.

JAKKAI SIRIBUTR: ONLINE VIEWING ROOM

On display in the online viewing room will be eight hand- embroidered jackets from Jakkai Siributr’s wearable Phayao-a- Porter project. Thai artist Jakkai Siributr works primarily with textiles. He is known for his intricately handmade tapestries, quilts and installations, which convey powerful responses to contemporary and historical societal issues in Thailand. Siributr’s Phayao-a-Porter project was launched in 2021 as a way of supporting artisans and studio assistants whose businesses and livelihoods were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Siributr works with found and pre-used garments, which

Movana Chen, Dreconstructing, (Detail), 2004 – 2008, knitted shredded magazines, 500 x 400 cm; Jakkai Siributr, Burn Baby Burn, 2021, glass beads, plastic beads em- broidery on an inverted suit jacket.

Commissioned by Rai Von Bueren.

are embellished with unique appliqué designs, featuring inventive figurative beadwork and meticulously embroidered thread. Siributr has invited artisans from Phayao province in northern Thailand to contribute to making the Phayao-a-Porter jackets, working in collaboration with his studio. 30% from the sale of each jacket is given back to the community as scholarships, healthcare and emergency funds.

A limited number of unique personalised jackets will be available in the online viewing room by commission from the artist.

ABOUTTHE ARTISTS:

MOVANA CHEN

Movana Chen (b. 1974) lives and works in Hong Kong. Chen studied fashion design at London College of Fashion, UK; Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Hong Kong, and Exhibition Studies and Art Curatorship at Hong Kong Art School. Chen’s work is in the collections of M+, Hong Kong; the Hong Kong Heritage Museum; and CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile, Hong Kong.) Her work has been shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions across the world. In 2019, Chen was nominated for the ARTSPACE residency in Sydney, Australia. In Spring 2020, she had a solo exhibition titled KNITerature – Silent conversation at Andong Culture and Art Centre in Korea, and in the Autumn of 2020 was exhibited as part of Sight Unseen – Forking Paths in the CHAT collection at CHAT, Hong Kong.

JAKKAI SIRIBUTR

Jakkai Siributr (b. 1969) lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand. He studied Textile and Fine Arts at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA; and Printed textile design, at Philadelphia University, USA. He has exhibited widely, with notable exhibitions including Exploring the Cosmos: The Stupa as a Buddhist Symbol, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore (2013); Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California, USA; Link Tradition and Future, (2012); and the 2nd Chongqing Biennale for Young Artists, The Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Art Institute, Chongqing, China (2011). His works are in the public collections of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taiwan; Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA; Vehbi Koc Foundation, Istanbul,Turkey; and the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore.

For more information and images please contact Echo Guo: echo@flowersgallery.com/press@flowersgallery.com

TQPR Thailand

Tom Van Blarcom or Nuie Titichayapon Tel: 0 2260 5820 Email: tom@tqpr.com | nuie@tqpr.com