SPOKEN

a virtual gallery project by Eugene Soh and Stephen Black

SPOKEN

- virtual gallery exhibition of an eclectic, international collection of artists

- integrates creative writing,filmmaking, and “gallery forward” practices

- created with hacked gaming software, SPOKEN is a web-based artwork

Eugene Soh artist/curator/producer

- award-winning visual artist: founder of Singapore’s Web Art movement- work characterized by masterful use of technology combined with a light-hearted style-currently in competition for the Icon de Martel Cordon Bleu 2014, an esteemed photography award

Stephen Black artist/curator/producer

- multidisciplinarian, with recognized achievements related to art, writing, virtual reality, food, music/video production & the agaricus blazei Murrill mushroom- author of several books, including critically acclaimed I Ate Tiong Bahru and Bus Stopping, the Singaporean cult classic photo book

Stelarc artist

Pioneering cyber artist, internationally recognized for his works related to the evolution of the body, especially his body suspensions and third ear body sculpture.

Yasumasa Morimura artist

A retrospective of his East-meets-West self-portrait appropriation were recently featured at the Andy Warhol Museum.Director of the 2014 Yokohama Triennale and recipient of numerous awards.

Arleen Schloss artist

Pioneering performance artist, visual artist, curator & producer of A’s Salon, a performance/art space on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A’s has hosted hundreds of performers, including John Zorn, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Ai Wei Wei and Jean-

Michel Basquiat.

Mel Araneta artist

Sound artist, musician, painter and sculptor, Araneta performs and/or exhibits in the Philippines and internationally.Besides his solo concerts, Araneta has performed with Bani Haykal, 3how, Amith Narayan and Circus Beserkus. A documentary is now in post-production.

Morvarid K artist

Living between Tehran, Paris and Singapore, Morvarid K is one of Iran’s most notable emerging artists. Her works are photography-based statements about life in Iran.

David Black artist

Although well known as a teacher and artist in the Northwestern Ohio mental health community, this is Black’s first time to participate in an international exhibition.

Xue Liquing artist

Dr. Liquing has taught at the National University of Singapore and is currently curating and facilitating cultural

exchanges between China and other countries.

Christophe Charles artist

An Associate Professor at Musashino Art University, Charles’s sound works are often responses to philosophical questions.He has worked on several installations with Ikeda Ryoji, performed with Yoshihiro Hanno, and appeared on Oval’s ‘dok’ album (Thrill Jockey Records).Charles has permanent sound installations at both the Osaka and Tokyo-Narita airports.

Hans Lagner artist

Lagner has long identified himself with feathered flying animals; his artworks and installations are renowned worldwide, though his nesting ground is in Germany.

Michael Lee artist

Based in Berlin and Singapore,Lee is an artist, curator and publisher. His themes include urban memory and the implications of loss. Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at Kunstlerhaus Bethanian (Berlin), Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong) and the Alliance Francaise (Singapore). International platforms include the Asia Triennial (Manchester,2011),Shenzen Sculpture Biennale (2014) and the Guangzhou Triennial(2011,2008)..

Paul Dodd artist

Painter and photographer, Dodd plays drums for "Margaret Explosion", an improvisational jazz combo.His paintings are often inspired by newspaper photos of criminals, war veterans, terrorists, and police officers.His work has been shown in solo shows and group exhibitions in the Rochester NY area.

Godwin Koay artist

Koay uses image and text, both digital and physical, found and fabricated. His work explores the possibilities of an artistic practice forged with social and political praxis, at the same time confronting tropes established in prevailing practices involving community, activism or institutional critique.

Andrés García-Peña artist

Having first achieved prominence as a muralist on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, now García-Peña lives between Barcelona and his studio in Brooklyn.His works are typically narratives woven in broad cultural tapestries, always overflowing with a love of life. In addition to his artistic achievements around the world, García-Peña is the legendary "Central Park Gondolier."

Paul Pereira artist

Pereira is an explorer of esoteric art, occultism and alternative consciousness. He is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist who believes that Magick and Art spring from the same creative source in the universe.Represented by Xoltinuum Recordings,Pereira continues to produce works that span literature, spoken word, sound and the visual arts.

Debbie Ding artist

Ding is a Singaporean artist/archivist/cartographer who

likes mapping and visualising real,imaginary and dream

spaces. She is currently doing a Masters in Design

Interactions at Royal College of Art in London.

David Severn artist

Born in England and a long time resident of Tokyo, Severn’s work has appeared on the walls of many galleries and in the pages of many books and magazines. Severn also has a prototype for 3D characters and the secret world they live in.

Lily Su artist

“I seek to create uneasiness. We are in an era flooded with objects, objects of use, comfort, sophistication, flamboyancy... There are many objects that serve immediate comfort, yet few are made to be a companion to our recurring feelings of uneasiness.”-Lily Su

Vincent Leow artist

Provocative and confrontational, Leow’s paintings and performances were milestones in Singapore’s nascent art scene. An original member of the Artists Village group founded by Tang Da Wu, Leow represented Singapore in the 2007 Venice Biennale.In 2010, Leow was given a solo show at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM8Q).

Nhung Walsh essayist

Founder of Nối Projects, a Vietnamese artist co-operative, Nguyen lives beween Chicago and Hanoi. Currently studying Arts Administration and Policy at the Chicago Institute of the Arts, she is also an administrator of the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection.

Daniel Bainbridge artist/gallery consultant

Hawkeye Crates Art Space, operated by Daniel Bainbridge,is the starting point for the architectural feel of the SPOKEN version of gallery.sgPhotographs of Bainbridge’s sculptures in situ at Hawkeye Crates appear throughout Spoken

Artists’ Links and Current News

At www.blacksteps.tv, there are a few posts related to SPOKEN. Here you will find more information about the artists: http://www.blacksteps.tv/?p=30498

Texts

- SPOKEN introduction by Nguyen Hong Nhung- He in Spoken fiction/metafiction by S. Black- Exhibition catalogue- Showcase of books about/by SPOKEN artists- a Powerpoint about the texts and semantics of SPOKEN can be found at http://www.blacksteps.tv/?p=30492

Videos

Visitors to SPOKEN will be able to see:-Videos curated by JUMPTHECUT collective- music video premiere (artist to be announced)- Japanese video art

A machinima video about SPOKEN is in preproduction

JUMPTHE CUT video compilation

A "personalized film festival”, JUMPTHECUT sends out personalized playlists of web-based films every month. http://jumpthecut.com.

Updates

For the latest SPOKEN information, visit www.blacksteps.tv Press enquiries: bookmerah (AT) gmail.comGoogle+: SPOKEN Virtual Art projecttwitter: bookmerah Dude.sg is Eugene Soh’s highly recommended website.On display at gallery.sg currently: The Web Art Show.