Platform STPI Projects (PSP) is proud to present a joint showcase of select works by multi-disciplinary artists Haegue Yang, Sun Xun & Entang Wiharso. Born from the PSP initiative in 2012, whose aim was to  challenge  leading Asian artists to go beyond the confines of their studio and practice; the resulting innovative artworks were conceived through STPI’s residency programme, in collaboration with its workshop expertise. The ensuing bodies of works  marked significant breakthroughs in their artistic development, leading to a rich vein of works that  are being recognised as some of the 21st century’s best interpretations in the print and paper medium.

Sculptor and installation artist Haegue Yang (Berlin/Seoul) was the first to receive this generous support. Yang  works with domestic materials, combining industrially manufactured and organic materials with sensory effects such as light and scent, challenging classical perceptions of visual art through hidden narratives. Her interest in history and literature, as well as in political realities continues to shape her  language of sculpture, installation and  video as well as a diverse range of performative works – which were further developed in the realms of print and paper. Combining the tactile and olfactory, Yang explored print techniques incorporating local spices and vegetables, to evoke  the senses of smell, sight and touch in the display of physical and sensorial characteristics of these  everyday materials.  The works  Spice Moons, Spice Moon Cycle and Spice Sheets  which were produced during the residency have been added to the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and UBS Art Collection, Zurich, respectively.

Video animation and installation artist Sun Xun (Beijing) completed his residency in 2013 with the launch of “Jing Bang: A Country Based on Whale” at the Encounters sector of Art Basel Hong Kong in 2014. The performative installation, consisting of the myriad elements that make up a nation – from visas and passports to flags, an anthem and a fabricated landscape of Jing Bang, along with immigration officers – was made complete with a call to action: the registration of new citizens. Sun instigated more than an idea, pushing print and papermaking boundaries not just in the scale of production, but also in the  audiences’ engagement with these works. Questions regarding power and the truth of history are brought to the fore   as viewers are invited to re-encounter reality through his rendition of an idea.

Multimedia artist Entang Wiharso (Yogyakarta) marked the third  installment of the PSP partnership, with a unique and comprehensive body of work that speaks volumes about the human condition. From issues of power, loss and love to  the broader categories of ideology, philosophy and identity, Entang delivers personal reflections and social critique by integrating  the Javanese narrative tools of wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) with disparate contemporary materials such as balloons, yarn, wires and nails – which were employed in the print and papermaking process. In addition to his visual vocabulary of contorted, hybrid bodies with slogans and icons of tropical plants, weapons and fences, amongst other things; his explorations have led to forms never before seen in his artistic oeuvre and a reinvestigation of concepts under new conditions at STPI.