The world’s out of joint, STPI Gallery proposes a reset. Under the direction of independent guest-curator, Tan Siuli, works of fifteen past residency artists of the STPI Creative Workshop line the gallery’s interior for the group exhibition, Turning the Axis of the World.
Taken after the astronomical concept of the Axis Mundi — a marker of stability or alignment with the cosmos (think staircases to heaven and sacred mountains) — the works rush to the fore our tenuous relationships with each other, the natural world, and the wider cosmic balance, which we must now consider lightly askew. No, a speeding asteroid didn’t sideswipe the planet while NASA wasn’t looking; what the diverse roster of artworks illuminate are the global affairs that continue to alter our ways of life, as well as suggest alternative responses of engagement.
According to Tan Siuli, “I hope that the selected pieces, [contextualized anew,] will inform each other and that the exhibition will offer new insight into familiar works. The show is also a timely reminder of how art can speak to ideas and emotions that we are sometimes only half-conscious of, and through its myriad expressions, set us off on new ways of thinking about the world.”
It’s a new look for STPI Gallery; apart from their last Printmakers’ Assembly, they usually put a premium on solo exhibitions. Throughout its run until September 13, Turning the Axis of the World will feature virtual tours, workshops, and artist talks. The first one up is a talk via Zoom this Saturday, August 29, between Siuli and exhibiting artists Ashley Bickerton and Heri Dono.
Click here to register. Turning the Axis of the World’s full roster comprises Ashley Bickerton, Heri Dono, Shirazeh Houshiary, Teppei Kaneuji, Dinh Q. Lê, Jason Martin, Eko Nugroho, Manuel Ocampo, Qiu Zhijie, Pinaree Sanpitak, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Hema Upadhyay, Suzann Victor, Entang Wiharso, and Inga Svala Thorsdottir & Wu Shanzhuan.