Angin Cloud by Art Labor

About National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution that oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art. Situated at the birthplace of modern Singapore, in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments - City Hall and former Supreme Court - that have been beautifully restored and transformed into this exciting 64,000 square metre venue. Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery aims to be a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in our collaborative research, education, long-term and special exhibitions, and innovative programming. The Gallery also works with international museums such as Centre Pompidou, Musée d'Orsay, Tate Britain, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), to jointly present Southeast Asian art in the global context, positioning Singapore as a key node in the global visual arts scene.

In 2020, the Gallery was the only museum in Southeast Asia that received a ranking in The Art Newspaper’s annual global survey of attendance at art museums, taking 20th place. It was the first museum in Asia to receive the Children in Museums Award by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums in 2018. The Gallery also won the awards for “Best Theme Attraction” at TTG Travel Awards 2017, “Best Attraction Experience”, “Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism” and “Best Customer Service (Attractions)” at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards in 2016 for its role in adding to the vibrancy of Singapore’s tourism landscape.

About About OUTBOUND

Inaugurated in 2018, OUTBOUND reimagines transitional spaces and key entrances at the Gallery through a series of unique artwork commissions, developed in collaboration with leading artists from around the world, to provoke critical reflection, curiosity, and playfulness in our visitors as they traverse the building beyond exhibition galleries while shifting perceptions of what might be considered art.

About About Art Labor

Founded in 2012 by Thảo Nguyên Phan, Trương Công Tùng, and Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần, Art Labor is a collective based in Ho Chi Minh City. Working across the visual arts as well as social and life sciences, the collective develops iterative artworks, exhibitions and events through long term and sustained collaborations with various communities, such as the Jrai people. Their first solo exhibition, Cloud Chamber was presented at Para Site, Hong Kong, in 2024. They will be featured at the Hawaii Contemporary Triennial 2025.

About About Art Labor’s Collaborators

Established in 2014, vn-a (visual network art and architecture) is an architecture studio working at the cross sections of architecture, art and urban planning in Da Lat, Vietnam and Berlin Germany.They won the Second prize at the International Awards for Sacred Architecture VI Edition 2016, Fondazione Frate Sole, for designing the Kadon Parish Church in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. They are faculties at the Technical University of Braunschweig and the Dessau Institute of Architecture. 

Puih Glơh, unknown birth year, lives in Blut Grieng village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2016. His work is traditional in its aesthetics of angular and sharp forms. On occasion, his sculptures are striped and dotted in a traditional Jrai fashion.  His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.  
 
Romah Aleo was born in 1969 and resides in Pan Village, Gia Lai Province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2017. He often paints his sculptures in vibrant colours and reworks his sculptures over time. His works often take the form of mythical and wild creatures. The red and black bird on display in the installation was recently presented at Cloud Chamber, Art Labor’s solo exhibition in Para Site Hong Kong. He participated in Bellas Artes Projects residency in Bataan, the Philippines. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.  
 
Rahlan Loh was born in 1949 and resides in Blut Grieng village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands. Loh has collaborated with Art Labor since 2017. His distinctive sculptures are known for their idiosyncratic embellishments like hats and smoking pipes. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.   
 
Rcham Jeh was born in 1975 and resides in Amo Village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2016. His sculptures are known for their cheerful dispositions and his playful experimentation with different material. He participated in Bellas Artes Projects residency in Bataan, the Philippines. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.  
 
Siu Kin lives in Pan Village, Gia Lai Province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2022. He is known for his skill in traditional bamboo carving. His sculptures are known for their soft curved forms and modest sizes. Often kinetic and modular, his sculptures recall puppets with joints and wires. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Okayama Art Summit.  
 
Puih Han was born in 1996 and lives in Blut Grieng village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2017. He is in his late 20s and has chosen to reside in his village rather than move into a city. A skilled craftsman, his sculptures include detailed and lively hand carved patterns. His sculptures are generally more realistic than those of his peers. He participated in Bellas Artes Projects residency in Bataan, the Philippines. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.  
 
Siu Lon was born in 1964 and lives in Blut Grieng village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands. He has collaborated with Art Labor since 2017. Skilled in bamboo carving, his sculptures are known for their details. His woodcarving sculptures have been featured in the Bangkok Art Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, Para Site Hongkong, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Asian Art Biennale in Taichung, Kortrijk Triennial, Kunsthall Trondheim, and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum.   
 
Siu Huel, unknown birth year, lives in Blut Grieng village, Gia Lai province, Central Highlands.  Art Labor first met Siu Huel in 2022 through Rcham Jeh. Siu Huel is a retired government official. Huel’s painted sculptures often depict surrealist and mysterious scenarios. His work was recently presented at Cloud Chamber, Art Labor’s solo exhibition in Para Site Hong Kong.