In the “(Re)Imagining The Image” exhibition, held until Oct. 4 at Gajah Gallery in Singapore, the artists draw upon a plethora of photographs from present-day personal pictures they took themselves to archival photographs that shed light on lost histories in their country of origin.

They then reproduced, contrasted, concealed, distorted or subverted these original images into vivid, individual objects of art in their own right, from screen prints on fabric to watery ink on paper, to hyperrealistic oil paintings on canvas and three-dimensional, mixed media.

The show’s curator Nicole Soriano said that the exhibition aimed to encourage curiosity and critical understanding of images that shaped cultures and histories.

“It is crucial that both artists and audiences understand that they are part of these histories, not detached from them,” Soriano told The Jakarta Post in an email interview on Tuesday.

For instance, she said that the original captions that accompanied colonial-era images were not fixed, and that they did not have the final say.

Popular

New islands appear after Anak Krakatau volcano erupts

Prabowo resurrects advisory board

Reshuffle shores up coalition support for 2029