ARISE

KONNECT ASEAN Contemporary Print Show: Arise is the first exhibition co-curated and co-organised by the ASEAN Foundation and ACH. It assembles artworks by artists from ASEAN nations and Korea to explore the idea of collective identities through expressions of trauma, hope and irony. While most artworks on display focus primarily on printmaking practices steeped in the traditions of ASEAN nations and Korea, the exhibition also showcases contemporary artworks that re-imagine the print medium from new perspectives. Altogether, the collective interest and concerns of today’s societies are illustrated, alongside various coping strategies. Paper is associated with keeping historical records and memories, yet is also fragile and degrades over time. The artworks featured in Arise embrace a wide range of emotions coming from either the collective or personal memories of each artist. Artworks ranging from capturing the results of historical conflicts in the ASEAN region to images that enclose messages of peace and hope demonstrate that whereas history is recorded and remembered, trauma can fade away (like delicate paper) and be dealt with while moving forward.