C305/08
17 November 2008
As the Singapore Biennale 2008 (SB2008) closes, acclaimed visual artist and Curtin University of Technology art graduate Matthew Ngui reflects that he found it interesting working as a curator at the city’s largest international contemporary visual arts exhibition.
Singaporean-born Mr Ngui, 45, of North Perth, found it a new experience to be part of a curatorial team comprising Fumio Nanjo, Director, Mori Art Museum Tokyo, and Joselina Cruz, independent curator based in Manila.
“It was great to be able to have the opportunity to work on the other side of the fence in a large scale exhibition and working with other artists as a curator,” he said.
Mr Ngui has a long association with Curtin having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) 1991 and Post Graduate Diploma of Visual Arts 1992.
Back in the late 1980s when he first started at Curtin, Mr Ngui was only the third international student to be studying in the Department of Art.
Earlier this year, Matthew Ngui: Points of View was showcased at the John Curtin Gallery as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.
Matthew Ngui: Points of View was a survey exhibition of Ngui’s art practice spanning over nearly 20 years which began at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. This exhibition has since also toured to the National Museum of Singapore for the Singapore Arts Festival 2008.
Mr Ngui now lives and works in Australia and Singapore and is working on public art projects in both countries.
As a visual artist working in the areas of installation, video, performance and site-specific works, Mr Ngui has also exhibited in Singapore and other cities such as Berlin, Bordeaux, Caracas, Copenhagen, Graz, Hong Kong, London, Manila and Vienna.
He has also participated in the Sao Paul Bienal (96), DocumentaX in Kassel (97), the Venice Biennale (2001) and Kwanju Biennale (2002).
Modified: 17 November 2008
