Stable Attraction (2024)
women’s jail arts space, Constitution hill, johannesburg, South Africa
Co-curated by Dylan Chan and Lizzie Wee, Stable Attraction (2024) delves into the intricate dynamics of cross-cultural collaboration, bringing together artists from Singapore and South Africa in a residency program designed to foster a creative dialogue. Central to this exchange is the notion of balance. Stable Attraction takes reference from the concept "stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces," inspired by covalent bonds in chemistry. This metaphor reflects the delicate equilibrium needed to merge distinct perspectives, practices, and cultural influences, resulting in works that resonate with both harmony and tension. The program pairs artists with diverse backgrounds and practices, encouraging them to explore new cultural landscapes and artistic environments.
The residency culminates in this showcase where the synthesis of cross-cultural exchanges becomes evident. The pieces created for Stable Attraction embody the push and pull of different artistic voices, mirroring the complexity of the bonds formed between the participants. From painting, to video and sculptural installations, the mediums of these 6 multidisciplinary artists will intersect and collide, producing fruitful and innovative new artworks. Pairing artists, Lizzie Wee with Mamma Sibiya, Dylan Chan with Sam Ngcobo, and Isa Pengskul with Solomzi Moleketi, based on their respective practices, adds a layer of educational exchange to the residency aside from just sparking productive dialogue between the artists.
