On-air, Off-air

On-Air, Off-Air: Signals of Ideology in the Atmosphere by Singaporean artist Ho Rui An and Vietnamese artist Sung Tieu, curated by Philippine curator Vincent Ardidon.

This exhibition explores the role of the state and bureaucracy in the nexus of capital, finance, and global control mechanisms. It also suggests that the atmosphere itself has been a new battleground for warfare since the Cold War, when the spread of one ideology meant the exclusion of another, both on the ground and in the air.

Ho Rui An's work reveals Singapore's hidden side through an installation modeled after an oil company executive's office, adorned with trees. Behind the scenes, documents, videos, and photographs tell the story of global oil trading. He also presents a series of AI-generated still images based on Louis Wesseling's book Fuelling the War, which reveals the role of the Singapore Oil Company during the Vietnam War, leading viewers to question the forces that fueled the war and the hidden interests behind it.

Meanwhile, Sung's work Instead, Teo transports viewers into the psychological and mystical resonances of the Cold War, with a video installation that recreates the architecture of the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba, where a US embassy worker experienced Havana Syndrome. Later, she explored her own body through laser-etched stainless steel mirrors, depicting scans of the artist's own brain. She also transports viewers back to the public sphere with two digital clocks set to the time in New Delhi and Washington, D.C., where Havana Syndrome was reported. This work transforms time itself into a tool to connect distant spaces with psychological warfare.

Sung Teo then expands the narrative with a video that simulates news about sonic weapons and their impact on international relations. The finale concludes with a speaker sculpture that emits a high-pitched sound, reminiscent of a real sonic weapon, yet presented as a harmless art object. These works simultaneously simulate, ridicule, and question the invisible power of the state, yet their subtle impact on real life.

When the works of Ho Rui An and Teo converge, the exhibition "On-Air, Off-Air" becomes a dialogue revealing the hidden dimensions of the Cold War. The exhibition explores the impact of energy, economics, media, sound, and psychology, all of which continue to resonate today. This exhibition is part of the Jim Thompson Art Center's Future Project, which aims to present contemporary works that connect with the context of the Cold War in Southeast Asia and beyond. The exhibition is supported by the James H.W. Thompson Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, A+ Works of Art, and GroundControl.

📍Venue: The Jim Thompson Art Center, 3rd Floor, Galleries 1 and 2 (Bangkok)
📆 Open daily from now until October 5, 2025
⏰ 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
🎟️ Admission: 50 baht
🚘 Parking available
🚍 Public Transportation: BTS National Stadium

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