Oh Soon-Hwa: Coastal Regions (Delta)

Exhibition Information

Opening Day	16 March 2017, Thursday, 6:30pm
Guest of Honour	Dr. Geh Min, Immediate Past President, Nature Society of Singapore
Period	17 March - 14 May 2017
Location	51 Waterloo,

In celebration of International Women’s Day, The Private Museum is proud to present Oh Soon-Hwa: Coastal Regions (Delta). This solo exhibition marks the second showcase of works by Singapore based photographer Oh Soon-Hwa at The Private Museum and a return to her running series exploring the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

The series of photographs is an investigation into the impacts of the recent climate changes affecting the landscape of the coastal regions: An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Ben Tre and Can Tho; where drought, salt intrusions, soil erosion and a rise of sea level have been observed. The imagery of changing landscapes and portraits of the people in the community encapsulates the intricacy of the situation in the Delta.

Soon-Hwa’s introspection leaves room to mull over how men’s seemingly altruistic desire to control nature, in a bid to ensure their livelihoods, can be overturned by the unpredictable course of nature; resulting in the communities facing the challenges of an uncertain environmental landscape instead. The resilience of the residents in enduring the shocks and stresses of the changes—both on an individual and state level—are brought to light in her documentation of the transforming land and lives.

Programme Documentation

Programme Media

About the Collaboration

Individual/Organisation

Artist

Oh Soon Hwa,

Oh Soon-Hwa is a photographer, curator, and lecturer in the photography and digital imaging program at the School of Art, Design & Media (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore). She holds an MFA from School of Visual Arts, and a doctorate degree (EdD) from Columbia University in New York. She has participated in nearly 70 exhibitions internationally; to name a few, the Noorderlicht Photo Festival in the Netherlands, the Lucca Photo Festival in Italy, The National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Houston FotoFest.

She is a recipient of Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, Korea Arts Council Fellowship, Aaron Siskind Memorial Scholarship and UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries. She is also a member of several academic associations and an editorial board member and reviewer for the Photographies Journal, Routledge, United Kingdom.

Education

2004 EdD Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA
2002 MFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
1998 MA Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA
1996 BFA (Art & Design), Pratt Institute, New York, USA

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2014 Women in Asia, Jeonju International Photo Festival, Korea
2013 Quiet Dream and Steep Price, Alliance Francaise de Singapour, Singapore
2011 Looking East, Lucca Photo Festival, Tuscany, Italy
2010 Photo Space Gallery, National University of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2010 India International Centre, New Delhi, India
2009 Singapore Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Singapore
2006 Macy Gallery, Columbia University, New York, USA
2002 New Image Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
2001 Visual Arts Gallery, SoHo, New York, USA

Selected Group Exhibitions

2016 Asia Contemporary Photography, Seoul Photo COEX, Seoul, Korea
2016 Eyes on the Main Street, Wilson Outdoor Photo Festival, North Carolina, USA
2016 Asia Contemporary Photography, Lotte Gallery, Daejeon, Korea
2015 Asia Contemporary Photography, COEX P&I PRO, Seoul, Korea
2015 Asia Contemporary Photography, Lotte Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2015 Asia Contemporary Photography, Lotte Gallery, Gwangju, Korea
2014 Gyeongnam International Photo Festival, 315 Art Center, Changwon, Korea
2014 Eyes on the Main Street, Wilson Outdoor Photo Festival, North Carolina, USA
2014 Postmodern Documentary Photography, ADM Gallery, School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2014 Postmodern Documentary Photography, SYO Gallery, Korea
2014 Postmodern Documentary Photography, East Gallery, Purdue University, USA
2014 Her Image, The Private Museum, Singapore
2012 Returning Exceeding, Pingyao International Photography Festival, China
2011 Pumping Eyes, Goodman Art Center, Singapore
2011 Pingyao International Photography Festival, China
2011 Faculty Exhibition, ADM Gallery, School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore
2011 Angsana (Fringe Event of Art Stage), 2902 Gallery, Singapore
2010 In Transition (Curated by Susan Baik and Adnrew Shire), ION Art Gallery, Singapore
2010 One Exhibition by Phase One Inc. International Photography Festival, ION Art Gallery, Singapore
2010 Forest and People, Annual Festival of Arts, India International Center, New Delhi, India
2010 Women in Asia, 10th International Conference: Women in Asia, Australia National University,
Canberra, Australia
2010 Housing Memories: The Eclipse of a Hainan Tribe, Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore
2010 Housing Memories: The Eclipse of a Hainan Tribe, National Library of Singapore, Singapore
2009 The Pursuit of Happiness, Noorderlicht Photo Festival (Curated by Wim Melis), Former Nature Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands
2009 Portfolio Gallery, Les Rencontres D’Arles Photographie, Arles, France
2008 International Juried Travel Exhibition, Calumet Photo Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA,
2008 International Juried Travel Exhibition, Calumet Photo Art Gallery, New York, USA,
2008 International Juried Travel Exhibition, Fotofest in Houston, Texas, USA
2007 International Juried Travel Exhibition, St. Edward’s University Art Gallery, Austin, USA
2007 International Juried Travel Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, USA
2007 Pochoen Asia Art Biennale (Curated by Oh Sae-Kwon), BanWol Art Hall, Kyongido, South
Korea
2007 6th Sense, UV House, Haeiri Art Village, Kyongido, South Korea
2005 M_A_P (Curated by Romy Achituv), SSAMZI Art Space, Seoul, South Korea
2004 Faculty Show, Invitational, Macy Gallery, Columbia University, New York, USA
2003 Provocations: The 13th Annual Exhibition, Asian American Art Center, New York, USA
2002 Celebrities (Best Shots), Invitational Society or Contemporary Photography, Kansas City, MO, USA
2002 The Gallery at the Dodds Hall, West Haven, CO, USA
2002 Korean Cultural Center: Parallel Connections, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2002 John Kobal Portrait Photography Award Exhibition, Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham,
England
2001 International Competition, The Robert & Mary Montgomery Armory Art Center, West Palm
Beach, Fl
2001 Rockaway Artist Alliance, Rockaway Theatre Company, New York
2001 Portraits (Curated by Joyce Culver), Macy Gallery, Teachers College, Columbia University,
New York, USA
2001 The John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, England
2001 Society for Contemporary Photography, Kansas City, MO, USA
2001 Small Works: 24th National Exhibition, Art Center, Harper College, Palatine, USA

Selected Curatorial Exhibitions

2016 Future Projections (Indian Photo Festival Director), Hyderabad, India
2016 Future Projections, Auckland Festival of Photography, Studio One Top Tu, New Zealand
2014 Unseen Light, The Gallery of Art & Technology Explorations (GATE), NTU Museum,
SPMS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2014 Her Image, The Private Museum, Singapore
2013 Li Shui Photo Festival, China
2013 Bandung International Photography Festival, Bandung, Indonesia
2013 Pingyao International Photography Festival, China
2013 Korea Photographic Society, Seoul, Korea
2012 Fantastic City and Fantastic People, Pingyao International Photography Festival, China
2011 A Crisis of Confidence (Exhibition for winners of Kwek Len Joo Award of Excellence in Still
Photography 2011), 2902 Gallery, Singapore
2011 NTU ADM Student Show, NTU ADM Student Section, Pingyao International Photography
Festival, China
2011 Artificial Paradise (Exhibition for winners of Kwek Len Joo Award of Excellence in Still
Photography 2010), Singapore Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Singapore
2010 Human Faces: Contemporary Portrait Photography from Singapore and South Korea,
Singapore International Photography Festival and Korea Festival, National Museum of
Singapore, Singapore
2010 Variegated Realities, Singapore Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Singapore
2010 Mind Factory, Jody Monroe Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
2010 Vending Machine, Zoolook Gallery, Soho, New York, USA

Programme Outreach

Saturday, 18 March 2017

Oh Soon-Hwa, accompanied by independent art writer Carla Bianpoen, will be having a dialogue on her experiences and journey in researching the effects of climate change in the Mekong Delta. Participants of the talk will get the opportunity to get to know the artist and her approach towards photography, research and her art practice.