Mountain Pass: Negotiating Ambivalence

A solo exhibition by Zen Teh (SG), curated by Hera

13 July – 10 August 2019

Artist & Curator Talk: Saturday, 13 July 2019, 4pm – 5pm

Opening Reception: Saturday, 13 July 2019, 5pm – 7pm

Mizuma Gallery is pleased to announce Mountain Pass: Negotiating Ambivalence, a solo exhibition curated by Hera, featuring Singaporean artist Zen Teh.

Mountain Pass: Negotiating Ambivalence is a solo exhibition by Singaporean artist Zen Teh first presented at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung, Indonesia from January to March 2019, as a result of her artist residency from November 2018 to January 2019. The exhibition involved interdisciplinary collaborations between Zen Teh (artist) with Made Ananta (local research collaborator), Aldiansyah Waluyo (documentary videographer), Hera (art writer and researcher), Rinaldi Ikhram (geologist), and Chabib Duta Hapsoro (curator), thus emphasising the subject of human-landscape interactions as a multifaceted pursuit that is aesthetic, cultural and scientific at the same time.

In its second presentation, Mountain Pass: Negotiating Ambivalence will be curated by Singapore-based art writer and researcher Hera, and will present selected works produced and exhibited in Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung, Indonesia.

The term mountain pass refers to a route which provides an entry point through the otherwise lofty and formidable mountain topography. The mountain pass allows people to approach and learn from the mountain, but it is also a potential gateway towards the exploitation of an otherwise inaccessible area.

In the period of her residency, Zen studied the geomorphology of Bandung, a city located on the site of an ancient caldera. In particular, she consulted geologists, local collaborators and residents regarding construction sites in Dago, an area in north Bandung undergoing relentless urbanisation and gentrification.