| |

SG’s Speak Cryptic Exhibits ‘The Weight of Water’, Produces NFTs

Thirty-three ink-on-paper works of Speak Cryptic will be on a solo exhibition titled “The Weight of Water” together with the release of six non-fungible tokens (NFT) will be open to the public on Chan + Hori Contemporary of Singapore and the Spaceless Gallery of Paris in November.

Photo for the Article - SG's Speak Cryptic Exhibits ‘The Weight of Water’, Produces NFTs

By Nath Cajuday

Thirty-three ink-on-paper works of Speak Cryptic will be on a solo exhibition titled “The Weight of Water” together with the release of six non-fungible tokens (NFT) will be open to the public on Chan + Hori Contemporary of Singapore and the Spaceless Gallery of Paris in November.

“Ink as a medium has its roots in the 7th and 8th centuries, applied to paper and silk to form the foundation of civilisations. Carrying forward this hallmark of quality, The Weight of Water by Speak Cryptic is a body of exquisite artworks in archival quality carbon ink, crafted with a writing instrument made of glass. Carbon ink is waterproof and does not fade even when bleached or exposed to constant sunlight,” statement of the Chan + Hori Contemporary and the Spaceless Gallery on their press release about their collaboration featuring Speak Cryptic.

The exhibition will be a two- continent event: one will be at the The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, 15 Stamford Road, Singapore 178906 that will showcase 16 of the 33 ink-on-paper works of Speak Cryptic on November 7 to 10, 2021 and by appointment only; while the other one will be at the Bulles en tête, 42 Rue Le Peletier, 75009, Paris, France that will showcase 17 of the 33 ink-on-paper works of Speak Cryptic on November 18 to December 15, 2021.

https://twitter.com/speakcryptic/status/1446076474344099845

Moreover, the most exciting highlight of the exhibit is the involvement of NFTs in the event. The Singaporean artist will be producing six NFT works.

Two of the six designs of NFT will be given to the first 10 collectors in both venues as a gift (each collector can only choose one of the two), these two NFTs are in editions of 10. While four of the six designs of NFT, with each are in editions of 21, will be available to the public for sale. Two of these are minted in collaboration with aurèce vettier, a French Artist-poet.

“The Weight of Water series represents a transformation in my creative process as an artist, moving from more direct visual narratives to mark-making led by silence and contemplation. It is a language that manifests in layers, symbols and, ultimately, the limits of a figure. The expression does not come from grand gestures or movements, but finer details and strokes. These are images of the essence, the bare-bones trappings of what would show through if I immersed myself in a body of water and re-emerged into the world we know,” the star of the exhibit and artist Speak Cryptic stressed.

https://twitter.com/speakcryptic/status/1445748074668707851

On the other hand, according to the press release, Artist-poet, aurèce vettier from France and writer/poet, Jennifer Anne Champion from Singapore will respond to Speak Cryptic’s body of works through texts; in borderless exchanges that showcase art and the written word on equal terms.

The decentralized partner for this ink-on-paper with NFTs exhibit is Tezos, a decentralized blockchain network relying on proof-of-stake mechanisms, which will provide venue and marketing support.

Non-Fungible Tokens or NFTs are a distinct, unique, and easily verifiable type of digital items that can represent digital items including artists’ artwork. It then has a value since it is unique. Read: Non-Fungible Tokens – NFT 101 – Why People are Spending Millions of Dollars for Crypto Art and Digital Items (bitpinas.com)

One of the most influential NFTs recently is the ‘first-ever’ Catholic NFT in the image mosaic of Pope Francis that will soon be available to the public. Read: ‘First-ever’ Catholic NFT to be Released as Mosaic of Pope Francis | BitPinas

“The Weight of Water” exhibit will mark Speak Cryptic’s return to Europe, after his 2015 residency at Cité Internationale des Arts and having featured in the Southeast Asian exhibition Secret Archipelago at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

This exhibit features Speak Cryptic’s deep dive into the world of NFTs, emphasizing and giving influence to the future of art.

About the persons and organizations involved in the exhibit:

·         Speak Cryptic

Speak Cryptic (b. 1980) is an artist working and living in Singapore. Endless manifestations of the self are a feature of Speak Cryptic’s work – identity rippling forth through texts and phrases extracted from punk lyrics, intricate patterns and figures. His constellation of drawings, paintings and installations stem from personal inquiries into ancestral migration, ethnic dislocation, gentrification and alternative subcultures. Arriving at the realm of contemporary art via urban art origins, Speak’s distinctive style has taken on a painterly quality as his work has evolved.

His solo exhibitions include Open My Heart, Ease My Task, Loosen the Knot on My Tongue (2019) and Knives in the Water (2017) at Chan + Hori Contemporary in Singapore and Sorry, Not Sorry (2015) at Officina delle Zattere in Venice, Italy. Key group exhibitions include the Koganecho Art Bazaar (Yokohama, Japan, 2018); The 1st Kuala Lumpur Biennale (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2017); Secret Archipelago (Paris, France, 2015) and the Singapore Biennale (Singapore, 2013).

His works are held in private collections in Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, the U.K. and U.S.A. International residencies he has embarked on include the Salamanca Arts Centre (Hobart, Australia, 2020); Cite Internationale de Paris (Paris, France, 2015) and Agit (Busan, South Korea, 2013).

·         Chan + Hori Contemporary

Chan + Hori Contemporary have partnered with Speak Cryptic since the early phases of his career. Over the years, it has worked alongside him and assisted him on both exhibitions and public art projects in and out of Singapore.

“We are very proud to see his artworks return to Paris and look forward to the future prospects of our collaboration with the Spaceless Gallery. We hope his work continues to resonate with the discerning audience in Paris.

Our link-up with Tezos is a commitment to building conversations between contemporary art and blockchain technology – we see the exponential benefits of NFTs for artists and fully embrace this new frontier.” 

·         The Spaceless Gallery

“Sharing a common passion of championing and navigating our artists through an ever-changing landscape, it is an absolute honour to be collaborating with Chan + Hori Contemporary to present the work of Singapore artist Speak Cryptic. Together with Speak Cryptic’s sheer honesty and humbling in-depth ink on paper works, we are drawn into a multi-dimensional universe that takes on a whole new playing field in the digital realm of art. We look forward to seeing this ambitious project come to life, exploring traditional processes with innovative technologies of the NFT world on Tezos.”

·         Tezos

“Tezos is the leading blockchain for the #CleanNFT movement, with the likes of Mike Shinoda and Doja Cat minting their NFT collections on Tezos due to its highly energy efficient, eco-friendly features designed for longevity and sustainability for all artworks. As the leading Asia adoption entity for the Tezos ecosystem, TZ APAC is proud to be partnering with Chan + Hori Contemporary in their latest NFT exhibition featuring Speak Cryptic, a cutting edge contemporary artist in Singapore. As our NFT community partner in Asia, Chan + Hori brings a wealth of experience in the curatorial space, bridging the gap between the traditional art world and the new digital creator metaverse.”

This article is published on BitPinas: SG’s Speak Cryptic Exhibits ‘The Weight of Water’, Produces NFTs

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.