2024
When does the past end and the present begin, and what exists in the in-between? The nature of time is often explored through the lens of both permanence and transience. How does the fluidity of memory, which is deeply subjective, shape the process of art-making? If there might be an aesthetic that expresses the complex relationship between loss, time, and solitude, how would it look like? What visual or conceptual elements would it involve?
An Ode to Absence, curated by Michelle Ho and held at the ADM Gallery of the NTU School of Art, Design and Media, is an exhibition that explores these questions. By considering the notions of “lack” and “longing,” the exhibition delves into how these themes can articulate the nuances of temporal experience and the conceptual weight of absence.
Featuring works drawn from private art collections, this exhibition is an exercise of a curatorial methodology that seeks to create connections between seemingly disparate pieces to reveal underlying themes that might otherwise remain obscured. Through this process, the curatorial approach transforms individual pieces into a narrative that invites viewers to contemplate the time as an interplay between presence and absence, and the dimensions of the ephemeral and the enduring.
The exhibition design aims to evoke a sense of introspection, fluidity, and quiet tension. Inspired by the themes of memory, time, and solitude, the visual language explores the delicate balance between what is seen and unseen, present and absent. The brand mark is minimalist; featuring a delicate serif typeface that appears partially obscured, suggesting elements that have been worn away over time, creating a visual metaphor for absence and the intangible.
