Chan + Hori Contemporary & The Spaceless Gallery Present Speak Cryptic’s ‘The Weight Of Water’

Speak Cryptic – The Weight Of Water

Chan + Hori Contemporary in Singapore & the Spaceless Gallery in Paris are delighted to announce our first-ever collaboration this November. Spanning Singapore and Paris, we are pleased to present 33 ink on paper works of Singaporean artist, Speak Cryptic, through a solo exhibition titled The Weight of Water. 

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.

Grounded in the notion of multiple identities that flow and overlap in the evolving self, The Weight of Water is a philosophical inquiry into the states of mind where one gives up full control. The creative process behind these works is cathartic; an act of letting go.

Within each artwork lies a figure, detailed arrangements of strokes that hold the trappings of human beings. If one was immersed in a body of water that held our collective consciousness, these forms would be what is left when we emerge – remnants of who we are and what we pledge allegiance to. 

The Weight of Water, Speak Cryptic’s solo exhibition, will premiere in Paris from 18 November – 15 December with 17 works shown in the exhibition space of Bulles en tête at 42 Rue Le Peletier, 75009, in Paris.

Poised within an exhibition space with an unassuming bookstore front, Speak Cryptic’s works will be presented at an institution that honors the art of pen and ink.

In addition to that, an afternoon of cross-border dialogues will be held at Flucturart, 2 port du Gros Caillou, 75007 Paris, France, a floating glasshouse in the heart of Paris that represents, advocates, and drives a community of contemporary and street artists.

A set of 16 unique works from the same series will be made available in Singapore only through private sales. Collectors can view these works from 7 – 10 November at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, by appointment only.

To coincide with the Gallery Week by the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS), an online exhibition will showcase both sets of works in Singapore and Paris.

Artist-poet, aurèce vettier (France), and writer/poet, Jennifer Anne Champion (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. 

Just for this exhibition, Speak Cryptic will be producing 6 NFT works. The first 10 collectors of ink on paper works from The Weight of Water in both Singapore and Paris will receive one of two designs (in editions of 10) as a gift.

The remaining four designs (each in editions of 21) will be open to the public for sale with two works minted in collaboration with aurèce vettier. Tezos – the decentralized blockchain network relying on proof-of-stake mechanisms – is a key partner in this exhibition, providing venue and marketing support.

The Weight of Water marks 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 exhibition also features the artist’s deep dive into the world of NFTs, pushing forth the future of art. 

Speaking on the exhibition, Speak Cryptic, an artist working and living in Singapore commented:

“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.”

Chan + Hori Contemporary, a curatorial, advisory, and artist management business, that focuses on three main services of content curation, project management, and artist management. stated:

“Chan + Hori Contemporary have partnered with Speak Cryptic since the early phases of his career. Over the years, we have 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, operating through a circuit of ephemeral locations all over the world and unbounded by any one location, audience, genre, or media added:

“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.”

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