Join us at Millenia Walk to experience Hydra: A Wearable Art Performance by artist La Thi Dieu Ha, in conjunction with our group exhibition "Who is Weaving the Sky Net?".
As part of the exhibition programme, Vietnamese artist Lai Thi Dieu Ha collaborates with Singaporean artists, Elden Zachery, Josh Tirados, Liz Zhu, Muhammad Mustaghfir and Nathanael Ng, to showcase her original creations. Since 2012, following a series of thought-provoking public performances, the artist has an alternative method of inquiry to her explorations of the inner self, identity and origin. She began Sewing with Fabric, which draws inspiration from the freshwater organisms such as Hydra. This long-term performance evolves with history, time and place, much as the rhythms of life. Lai Thi Dieu Ha’s Hydra spills over in human life, softening violence and offering protection for those small, vulnerable and endangered.
The performance will take place in Millenia Walk as part of the mall’s art experiences and offerings amidst their festive experience, featuring a tour of the mall centrepiece by artists Wade & Leta. Millenia Walk, designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Philip Johnson, is a retail destination featuring a curated selection of artisanal shops and dining establishments, all housed within the architecturally stunning, art-filled Millenia Singapore development.
📍Venue
Atrium, Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd, S039596
Dates & Times:
16 Nov, 2 - 2.45 PM and 3.15 - 4 PM
30 Nov, 2 - 2.45 PM and 3.15 - 4 PM
14 Dec, 2 - 2.45 PM and 3.15 - 4 PM
The event is free of entry.
About the artist
Lai Thi Dieu Ha, a 2005 graduate of Hanoi Fine Arts University, stands out as one of Vietnam’s most significant feminist artists, known for her distinctive, multi-dimensional, and provocative art. Initially focusing on performance art, she delved into explorations of the inner self, grappling with identity and origin, often clashing with the external world. Her body became both a medium and a canvas for these inquiries, embodying questions whose answers remained elusive and ambiguous. Over time, her practice expanded to include photography, painting, sculpture, installation, and video, while maintaining the psychological tension and obscurity that define her work.
Textile remains a fundamental element in her art, with organic fabric sculptures and installations frequently integrated into her performances. In 2012, she founded RAI, an independent brand that translates her artistic vision into wearable designs and fashion objects inspired by her sculptures.
Among her most notable recent exhibitions are the Silver Award Painting of the Year 2023 by UOB, Singapore-Vietnam; "Psychodrama Therapy" at the Rapid Pulse International Performance Art Festival, Chicago, USA, 2014; "Mind, Flesh, Matter" at Sàn Art, Ho Chi Minh City, 2014; and "Undefined Boundaries" at Heritage Space, Hanoi, 2017. In 2015, she presented her first solo exhibition, "Conservation of Vitality," at Cuc Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam.
About the performers:
Elden Zachery is a fashion artisan, stylist and Butoh dancer whose perspective is intensely intimate and candid– as their goal is to be evidence of the wild human spirit through craft.
Josh Tirados is a fashion designer and butoh practitioner, praying for benevolence amidst the darkness. Embracing world building, endurance and power in non-violence resistance. He finds butoh dance and clothing to have the capacity to hold space for these tenets. His works are mindful prayers, not to force change but an expression hope.
Liz Zhu Shichun is an interdisciplinary art practitioner and curator based in Singapore and Shanghai. Her work demonstrates a deft use of design expertise to establish connections with existing materials and often overlooked environments through upcycling and somatic movements. Liz delves into the dynamic terrain of shifting identities and the fluidity of social behaviours within diverse communities.
Muhammad Mustaghfir is a multidisciplinary arts practitioner whose works comprise of drawing, (soft) sculptures and performance. In his current practice, he explores the body in relation to clothing and its performativity in an attempt to understand intimacy.
His exploration of identity and gendered expectations is confronted through his interventions with domestic and everyday objects. Through this, he draws meaning from the simplicity of his everyday encounters, surfacing the intersections of bodily duties and bodily desires.
Nathanael Ng is a multidisciplinary artist based in Singapore, specialising in dance, installation, costume design, and production.
Nathanael was part of the Streetwear Fashion collective MASH-UP, and through the brand has forayed into designing various installations including the D/SINI outdoor visual arts festival (2018) & Singapore Night Festival (2024).
As the co-founder of Open Circle and Baby Boy Party, he organises experimental jams and parties that create safe spaces and challenge social norms, fostering community. His work explores self-discovery through collaborative artistic practices.
