The pair reverses iconographic conventions and perceptive elements, freely mixing various references and contradicting presuppositions. “Flamingo” (2012) features a grotesquely decorated plate carrying the severed head of the work’s titular bird, while in “Diana” (2016), a lady’s handbag conceals rock star sunglasses, cigarette packets and pill bottles.

Straddling compositional surrealism and formal hyperrealism, Bertozzi & Casoni also study contemporary society’s rubbish, incorporating the remains of cultural icons into their assembled juxtapositions. In “Cuccia Brillo” (2003), for instance, a pop art-filtered Brillo box irreverently transforms into a makeshift doghouse made entirely of ceramic, a conceptual manifestation of time irremediably gone. Their sculptures – symbolic, mocking and pervaded by a sense of attraction for all that is short-lived, perishable and decaying – have thus become internationally recognised metaphors for the human condition. Yet the biting irony of their works is balanced by their unassailable perfection.

“Bucranio con Varano”

By reclaiming everyday objects to the aesthetic level, Bertozzi & Casoni adopt a straightforwardness that challenges prejudices. At the same time, they arouse suspicion through the visual deception of their exacting technique – a complex and enveloping mechanism that has no end or interruption.

Far from simply being a critique of society, the artists’ dazzling work can be understood as a purely aesthetic proposition. As fragile as it is strong, the ceramic material exalts Bertozzi & Casoni’s vile miscellany, offering a cynical metaphor of abundance and prosperity. Whether jovial or coarse, hedonistic or truculent, these works reveal a habitus – and not a habitat – that has spoilt every idyll, calling to mind the end of all things.

In “Bucranio con varano” (2012), an ox skull – symbolic of animal sacrifice in the ancient world – is surmounted by a Komodo dragon, a gigantic reptile indigenous to Indonesia. A dual symbol of death and rebirth, the lizard seeks the light and the sun, both representing rebirth and resurrection. Like a medieval man-eater, the Komodo dragon defends the cranium with splayed jaws, almost as if to breathe new life into it, initiating a metamorphosis.

Bertozzi & Casoni was founded in 1980 by Giampaolo Bertozzi and Stefano Dal Monte Casoni. After undertaking early studies at the Ceramic Art Institute of Faenza, the artists gravitated towards a dialogue with the great traditions of art and – seeing the possibilities of painted sculpture in ceramics – nurtured an original vocation to experiment with sculpture.

The two went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Around this time, they also began to participate in exhibitions that focused on their motivations for establishing a new ceramics movement. Taking part in these shows reflected an effort to foster support for their expressive medium, which at the time was viewed as a “minor art” compared to other forms. Their first creations were small and made of thin, polychrome majolica.

From 1985 to 1989, they collaborated with Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, including for a year as researchers in the Centro Sperimentazioni e Ricerche sulla Ceramica (1987–88). This experience led to their association with K International Ceramics Magazine, for which they created cover images. As their relationship with Cooperativa Ceramica neared its end, the artists produced two major works sponsored by the company: projects in Tama New Town, Tokyo (1989–90), and Ditelo con i fiori,a large panel on the exterior wall of Imola Hospital.

Between 1983 and 1994, the two engaged with the world of design thanks to a special relationship with exhibition space Dilmos in Milan. They also participated in several editions of the Abitare il Tempo trade fair in Verona and the Triennale di Milano, as well as exhibitions in the former Church of San Carpoforo in Milan.

During the 1990s, Bertozzi & Casoni’s work took a much more conceptual and radical turn, as if to compensate for the exaggerated expressiveness and rigid perfection in their usual execution. With this later work, the two closed the chapter of painted majolica and moved into experimentations characterised by an almost exclusive use of materials and technologies derived from industry. This decisive step permitted their work to conquer a higher level of physical presence, as its pictorial virtuosities were abandoned in favour of an objective rendering of selected subjects. Their preferred iconographic themes, which found substance in the broad artistic genres of vanitas and memento mori, underwent a fantastic transfiguration: their formal reproduction took on an objective form that diminished the presence of the artists, themselves, and the conditioning perception of a particular time.

This important turning point in their practice led to a new chapter of “contemplations of the present”, in which a sort of “epic of trash” – the attraction for what is fleeting, transitory, perishable and in decay – became internationally recognised as a human condition that is not just contemporary. They finally had begun to attract the interest of art critics, museums and major Italian and international art galleries.

Bertozzi & Casoni’s work was featured in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2009 and 2011. Recent museum exhibitions in Italy include a survey at Castello Sforzesco and Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza (2008–09) and a solo show at Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali, Polignano a Mare (2011–12). In the Netherlands, “Bertozzi & Casoni: Timeless” was presented at Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague (2013).

The artists have dedicated decades to examining the cultural and artistic refuse of contemporary society. Their work has been characterised by a never-ending, vivifying alternation between descents into decay and revivals of survivors; overlooked beauties, abstraction and representation; impermanence and eternity; history and contemporaneity; fantastic imagination and technical precision.

ON THE same weekend that the government held a major “Thailand 4.0” fair to promote innovation in Siam Square, Silpathorn artist Pichet Klunchun revived his performance “Bogus Seance Bangkok 4.0 (Four for Nothing)” at ChangChui in Taling Chan, as part of Bangkok Art Biennale 2018. It should be noted first that art is not among the keywords of this new campaign. In fact, it has never been in any government’s campaign, as if implying that no politicians can see its value in our country’s development. And so, if your children have trouble choosing between the arts or science streams in high school, you know what to tell them.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

The atmosphere wasn’t like a theatre, but an actual ritual, and that was thanks in part to the outdoor stage and numerous decorations and accessories from many religions, beliefs and cults, notwithstanding the fact that most of us are Buddhists. Dancers from Pichet Klunchun Dance Company as well as dance students portrayed familiar characters ranging from the black panther and the fat man with his rifle, to kid footballers, a navy seal in diving gear and a Wonder Woman lookalike, while another veteran dancer was running on the treadmill adorned with bank notes and the director himself portrayed the holy medium.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

At the beginning, special guests in the audience were invited onstage to shave his head; later on, when he was seemingly possessed, other audience members asked such popular questions as the first-prize lottery number and the general election date. Some were given plastic watches and incense to participate in the ritual. In the end, Pichet invited all audience members to join his company for a wild dance party on stage. That was when I headed off in the opposite direction from the stage, thinking of the biennale’s slogan “Beyond Bliss” and grinning at the fact that all of these were sharp contrasts to the concurrent “Thailand 4.0” fair and highlighted much of what has recently happened here.

Photo/Naphatrapee Suntorntirnan

A few weeks ago, the Marina Abramovic Institute’s (MAI) “A Possible Island?”, eight concurrent eight-hour durational performances by eight artists, finished its three-and-a-half-week run at the 8th floor gallery of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The number of audience members shattered both MAI’s and BACC’s records. This reconfirms not only the audience’s interest in, or perhaps curiosity about, performance art but also the fact that galleries are no longer reserved for visual arts.

Last night, Dujdao Vadhanapakorn, another BAB artist, finished the last live performance of “Afterlight” at the same venues, while the light installation and dance video will remain on display until the end of the biennale. And as the poster in front now reads “Beyond Infinity”, the audience can expect more blissful performances there.

In the era when performances have become an integral part of biennales worldwide and even outside the frameworks of biennales, museums have opened their gallery space to performances, it’s nice to see that the first edition of BAB has followed suit without hesitation.

In our country, the number of spectators for each art genre is still limited, and so when there’s an opportunity to cross boundaries, let’s take it and go outside of our comfort zones. This will also create innovation, even if it’s not recognised by the government.

MORE THAN 30 “sustainable” light-art installations are going to illuminate the city for i Light Singapore Bicentennial Edition from January 28 to February 24, which will have as its theme “Bridges of Time”.

And artists from 14 countries will be pooling talents for a spectacular multimedia show.

The 2019 edition of the light-art festival delves into the topic of connectivity while reflecting on Singapore’s history, growth and relationships with the world over the last 700 years.

At the same time, the artworks aim to inspire all to come together for a sustainable future. The events will span Marina Bay as well as the historical Civic District, Singapore River and Raffles Terrace at Fort Canning Park.

The story of Singapore takes centre stage in many of the artworks.

Cenotaph for a Stone by National University of Singapore

For instance, students from the National University of Singapore, who emerged first in the inaugural i Light Student Award with “Cenotaph for a Stone”, seek to illustrate the destruction of the Singapore Stone in 1843.

While appearing in its entirety as a “faux” stone in frontal view, the installation at Waterboat House Garden will intrigue viewers with its deliberate arrangement of 51 rock fragments and timed, cascading lighting effect that mimics an explosion.

Visitors will also get to see a 3D light- and water-based hologram of sailboats on the Marina Bay waterfront promenade presented by Studio Biangle from Estonia.

Titled “Sails Aloft”, the large-scale installation recreates vessels inspired by the sampan panjang, a colloquial term for a long dwelling boat used by the early immigrants to Singapore (Orang laut – “sea people” in the Malay language).

Appearing only after darkness falls, the hologram wavers with the movement of the wind to exude a dreamy ambience, and creates a snapshot of a 19th-century sailboat race in the region.

On the Singapore River, Belgian group ACTLD will tell the story of the timeless journey of travellers who discovered Singapore over the years through an immersive multimedia show titled “Bridges of Time”, which will enchant the audience nightly with lights, lasers, music and projections on water.

For the first time, artworks will be installed on six bridges over the river and at Marina Bay – the Elgin, Cavenagh, Anderson, Esplanade, Jubilee and Helix bridges.

Collectively, the artworks inspire hope and optimism as we acknowledge the past and celebrate our present, while looking to the future. It will spark conversations on the development of Singapore and the world around us.

Raffles Terrace was the residence of a long line of governors, including Sir Stamford Raffles. The area became an important communication centre after the British established a port there in 1819.

Fort Canning itself has a longer history – it was known as Bukit Larangan prior to 1822, where the ancient kings of the Singapura Kingdom are believed buried. By extending the festival to Fort Canning Park, visitors can explore and better appreciate the historic area while enjoying the light-art installations.

They’ll be welcomed by Taiwanese artist Dr Huang Chin Fu’s “Land-pass Bird”, where 30 birds with fluorescent blue feathers will perch in the trees that line the staircase from the foot of the park to Raffles Terrace.

Keys of Light by Mr.Beam

At Raffles Terrace itself, artist Mr Beam from the Netherlands will invite people to interact with his piano installation “Keys of Light”, which reacts to each note played on the piano and triggers captivating animations in the surrounding environment.

DP Architects of Singapore will show “Why Green?” at the Marina Bay Event Square, an immersive installation of 3D-printed plant species inspired by the landscape of Singapore.

 Time Traveller by Eko Agus Prawoto

At Clifford Square, “Time Traveller” by Indonesian artist Eko Agus Prawoto is inspired by bamboo fish traps used in the past, evoking collective memories among the communities in this fast-changing era.

Standing tall between One Fullerton – a result of development of the new city and Clifford Pier – the old landing point for travellers who arrived in Singapore via sea, the artwork also serves as a bridge between the old and new, and between generations.

In partnership with Lux Light Festival in New Zealand, one of three overseas collaborations, i Light Singapore will also have “Facey Thing” by UJI Studios at One Marina Boulevard.

This installation is a fun and satirical celebration of the coming together of selfie culture and universal surveillance to create hyper-real simulated images of ourselves through the art of play. As visitors come into view of the camera, they can interact creatively with their pictures taken on-site by virtually painting with their faces.

“This special edition is especially meaningful as it forms part of the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration,” says festival director Jason Chen. “The artwork line-up collectively reflects our desire to bridge people, cultures and ideas through art and sustainability.

“The light-art installations will be strategically placed along the festival route to take everyone on the development journey of Singapore since the arrival of its earliest communities.”

Let It Glow

The i Light Singapore Bicentennial Edition takes place from January 28 to February 24, daily from 7.30pm to 11pm, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. General admission is free. Visit http://www.iLightSingapore.sg for more information.

Members of the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Unesco) meeting in Mauritius included Thai khon among several world cultural treasures added and to the list.

It is the first time that Thailand has been represented on the heritage list, and Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat credited the achievement to Her Majesty the Queen’s efforts to bring the theatre form into the 21st century with gala annual performances.

“She ordered a complete redesign for the costumes and ornamentation, the makeup, stage, format, lighting and sound, turning it into a royal khon performance,” he said.

To celebrate the Unesco decision, the Culture Ministry on Friday staged a performance at the Thailand Cultural Centre along with a demonstration of how the masks are made.

“We have also arranged additional three-hour performances of ‘The Allegiance of Phiphek’ from December 3 to 5 at the cultural centre,” Vira said, referring to the latest episode of the Ramayana being presented in the grand “royal” format this year.

“More live performances will be staged in the coming year and we’ll be screening the animated film ‘Ramayana’, which the ministry produced.”

Vira said there would also be exhibitions, children’s books and a documentary film presented around the country, and a khon digital database would be created for use by future generations.

While few would decry the focus on preserving traditional khon, some critics have said the government should also be supporting contemporary theatre as well.

The ministry will next year nominate nuad thai (Thai massage) and the southern traditional dance nora for inclusion on the Unesco list.

Also recognised by the UN agency as a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage “in need of urgent safeguarding” was Cambodia’s similar masked-dance form known as lakhon khol.

It was added to the Unesco Representative List in 2008, but this year was listed in a second category for the specific dance presented at Wat Svay Andet near Phnom Penh. It is unusual in that members of the community living around the Buddhist monastery accompany the performances by masked men with music and melodious recitation.

In explaining the listing, Unesco said the lakhon khol performance there “aims to ensure the community’s protection and prosperity by winning the favours of Neak Ta, a guardian spirit of the place and its people.

“After generations of transmission, the element’s viability has been weakened by environmental factors, economic migration, insufficient resources and the effects of war and of the Khmer Rouge.”