Obayashi Foundation Research Program2025
Mr.Ho Rui An
Ho Rui An is an artist and writer working in the intersections of contemporary art, cinema, performance and theory. Through lectures, essays and films, his research examines the relations between labour, technology and capital across different systems of governance in a global age. He has presented projects at the ShanghaiBiennale; Bangkok Art Biennale; Gwangju Biennale; Jakarta Biennale; Kochi-Muziris Biennale; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Kunsthalle Wien; Singapore Art Museum; Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; and Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, Japan.
Chairperson Comment
The Visions of the City – Obayashi Foundation Research Program, created by the Obayashi Foundation in 2017, is a grant that provides an opportunity for artists to investigate, research, and propose ways for cities to be. The selected artists so far have used the grant to indicate new perspectives on cities from their own unique perspectives, building on their prolific artistic achievements.
This time, with our fifth recommendation/selection committee, partially due to the post-pandemic, not only artists based in Japan but around the world were nominated. The conflicts, disasters, and disparity issues erupting around the world had no small impact on the artist selection process for this city-themed grant. One characteristic of the selection process this time was the way many of the nominated artists were known for production and activities that could not be contained within the narrow definition of 'art,' centering their practices on fashion, street culture, social media, performance, and more.
After careful deliberation, we selected Ho Rui An, born and based in Singapore, to be the grant recipient. He is known for creating lecture performances and video works that take a critical perspective on global capitalist systems and explain how contemporary capitalist economics came to be in East Asia and Southeast Asia ——— not to mention the deep-rooted impact of the West ——— drawing from broadly researched historical and contemporary cultural materials. Ho’s perspective in researching and investigating the impact of historical conditions on contemporary nation states and market mechanisms, looking at East and Southeast Asia by examining the trading networks of some of the world's most essential commodities brings into relief so-called meta-markets, an important yet invisible foundation that shapes cities. What light will this research shed on cities and contemporary society using narratives as only an artist can? We look forward to the novel proposals that are sure to come from this artist from the youngest generation yet to be selected for this grant.
Shino Nomura
Senior Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery