Murmuring Shores / On the Brink is an international group exhibition featuring six artists: three connected to Onomichi through their academic and artistic backgrounds—Ayaka Yoshida and Nana Tsugawa, graduates of the Oil Painting course at Onomichi City University, and Yumi Nishimura, who has taught in the same course since 2020—and three emerging artists from Singapore: Liu Liling, Ng Hui Hsien, and Susanna Tan.
The exhibition is co-curated by Yutaka Inagawa, Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Onomichi City University, and Dr. Wang Ruobing, Lecturer in the McNally School of Fine Arts at LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore and co-founder of Comma Space). Its purpose is to establish a creative site where diverse media and approaches converge, facilitating non-linear dialogue exchanges.
Prior to the exhibition, the Singaporean artists will participate in an artist-in-residence program at VILLA WASAKU, the former residence of Wassaku Kobayashi, located in Onomichi. During this time, they will create new works inspired by their interactions with the city. Communication between the artists from Singapore and those with connections to Onomichi has commenced prior to their physical meeting, fostering a deeper exchange and enhancing the potential for mutual inspiration upon their eventual collabration.
Murmuring Shores / On the Brink brings together six emerging and talented artists with ties to Onomichi and Singapore. Drawing upon the artists’ distinct backgrounds and practices, the exhibition weaves a multi-layered narrative that allows for overlapping perspectives create rich afterimages and multifaceted reflections. In conjunction with additional curated events, such as talk and workshop, Murmuring Shores seeks to promote further international collaborations among young artists, and to foster a continuous chain of creative exchange.
[EXHIBITION]
Murmuring Shores / On the Brink
14 December 2024 – 10 January 2025
Venue: MOU Museum of Onomichi City University
Curators:
Yutaka Inagawa & Wang Ruobing
Artists:
Ng Hui Hsien | Liu Liling | Yumi Nishimura | Susanna Tan | Nana Tsugawa | Ayaka Yoshida
Organized by:
Onomichi City University Education & Research Project
Cosponsored by:
Onomichi City Board of Education
Chupicom Onomichi
Onomichi FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
The Onomichi Shimbun
The Chugoku Shimbun
Design Direction: Yutaka Inagawa
Design: Marina Tamada
Design Assistant: Yoko Urasaki
Management: Yoko Urasaki
Exhibition Supported by:
Energia Cultural and Sports Foundation
Onomichi City University Presidential Discretionary Research Fund
Comma Space
LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore
With Additional Assistance From: Ueda Gabou
Translation Supervised by: Yutaka Inagawa
[RESIDENCY]
Onomichi City University / VILLA WASAKU, Onomichi, Japan
Period: 18 November – 15 December 2024
Participated Artists: Susanna Tan, Liu Liling, Ng Hui Hsien
Interpretation Assistance: Ng Tang Yuet
Support: The Onomichi Abandoned House Reclamation Project
[BOOKLET]
Published by: MOU Museum of Onomichi City University
On the occasion of the exhibition:
Murmuring Shores / On the Brink
14 December 2024 – 10 January 2025
Preface: Yutaka Inagawa
Prologue: Wang Ruobing
Design: Yutaka Inagawa, Marina Tamada
Design Assistant: Yoko Urasaki
Photography: Yutaka Inagawa, Susanna Tan, Liu Liling, Ng Hui Hsien
Dialogues by Paired Artists:
Liu Liling & Yumi Nishimura
Susanna Tan & Ayaka Yoshida
Ng Hui Hsien & Nana Tsugawa
*AI-assisted translations were used in all dialogues. To preserve the tone and nuances of each conversation, the translations have been used as submitted by the artists, except for Ng Hui Hsien's English text, which was translated using DeepL, adhering to the same AI-assisted translation process.
© All artists & curators