Offshore Accounts-1 presents a monumental, monochromatic seascape which appears to float off the wall. Upon closer inspection however, this vista of rolling waves gives way to thousands of miniature images, depicting mounds of trash and detritus as well as representations of colonial ships. For Rana, the placid surfaces of the sea belie the legacies of colonial trade and empire, as well as the destructive tendencies and wastefulness of contemporary consumerist culture, the products of which often arrive by—and are disposed of in—the oceans. Enfolding these twin strands is the title of the work which references wealth held offshore, as well as present-day practices of the global economy where production of consumer goods is often located abroad.

Addressing issues surrounding the idea of journeys and diaspora, Passage III: Project Another Country is one of many projects that evolved out of the artist duo’s relocation from the Philippines to Australia. Now diaspora artists themselves, the Aquilizans extend their artistic interrogation of settlement and resettlement through this artwork, and explore the specificity of place as well as the complex emotions arising from social dislocation. The re-purposed cardboard utilised in the installation is arranged to resemble a shanty town perched unsteadily on a wooden boat, suggesting the precarity of homes and of “home”, which leads to the necessity for change and journeying. 

Collaboration and collection remain key elements of the Aquilizans’ artistic practice, and the development of the work involves the use of situational settings to bring people together to create. Within a collaborative framework, personal handmade items and objects become elements included in the final work, and the relationships which have transpired as a result of this process underscore the emotional depth and significance of the piece. In this showing of Passage III: Project Another Country, the work will feature new objects produced in collaboration with SAM’s multinational Friends of the Museum docents and their children, highlighting the interconnectedness between people and communities around the world.

Ultima Mudfox and Una Lumino Callidus Spiritus are examples of intricate, biomorphic, kinetic sculptures which typify Choe U-Ram’s artistic practice. Born of metal, motors and machinery, these sculptures come alive with movement. Choe takes animation as a signifier of life, and their Latin names and artist-composed stories enhance the plausibility of the existence of these wondrous creatures.

Ultima Mudfox, a creature inspired in part by the silhouette of a dolphin, glides unencumbered through the mud it dwells predominantly in as it navigates the earth beneath the city. According to its story, the Ultima Mudfox is merely one of a larger ecosystem of some 20,000 inorganic species which dwell beneath the city’s centre, originating from microscopic robots which had escaped their place of manufacture. The varied forms arise from the union of these microscopic robots with information they draw in from their environment. Choe U-Ram narrates a vivid tale of evolution and adaptation in his presentation.