The scent of freshness in the midst of the desert, a brief relief from the sand and the dust and the heat, a breath of fresh air, colours coming to bloom. After Rain. /

DIRIYAH CONTEMPORARY ART BIENNALE 2024: AFTER RAIN
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

For the second edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, based on the edge of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, we were invited to develop the overall identity and accompanying materials, including the logo and identity design, signage, two catalogues, advertising campaigns, an associated website, banners, and a broad range of collaterals.

Featuring over 100 artists from the Gulf Region and beyond, the Biennale was developed in the spirit of dialogue and open-mindedness, with a focus on trying to understand and unravel the geographic, historical, and cultural particularities of the region. It addressed topics such as the meeting of cultures in a time of transition, the exchange of knowledge across regions, traditions, and genres, the interaction between societies and the environment, while putting a strong emphasis on international artists visiting the country and encouraging a practice of sharing knowlegde and time.

The identity attempts to reflect these narratives by a playful interlocking of English and Arabic typography, and bright colour palette reminiscent of a nocturnal society, and compositions that merge an organic fluidity with sharp edges and cuts.

/ Commissioned by / Diriyah Biennale Foundation /
/ Artistic Director / Ute Meta Bauer /
/ Co-Curators / Rose Lejeune, Wejdan Reda, Anca Rujoiu, Ana Salazar Herrera / Adjunct Curator / Rahul Gudipudi /
/ Artists / Hamra Abbas, Jumana Emil Abboud, Sara Abdu, Irene Agrivina, Alia Ahmad, Azra Akšamija,Nabila Al Bassam, Tara Aldughaither & Joe Namy, Rasha Al-Duwaisan, Mohammad AlFaraj, Dhali Al Mamoon, Reem Al Nasser, Daniah Alsaleh, Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, Nazgol Ansarinia, Rasheed Araeen, Siah Armajani, Andrius Arutiunian, Martha Atienza, Tarek Atoui, Dana Awartani, Asma Bahmim,  bahraini—danish, Sammy Baloji,  Zarina Bhimji, Ursula Biemann, Safeya Binzagr, Rossella Biscotti, Bricklab, Britto Arts Trust, Muhanned Cader, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise, Rachaporn Choochuey, Tiffany Chung, Ade Darmawan, Priyageetha Dia, Vikram Divecha, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Alexander Eriksson Furunes & Sudar Khadka, Alia Farid, Christine Fenzl, Ângela Ferreira, Simryn Gill, Anne Holtrop, Hiba Ismail, Saodat Ismailova, Joan Jonas, Susanne Kriemann, Liang Shaoji, Armin Linke & Ahmed Mater, Liu Chuang, Mariah Lookman, Nidhi Mahajan & Moad Musbahi, Taus Makhacheva, Robin Meier Wiratunga, The Migrant Ecologies Project, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Regina Maria Möller, James Morris, Tania Mouraud, Zarina Muhammad, Dala Nasser, Hind Nasser, Hussein Nassereddine, Filwa Nazer, Nguyên Trinh Thi, NJOKOBOK, Elia Nurvista, Phi Phi Oanh, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Sopheap Pich, Marjetica Potrc, Lala Rukh, Arin Rungjang, Tomás Saraceno, Citra Sasmita, Seher Shah, Hassan Sharif, Shooshie Sulaiman, syn architects, Tang Da Wu, Paulo Tavares / autonoma, TAYYUN, Sissel Tolaas, Anaïs Tondeur, Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor, Suzann Victor, Munem Wasif, Ines Weizman, Jana Winderen, Yang Fudong, Yeo Siew Hua, Liam Young, Camille Zakharia, Samia Zaru, Feifei Zhou /
/ Scenography / Laura Miotto, Savina Nicolini /
/ Editorial Lead / Laura Schleussner /
/ Design Assistance / João Pedro Costa, Linda Riedl /
/ Arabic Typography / bytwo /
/ Exhibition Photography / Marco Capelletti, Alessandro Brasile /

After Rain offered a sensorial parcours, pointing out the interconnectedness of local and global issues. The assembled artworks created a polyphonic forum that raised questions about our ecologies, the rights of nature, what defines cultures, and how they are conserved. /

DIRIYAH CONTEMPORARY ART BIENNALE 2024: AFTER RAIN / VISUAL READER
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN / PRODUCTION /

Published in retrospect, the Visual Reader documents the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024  with an extensive image section on one hand, but goes much further than a generic catalogue: by including a 200 page Research section, it dives deep into the curatorial and artistic processes behind the exhibition. With plenty of unpublished materials provided by the 100 artists – from scribbles to technical drawings to iPhone snapshots to sketchbook pages – the Research section tries to convey the manifold ideas and perspectives that are assembled in a biennale, while also providing a snapshot of its host country Saudi Arabia at a time of accelerated transition.

/ Commissioned by / Diriyah Biennale Foundation /
/ Artists / Hamra Abbas, Jumana Emil Abboud, Sara Abdu, Irene Agrivina, Alia Ahmad, Azra Akšamija,Nabila Al Bassam, Tara Aldughaither & Joe Namy, Rasha Al-Duwaisan, Mohammad AlFaraj, Dhali Al Mamoon, Reem Al Nasser, Daniah Alsaleh, Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, Nazgol Ansarinia, Rasheed Araeen, Siah Armajani, Andrius Arutiunian, Martha Atienza, Tarek Atoui, Dana Awartani, Asma Bahmim,  bahraini—danish, Sammy Baloji,  Zarina Bhimji, Ursula Biemann, Safeya Binzagr, Rossella Biscotti, Bricklab, Britto Arts Trust, Muhanned Cader, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise, Rachaporn Choochuey, Tiffany Chung, Ade Darmawan, Priyageetha Dia, Vikram Divecha, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Alexander Eriksson Furunes & Sudar Khadka, Alia Farid, Christine Fenzl, Ângela Ferreira, Simryn Gill, Anne Holtrop, Hiba Ismail, Saodat Ismailova, Joan Jonas, Susanne Kriemann, Liang Shaoji, Armin Linke & Ahmed Mater, Liu Chuang, Mariah Lookman, Nidhi Mahajan & Moad Musbahi, Taus Makhacheva, Robin Meier Wiratunga, The Migrant Ecologies Project, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Regina Maria Möller, James Morris, Tania Mouraud, Zarina Muhammad, Dala Nasser, Hind Nasser, Hussein Nassereddine, Filwa Nazer, Nguyên Trinh Thi, NJOKOBOK, Elia Nurvista, Phi Phi Oanh, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Sopheap Pich, Marjetica Potrc, Lala Rukh, Arin Rungjang, Tomás Saraceno, Citra Sasmita, Seher Shah, Hassan Sharif, Shooshie Sulaiman, syn architects, Tang Da Wu, Paulo Tavares / autonoma, TAYYUN, Sissel Tolaas, Anaïs Tondeur, Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor, Suzann Victor, Munem Wasif, Ines Weizman, Jana Winderen, Yang Fudong, Yeo Siew Hua, Liam Young, Camille Zakharia, Samia Zaru, Feifei Zhou /
/ Editor / Ute Meta Bauer /
/ Editorial Managers / Laura Schleussner, Eva Ebersberger /
/ Design Assistance / João Pedro Costa /
/ Publishers / Hatje Cantz,  Kaph Books /
/ Printers / DZA Altenburg /
/ Softcover / 22 x 28 cm / 432 Pages /

/ Order here

After Rain brings together diverse formats and languages used by artists, ranging from drawings and paintings to sculptures, installations and photography as well as time-based media practices such as performance and film. /

DIRIYAH CONTEMPORARY ART BIENNALE 2024: AFTER RAIN / GUIDEBOOK
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN / PRODUCTION /

Conceived as an onsite companion to the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, the publication pursues a functional approach to giving more substantial information to the 100 featured artists, within the colourful overall identity for the Biennale. A book as reference, guide, and archive during and after the exhibition.

/ Commissioned by / Diriyah Biennale Foundation /
/ Artists / Hamra Abbas, Jumana Emil Abboud, Sara Abdu, Irene Agrivina, Alia Ahmad, Azra Akšamija,Nabila Al Bassam, Tara Aldughaither & Joe Namy, Rasha Al-Duwaisan, Mohammad AlFaraj, Dhali Al Mamoon, Reem Al Nasser, Daniah Alsaleh, Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, Nazgol Ansarinia, Rasheed Araeen, Siah Armajani, Andrius Arutiunian, Martha Atienza, Tarek Atoui, Dana Awartani, Asma Bahmim,  bahraini—danish, Sammy Baloji,  Zarina Bhimji, Ursula Biemann, Safeya Binzagr, Rossella Biscotti, Bricklab, Britto Arts Trust, Muhanned Cader, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise, Rachaporn Choochuey, Tiffany Chung, Ade Darmawan, Priyageetha Dia, Vikram Divecha, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Alexander Eriksson Furunes & Sudar Khadka, Alia Farid, Christine Fenzl, Ângela Ferreira, Simryn Gill, Anne Holtrop, Hiba Ismail, Saodat Ismailova, Joan Jonas, Susanne Kriemann, Liang Shaoji, Armin Linke & Ahmed Mater, Liu Chuang, Mariah Lookman, Nidhi Mahajan & Moad Musbahi, Taus Makhacheva, Robin Meier Wiratunga, The Migrant Ecologies Project, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Regina Maria Möller, James Morris, Tania Mouraud, Zarina Muhammad, Dala Nasser, Hind Nasser, Hussein Nassereddine, Filwa Nazer, Nguyên Trinh Thi, NJOKOBOK, Elia Nurvista, Phi Phi Oanh, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Sopheap Pich, Marjetica Potrc, Lala Rukh, Arin Rungjang, Tomás Saraceno, Citra Sasmita, Seher Shah, Hassan Sharif, Shooshie Sulaiman, syn architects, Tang Da Wu, Paulo Tavares / autonoma, TAYYUN, Sissel Tolaas, Anaïs Tondeur, Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor, Suzann Victor, Munem Wasif, Ines Weizman, Jana Winderen, Yang Fudong, Yeo Siew Hua, Liam Young, Camille Zakharia, Samia Zaru, Feifei Zhou /
/ Editor / Ute Meta Bauer /
/ Editorial Manager / Laura Schleussner /
/ Design Assistance / João Pedro Costa /
/ Publisher / Kaph Books /
/ Printers / Sarawat Printing /
/ Softcover / 16.5 x 22 cm / 320 Pages /

/ Order here

Looking closely at the cracks and fissures around us: an unpleasant game of second-guessing and uncertainties. Yet not so innocent anymore, for the future is already here. /

NTU CCA SINGAPORE / FREE JAZZ IV. GEOMANCERS
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

The exhibition Free Jazz IV. Geomancers marks the fourth installment of the Free Jazz series of performance and time-based interventions on- and off-site at NTU Centre for Contemporary Arts Singapore. Based on the ancient divination method of Geomancy, Free Jazz IV gathers an ensemble of artists trying to read the current state of the Earth, and concerned with future prospects of ecological collapse. For the accompanying Exhibition Guide and exhibition visuals, mono.studio used the symbols of Geomancy – a combination of eight dots in various formations – as a visual foundation and guiding thread.

/ Commissioned by / NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore /
/ Artists / Martha Atienza, Ursula Biemann, Carolina Caycedo & David de Rozas, Chu Hao Pei, Liu Chuang, Pedro Neves Marques, Katie Paterson, Rice Brewing Sisters Club, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Jana Winderen, Zarina Muhammad & Zachary Chan, and Robert Zhao Renhui /

Neon lights glaring, that irresistible toxic glow drawing us in like moths, falling for the romantic illusions and cheap thrills of metropolis. How long until we realise: it was all a terrible mistake. /

NTU CCA SINGAPORE / THE POSTHUMAN CITY
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

The exhibition The Posthuman City concerns itself with the phenomenon of global urban growth and the pressures it creates on natural resources and habitats. For the exhibition’s identity, we proposed a visual overload, mirroring urban density and the metropolitan palimpsest of information, sight, sound, movement. The layers are structured by a gridded title typography running nowhere, and a toxic, sickening neon green, which found its way into the Exhibition Hall as a glaring backdrop to underline the urgency of the artworks.

/ Commissioned by / NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore /
/ Artists / Irene Agrivina, Animali Domestici, Pierre Huyghe, Ines Doujak, Jae Rhim Lee, Lucy + Jorge Orta, Nicholas Mangan, Marjetica Potrc, Hito Steyerl /

As we count the days, ever pushing forward, impatiently, barely taking the time to breathe. Who wants to look back? When all we build is built on sand, threatening to collapse as soon as we stop moving. /

NTU CCA SINGAPORE / STAGINGS. SOUNDINGS. READINGS. FREE JAZZ II
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

The exhibition Stagings. Soundings. Readings. Free Jazz II revisits the NTU CCA Singapore’s inaugural event, in celebration of its 5th anniversary. As the Free Jazz series is dedicated to time-based and performative arts, while also marking a specific point in time in the institute’s history, we honoured the occasion with a publication in form of a Chinese tear-off wall calendar, functioning as a schedule to the series of events over several months, while also becoming a performative act in itself. In addition, artists and writers attached to the institute created specific contributions for the daily pages.

/ Commissioned by / NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore /
/ Artists & Contributors / Carlos Casas and Phill Niblock, Heman Chong, Tyler Coburn, Luke Fowler, Anton Ginzburg, Maria Loboda, Boris Nieslony, Cally Spooner, Alexandra Pirici, Kelly Reedy, Anca Rujoiu, Justin Shoulder and Bhenji Ra, Mariana Silva, Peter Sipeli and 1angrynative, Lee Wen, Ming Wong /

The beauty of matter, unaware of these false categories. Only pure and unhindered, organic growth, strategical, chaotic, selfish, and yet so perfect. These complex, irresistible cycles of life. /

NTU CCA SINGAPORE / TREES OF LIFE – KNOWLEDGE IN MATERIAL
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

The exhibition Trees of Life – Knowledge in Material forms an inquiry into four plants deeply rooted in Asia: indigo, lacquer, rattan, and mulberry. It explores their biological knowledge as well as their social, geopolitical, and historical contexts, in the shape of an exhibition accompanied by topical seminars and workshops, combining scientific research with artistic practice. For the identity, we straddled the divide between the artistic and scientific sides of the exhibition, following nature’s organic and seemingly uncontrolled growth by letting the typography quite literally flow and spread across the pages, posters, and walls.

/ Commissioned by / NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore /
/ Artists / Liang Shaoji, Manish Nai, Phi Phi Oanh, Sopheap Pich, Vivian Xu /

Pictures of you, not so long ago and yet barely recognisable. A gentle unease, confusing dissonance between then and now. Faint memories difficult to reconcile with what you have become; look at you now. /

NTU CCA SINGAPORE / ULRIKE OTTINGER: CHINA. THE ARTS – THE PEOPLE
/ ART DIRECTION / DESIGN /

The exhibition ‚Ulrike Ottinger: China. The Arts – the People‘ consists of a series of photographs and films taken during the artist’s extensive travels throughout China and Mongolia in the early 1980s, at a time when China in particular was on the brink of transitioning from Mao’s reign into modernity. Accordingly, we treated the central Exhibition Guide like a souvenir booklet, with the artworks unfolding like a set of tourist postcards from a country at a different time and place. While the circular typography is inspired by classic Chinese imagery of dragons, the colour scheme references the Chinese flag.

/ Commissioned by / NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore /
/ Artist / Ulrike Ottinger /