Juliana Yasin (1970–27 August 2014) was a Singaporean contemporary artist and curator whose practice spanned painting, installation, video, and performance art. Her works examined notions of identity, subjectivity, and community practices. Pedagogy and research further complemented her artistic practice, with Juliana having taught fine art at Kolej Bandar Utama in Kuala Lumpur and worked as a Singapore-based researcher for the Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong.
Juliana is notable as "one of the early voices of Malay women contemporary artists", exploring the position of Muslim women in Singaporean society through her practice since the 1990s. She was an active member of significant contemporary art groups in Singapore such as The Artists Village (TAV) and Plastique Kinetic Worms (PKW). Juliana also co-curated the first iteration of the community-based Jatiwangi Art Festival in 2006, later taking Jatiwangi in West Java, Indonesia as her "second home".
On 27 August 2014, following a long battle with cervical cancer, Juliana died aged 44.
Education and personal life
Juliana was born in 1970 to a Chinese mother and a Malay father, both of Muslim faith. From 1989 to 1990, Juliana was a student at the LASALLE College of the Arts, leaving the college without completing her studies there. In 1993, she left Singapore to pursue her art education in Western Australia, graduating in 1994 with a Diploma in Fine Art from the TAFE Claremont Art School, Perth (now known as Central Institute of Technology). In 1996, she proceeded to obtain a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Curtin University of Technology, Perth (now known as Curtin University).
Juliana's relationship with religion developed over the years. Her parents have been suggested to be conservative, with Juliana mentioning in a 1992 article in The Straits Times that she would "have to lock [her]self in [her] bedroom to paint [her] nude self-portraits." She wore headscarves as a teenager, only to stop during her university years in Australia; she also embarked on pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina.
Following her co-curation of the first Jatiwangi Art Festival in 2006, Juliana would find a "second home" in Jatiwangi, West Java, Indonesia, returning to the semi-industrialised village several times over the years and continuing to organise some of her projects there.
In October 2007, Juliana was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer, which went into remission following treatment. Juliana continued to practice art while receiving treatment, checking herself into hospital every day for chemotherapy while preparing for her solo show held at Plastique Kinetic Worms just two months later in December 2007.
In February 2014, she would have to undergo intensive surgery following a relapse of the disease, which had spread to other organs. By March 2014, the local art community had rallied together for Artists for Artist, a fundraising exhibition to fund Juliana's medical treatment. Organised by Yvonne Lee, former director of the now-defunct Plastique Kinetic Worms, the exhibition included works from more than 40 artists, featuring prominent Singaporean artists such as Amanda Heng, Vincent Leow, and Tang Da Wu. Juliana would succumb to cancer on 27 August 2014, passing away at the age of 44.
Career
Early career and collaborations
Throughout her artistic career, Juliana participated in over 60 exhibitions locally and internationally, in countries such as Australia, Germany, Ireland and Poland. From the 1990s onwards, she was an active member of significant contemporary art groups in Singapore such as The Artists Village (TAV) and Plastique Kinetic Worms (PKW).
In 1991, for the National Sculpture Exhibition at the then-National Museum Art Gallery, Juliana would perform alongside Amanda Heng and Ho Soon Yeen for Heng's performance work, Woman, Space and Objects, which explored the interconnections between exhibition site, objects, and the bodies of women. In their attempt to break from stereotypes, their performance envisioned an ironic outcome, with Heng parodying the stance of the Statue of Liberty. In 1992, Juliana would once again work with Heng to perform Her Identity alongside Ho and Chen Kun Yi for The Space, a significant exhibition organised by The Artists Village at the now-demolished Hong Bee Warehouse. Later in September 1992, Juliana would exhibit work alongside Chen for A Frame of Mind, a two-artist exhibition exploring issues of women and the body as part of The Substation's New Criteria exhibition series.