Glossary

A glossary of global art terms, alongside jargon and phrases coined in Southeast Asia. These definitions cite examples of artists, exhibitions, techniques, and more, in which the phrases have been applied.

  • Tempera

    Tempera is the technique of painting with pigments bound in a water-soluble emulsion, such as water and egg yolk, or an oil-in-water emulsion such as oil and a whole egg. Some tempera paints are made with an artificial emulsion using gum or glue. Traditionally applied to a rigid support such as a wood panel, the paint dries to a hard film. AWDB highlighted artist: Sinta Tantra. Source: tate.org.uk
  • Transnational

    A transnational artist is someone whose work is influenced by the experiences of multiple countries, cultures, and art histories. Aiming to highlight collective global issues by bringing together elements from different backgrounds, they create art that reflects on living in a globalised world and uncover otherwise unrepresented histories. Transnational artists may operate within a global context, or choose to focus on specific regions, with personal experiences and identity often serving as a driving force behind their exploration of multiple cultures. Source: AWDB team. AWDB highlighted artist: Pio Abad.
  • Trapunto

    An Italian padded quilting technique, trapunto is a decorative quilted design in high relief worked through at least two layers of cloth by outlining the design in running stitch and padding it from the underside. Source: Merriam-Webster.com. AWDB featured artist: Pacita Abad.
  • Triennial

    A triennial - also known as triennale - large-scale contemporary art exhibition that occurs every three years. Like a biennial, it is often attached to a particular place and is typified by its national or international outlook. The Tate Triennial showcases new developments in British art and the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, which was established in 1993, is the only major international exhibition to focus on art from Asia, the Pacific and Australia. Source: tate.org.uk
  • Trompe l’oeil

    Trompe l’oeil is a French phrase meaning ‘deceives the eye’ used to describe paintings that create the illusion of a real object or scene. AWDB highlighted artist: Zico Albaiquni  Source: tate.org