singapore art gallery guide - nov/dec 2015

Singapore Art Gallery Guide 1

Singapore Art Gallery Guide2

Editor's Note

That’s right, it’s that time again. The art fair season begins this November, and SAGG will be there to guide you through the exciting events to come, whether it’s pointing out the unmissable highlights, the hidden gems, the promising newcomers or the unexpected surprises. Kicking off the season is also perhaps the most accessible: the Affordable Art Fair Singapore, running from 12 – 15 November, and of which SAGG is an associate partner. Quoting the artist William Morris, the organisers emphasise their agenda: “I do not want Art for a few any more than I want education for a few, or freedom for a few”. Then following quickly on its heels is the smaller Bank Art Fair from 19 – 22 November. Its intimate, exclusive atmosphere and high quality participants promise a noteworthy four days.Then of course in January comes Art Stage Singapore and the new Singapore Contemporary. SAGG is media partner of all these fairs, and we

will bring you more in the next issue and on our website. But to get you started now, in this issue we have an article written by Weiren Loh, Gallery Director of Barnadas Huang, which offers tips for visitors and buyers on how to prepare and make the most of an art fair. We also introduce abstract art by Simon Wee, as well as the artists Cai Jun, Zhao Xiaodan, and Sun Shang, whose works will be presented at Affordable Art Fair.Finally, on the cover we feature the sculpture ‘Burning Love’ by artist Xie Ke, who exhibited at Singapore Art Fair last November. This is Xie’s most significant sculptural work to date, inspired by his passionate engagement with China’s fate – past, present and future – and taking its form from the Chinese character 爱 (Love). Love, a perfect note on which to end. Now, let’s all go to the fair!

Irene [email protected]

"Take me to the fair, Take me to the fair, don't know anywhere, I would rather be. Let's go to the fair, We'll walk hand in hand, through Tomorrow Land, Honey you and me” ~ Elvis Presley’s ‘Take me to the Fair’, from the 1963 film “It happened at the World’s Fair”

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Front Page Cover Artwork Xie Ke

Burning LoveChrome Steel

H250 x W180 x D95 cm2014

at HaKaren Art Gallery

Editor-in-Chief & Art Director Irene Marx, [email protected]

Editors/Writers Zoe Goldstein Vanessa Low

Business DevelopmentKelly Reedy

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Deadline for Jan/Feb 2015 issue: Friday, 04 December 2015

November/December 2015Vol 11 | N° 8

We have taken great effort to assure the information provided in the Singapore

Art Gallery Guide (SAGG) is correct, but disclaim liability for all loss or damage, whether direct or indirect, arising out of

or in connection with the use of or the reliance on the contents of the SAGG

and advise you to confirm or verify crucial information with the relevant

galleries/venues.

6 COVER STORY:

XIE KE – New Sculptures

10 A Grey Matter: An interview with

Jason Wee by Vanessa Low

16 新寶鳳閩劇團 Hokkien Opera

18 Still In Print

20 5 Tips to make the most of an art fair

22 Emerging Power by Asian Art Platform

26 Simon Wee

30 Escape from Reality

34 The Artists Society of Singapore

40 REDSEA Gallery presents

Peter Steinhauer

46 Exhibitions & Event Listings

59 Art Services

60 Venues


Features

XIE KE

The Multi-disciplinary Artistic Force

Xie Ke’s natural passion and curiosity, his training and exposure in the multi-disciplines in the visual art – these are the strengths which inspire him into being a multi-disciplinary art exponent. His graphic design and illustration experiences, his involvement in television and media, his flair in photography and print-making – all these areas make up a background which ensure artistic diversity. Subsequently, as he gained in maturity in the realm of fine art, he steered himself towards concentration on painting and sculpture exclusively which offered great potential.

An intellectual with a degree in Art History of Traditional Chinese Art from the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University, Beijing, his serious art – painting and sculpture – is often driven by his critical views of the human dilemma and drama of China

left: Xie Ke, A Belief, Chrome Steel, H58 cm, 2011right: Xie Ke, In Meditation, Chrome Steel, H 52 cm, 2013

New Sculptures


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particularly her history, cultural achievements, renewal, and future. Xie’s artworks – whose process always receive critical attention – invariably enjoy the quality enhancement given by clarity of statement, precision of visual expression and rare technical finesse. Besides his intellectual and artistic prowess, Xie has another formidable strength – his ardent belief that his art is a powerful instrument towards his passionate ideals in China’s rebounding and reconstruction. The intensity and depth of Xie Ke’s inspiration from the artistic treasures of China is vividly revealed in his insight.

Steel – A Dynamic Artistic Medium

In Xie’s wide-ranging artistic pursuits which involve considerate thought and experimentation and often in search of a brilliant symbol as the focus, the sculpture artwork titled Ascend occupies a notable place. Xie said: “Often the best idea or the most obvious one evades the artist with him moving forward and backward before arriving at the solution.”

As a sculptural work, Ascend is no less successful. So strategically is the diagonal thrust of the work positioned that it moves with force and speed into space. In another dimension, the surface of the chrome steel structure shimmers with silvery reflections. Ultimately, it is the aura of a vibrant imagery infused with vitality and potential that captures our imagination. Xie Ke, Ascend, Chrome Steel, Bronze

H83 x W54 x D24 cm, 2014

CoverStory


Monumental Sculpture of Consequence

Xie’s most significant sculpture artwork – of monumental scale measuring 2.5 metres in height and which consumed months of the artist’s professional time – was inspired by Dr. Sun’s vision for China. Entitled Burning Love, it takes the form of the Chinese character 爱 (Love), an aesthetically beautiful character which has endeared itself to the Chinese family throughout history. W.Y. Choy, Artist and Art Critic, Singapore 2015

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Xie Ke A Perfectionist

Acrylic on Canvas

120 x 100 cm 2013

Xie Ke, Burning Love, Chrome Steel H250 x W180 x D95 cm, 2014


Exhibition: Young Heart, Burning LoveDates: 27 November – 13 December 2015Venue: HaKaren Art Gallery, 19 Tanglin Road #02-43 Tanglin Shopping Center, Singapore 247909Website: www.hakaren.com

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Xie Ke, My Choice in Life, Chrome Steel, H52 cm, 2014


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Jason Wee at Volume Art Book Fair in SydneyPhoto by Vanessa Low

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Situated in Tiong Bahru, Grey Projects is a non-profit artists’ space that focuses on supporting emerging practices. Just as the name suggests, Grey Projects is fuelled by ongoing creative initiatives encompassing a variety of curatorial, publication, design and experimental projects. The space consists of two galleries, a library and a studio, and is the host of both local and international artist residencies. The founder of Grey Projects, Jason Wee, is an artist, curator and writer based in Singapore and New York; his interest in nascent art practices is carried over into the ethos behind the creative melting pot that is Grey Projects.

A Grey MatterAn interview with Jason Wee by Vanessa Low

Grey Projects Gallery 1. Image courtesy of Grey Projects

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Vanessa Low: Artist-run spaces are quite unique in Singapore; can you describe how Grey Projects started?

Jason Wee: About 7 years ago I started Grey Projects – actually out of my apartment in River Valley, which is not far from the neighborhood that we are in now. I held exhibitions by artists and organised residencies in partnership with the Art Incubator, a residency program by the curator Charmaine Toh that also began that same year. Our studio, publishing and library initiatives came much later when we moved into Tiong Bahru.

VL: Could you explain the meaning behind the name Grey Projects?

JW: One way to think about it is a deliberate smudge of what people expect from exhibition spaces, freeing us to project ourselves into other exhibitionary practices and other disciplines. Another way is to think about the material textures of our space itself, which is dominantly grey. My first space had no paint on the walls, just grey plaster and concrete. Yet another way is to consider grey as the mix of several different pigments, which is another way of describing how we do a few things at the same time - publishing, organising, curating, exchanges, residencies.

VL: The concept of exchange is at the crux of Grey Projects. Can you talk about the different initiatives that you run to facilitate the cross-pollination of artistic ideas, curatorial concepts, and creative texts?

Grey Projects Gallery 2. Image courtesy of Grey Projects


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JW: We run residency exchanges with partner spaces around the region and further afield, usually spaces with parallel outlooks and scales. In the past two years, we have exchanged artists with Taipei Artist Village, Platform3 in Bandung, Casa Tres Patios in Medellin, and Hangar in Barcelona, and we announced a new exchange with a space in Venezuala. I would like to create one with Sydney, let’s see!

We also run a Print Lab program, where we organise workshops where individuals can learn how to make their own books, how to do page layouts, how to create unique typography, or how to bind pages into books. At the same time, we launch an open call for artists’ books as we turn our galleries into a temporary bookstore. We have received wonderful contributions from artists, illustrators, photographers and architects. When the bookstore ends, we take a selection of these books to art book fairs. We have participated in the Singapore Art Book Fair, the Tokyo Art Book Fair and most recently the Volume Art Book Fair in Sydney.

VL: In contrast to government-run museums and galleries, as an independent space you are able to exhibit more experimental practices and works that focus on taboo subjects – such as the recent exhibit ‘8 Women’ which featured photographs of transwomen living in Farrer Park. What do you gain from exhibiting these varied voices?

Grey Projects Studio. Image courtesy of Grey Projects


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JW: It is crucial for me that our visitors understand that Grey Projects maintains a welcome for individuals and forms of representation that might not find visibility elsewhere, that might even encounter outright hostility. I would love for Grey Projects to be a social space as much as it is an art space.

VL: Grey Projects, based in Tiong Bahru, has a focus on giving visibility to Singaporean artists. However there are also efforts to connect to international art communities as well. Why is this a focus?

JW: Because we are, in the end, a small place in a big world.

VL: Grey Projects also publishes various books; can you describe the different kinds of texts you are interested in promoting?

JW: We are interested in curatorial and art writing, but even those are not restrictions as much as they are challenges, to think and rethink their formal and affective possibilities. We have also supported poets and playwrights through our residencies as well as our publications. We published a volume by Shubigi Rao, an artist who thinks of herself as a bad poet from a family of poets. We are also in the middle of editing a volume of doggerel-like lyrics by the performance artist Lee Wen.

Grey Projects Library. Image courtesy of Grey Projects


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Current & Upcoming Exhibitions at Grey Projects

Vanessa BanVanessa Ban is a graphic designer, artist, and lecturer. Her work focuses heavily on the cross-fields of contemporary art and graphic design, with clients ranging from institutions, and SM enterprises to independent artists, writers and curators.

Dates: Till 22 November 2015Venue: Grey Projects, 6B Kim Tian Road, Tiong Bahru, Singapore 169246Hours: Wed – Fri 1pm – 7pm, Sat 1pm – 6pm

Joshua YangJoshua Yang is a member of artist collective Vertical Submarine.

Dates: 25 November – 16 January 2015 Grey Projects will be closed for its year-end break from 6 Dec 2015 - 5 Jan 2016.Venue: Grey Projects, 6B Kim Tian Road, Tiong Bahru, Singapore 169246Hours: Wed – Fri 1pm – 7pm, Sat 1pm – 6pm

VL: What can we expect from Grey Projects in the future?

JW: We have an exhibition by the young designer Vanessa Ban, as well as new paintings by Joshua Yang, a member of the Vertical Submarine collective, and new punk paintings by Lee Wen.


新寶鳳閩劇團 Hokkien OperaA photo-documentary by Arron Teo

Arron Teo photo-documents the 新寶鳳閩劇團 Hokkien Opera performance on stage during the haze period in September 2015. The PSI level was hovering around 200 that night and the opera singers had to sing out loud as the mic & sound system was down. "It's a mixed feeling, it saddens me to see them sing in the haze, but I feel the warmness from their passion for this traditional art."


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Still In Print10 Years of BooksActually

Whoever said that print is going the way of dinosaurs will probably have to eat their words now. Come November, homegrown independent bookstore BooksActually will celebrate 10 years of fighting for the right for local writers to be read and heard, for their right to publish, and to ensure that books will always remain a part of our lives. Christ Ong, Programme Manager at The Substation, speaks with founder Kenny Leck and the people behind BooksActually about their upcoming commemorative exhibition 10 Years of BooksActually, their past highlights, and future aspirations.

Chris Ong: Congratulations on your 10th year anniversary, and on having an exhibition to celebrate and commemorate this significant milestone! What can we look forward to seeing in this exhibition?

BooksActually: In this exhibition, we will aim to recreate the past five locations of BooksActually: Yong Siak Street (current), Club Street, Ann Siang Hill, Telok Ayer Street, and even before we had a brick-and-mortar, the NUS AS6 Walkway. We are also taking this opportunity to exhibit all the old books and memorabilia collected in the last decade and even have some of them on sale. As we are currently aiming to buy a permanent home for the bookstore, we will be selling original artworks and merchandise to raise the money.

Chris Ong: It must have been a journey of trials and tribulations for yourself and your team in the past 10 years. Can you recount some of your most memorable moments running the bookstore?

Kenny Leck: Rescuing three cats, setting up our publishing arm Math Paper Press, the endless stream of books we got to read, the many friends that we have made over the past decade, and meeting my future wife.


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TheSubstationSoapbox

Chris Ong: After this 10-year milestone, what are your future plans and goals for the next 10, 20, or dare we say, 50 years? And what are your aspirations for, and predictions about the literary scene here in Singapore?

BooksActually: BooksActually was built in a competitive city obsessed with winning, a society that views ambition as a ladder one must climb to reach monetary success. A child who has read and loved Philip Pullman, an adolescent who was inspired by the life and work of Nikola Tesla, or someone who has abandoned a career to write full-time, should not be considered eccentrics. For ten years, the bookstore has been striving to convince the nation that inventing your life's own meaning is allowed, being different does not make you a subversive, and success can come in the form of courage and creativity.We believe this to be a lifelong struggle, and we will probably never enjoy the fruits of our labour in this lifetime, but as long as it continues to be part of the bigger tapestry, the bookstore will keep at it for as long as it takes.

Exhibition: 10 Years of BooksActuallyDates: 18 – 21 November 2015Opening: Wednesday, 18 November, at 7.30pm Venue: The Substation Gallery, 45 Armenian Street, Singapore 179936Hours: 12noon – 8pm daily, closed on public holidays. Free admission.


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As gallerists, many of our clients have asked us regularly about the best way to enjoy and make full use of an art fair, given the recent proliferation of art fairs not only in Singapore, but also the region. Having participated in our share of art fairs – and given one of the biggest art events in Singapore, the Affordable Art Fair, takes place this month – we thought it opportune for gallery director, Weiren Loh, to share his experience to art fair attendees:

1. Know your needs. It’s good to know what your starting point is. Are you looking for a specific space in your house to fill, or are you just browsing? Do you know the measurements of the painting you would like? What type of pieces you are looking to purchase – South East Asian or European; by emerging or established artists? Have you got a budget in mind? Getting these preliminary questions out of the way pave the way for a productive day at the fair.

2. Do your homework. It’s always worth looking at the website of the fair before you visit it to find out more about the fair and its exhibitors. You’ll know how many galleries will be participating in the fair, the regions they come from, and the type of art they carry. Do remember that different fairs cater to different buyers, so it’s best to know what to expect before you step in.

3. Attend the VIP Previews. Most fairs have a VIP Preview night open to exclusive guests and collector invitees. The best pieces by the top artists tend to go quickly on these nights. If you know what you already want, this would be the time to move quickly. For example, at the Affordable Art Fair in Hong Kong, the 2 largest pieces by our up-and-coming Monica Dixon sold within an hour of the VIP Preview to 2 very important collectors. But if you’re not sure about what you want, and you wish to take your time to browse the fair leisurely, then attending on a quieter weekday may suit you better.

5 Tipsto make the most of an art fair

by Weiren Loh

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4. Make full use of the activities. To encourage audience participation and to attract visitors, most fairs organise talks for their attendees. These talks are often given by someone with expertise or experience in the field, and are a good way to bolster your knowledge, whether on art history or the art market. Fairs like the Affordable Art Fair regularly host “speed dating” sessions that introduce fair attendees to 5 participating galleries, all of which would give a 5 minute talk on various art topics – it’s hard for us to think of a better crash course to learn and expand your horizons!

5. Don’t be afraid to ask. With a wide selection of galleries, an art fair is one of the best places for you to ask questions you were always too afraid to ask. Each gallery will bring with it its knowledge and experience in its respective art market. For example, we have received inquiries on the background of our artists, requests for a crash course in Spanish art history and questions on what makes us different from other galleries. And don’t worry, most galleries are approachable and are always happy to help!

To wrap up, while this may seem like a little bit of a cliché, art should always be fun – whether you are a veteran or newbie to collecting. Nothing beats the exhilaration of being surrounded by thousands of beautiful art pieces, or the moment when you fall in love with your first piece. While an art fair is perfect for learning and browsing, just remember that, at the end of the day, it’s the enjoyment of the experience that matters most.

Barnadas Huang is at Stand 3D-21 of the Affordable Art Fair Singapore, Fall Edition. The fair runs from 12 to 15 November 2015, with the VIP Preview taking place on 11 November 2015, at the F1 Pit Building on Republic Boulevard, Singapore.

TheInsider's

Perspective

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Weiren Loh

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Asian Art Platform opened its doors in January 2015 with a mission to provide a platform for artists and collectors to meet. Asian Art Platform provides 1-to-1 consultancy services, whilst also running regular exhibitions in Singapore, showcasing Chinese artists to an international audience.

The gallery is primarily focused on the post-80s generation in China, those born and raised during 1981 – 1989. This group is incredibly interesting because they are the first generation post the Cultural Revolution, which was a hugely turbulent and contentious period in recent Chinese history. After its conclusion, China saw major reforms, including the introduction of a free, 9-year compulsory education program and the well-publicized ‘one child policy’ that has vastly altered the social and cultural landscape of modern China.

They are a generation that has grown up in a wildly different situation to their grandparents and parents – who just a few years earlier were suffering great financial hardship in the grips of the Cultural Revolution. The post-80s generation in the meantime took advantage of free education, connection to the outside world and was the first group to enjoy widespread access to digital media and electronic products.

Coupling all these factors together has also driven a huge focus on academic achievement, which in the arts space has created a large pool of artists who are technically brilliant, many boasting masters degrees from the esteemed Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing (CAFA). The gallery's focus is on identifying those artists with the right passion, mindset, technique and ‘unique identity’ to become a future master.

Emerging Power by Asian Art Platform

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Focus on Cai JunOne of Asian Art Platform's favourite artists is Cai Jun who was born in Chengdu, 1981 and currently works in Beijing. Cai Jun produces works by combining his love of ‘people watching’ and his imagination to produce humorous and playful characters and scenes.

When asked recently about his views and experiences of being a post-80s child, he said “I definitely consider myself lucky for being part of the post-80s generation, having witnessed the transition into a new era. When it came to art, China, after its reform imported a large number of quality animations from other countries. Those animations are now precious memories for me, having sparked my interest in art and laid the foundation for my artistic developments.”

Jaws by Cai Jun, 110 x 140cm, Oil on Canvas, 2015


Focus on Zhao XiaodanBorn in 1986, Zhao Xiaodan provides a very different artistic

output to that of Cai Jun. Her paintings are deceptively cheerful in their imagery and colors, but beneath their childlike, almost cartoon-like simplicity, the works look critically at the Chinese education system.

In her work, she questions her experience as a child of the most benefited generation, subtly revealing how China’s strong rooted communism and socialism is wiping away children’s individualities.

A collection of works by Zhao Xiaodan, 52 x 72 cm, Acrylic on Paper, 2015

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Victory by Cai Jun 120 x 120 cm Oil on Canvas

2015

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Event: Affordable Art Fair Singapore Level 2 in paddock 3 at 2C-04Venue: F1 Pit Building, No.1 Republic Boulevard, Singapore 038975 Dates: 12 November: 12 pm – 8 pm 13 November: 12 pm – 10 pm 14 November: 11 am – 7 pm 15 November: 11 am – 6 pmWebsite: www.asianartplatform.comEmail: [email protected]: 6636 9744 or 8333 0262

Focus on Sun ShangSun Shang epitomizes the excellent caliber of arts education

within China, and the huge focus on mastering technique first and foremost. Born in 1985, he graduated from CAFA with a master’s degree in sculpting in 2014. He said of his time there “We advocate mastery in skill/technique, we believe to have good skill is the first step to producing good art. Technique training was crucially strict in the art academy, which I think has benefitted me the most in my work.”

His skill and technique shines through in his works. He has a gift for breathing life into wood, a material that seems hard and lifeless to most of us. His wooden sculptures of people are flawlessly life-like; as if they are minutes from a slice of life, frozen for pause and contemplation.

A Hope by Sun Shang 49 x 35 x 25 cm Acrylic on Camphor Wood 2014

Simon Wee was born in Singapore in 1946. He graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1967. The renowned first-generation Master Painter Chen Wen Hsi was his first teacher who introduced him to the basics of painting.

Most of Simon's works are painted with white, black and gold, which are his main, primary colours. The strokes are simple yet profound, as if they were derived from the inner recess of his feelings. Each of his artwork is full of energy and strength.

Simon’s one-breath-one-stroke extraordinary and unique acrylic style has impressed many art collectors, such as the National Art Gallery, several banks, property developers, private collectors and organisations. Just recently, British Airways added his work to

Simon WeeAppreciating Abstract Art

@ B2-04, Affordable Art Fair Singapore

Simon Wee, Abundance, 2015, Acrylic on Canvas, 92 cm x 92 cm

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their collection, and now showcases it in a permanent installation at Changi International Airport Singapore. His works have been exhibited across Asia, as well as in Abu Dhabi, Italy, Paris, Seoul and Shanghai. His works will be presented by Tembusu Art Gallery at this month's Affordable Art Fair Singapore from 12 - 15 November 2015 at F1 Pit Building.

British Airways Collection

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British Airways Collection


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Event: Affordable Art Fair Singapore, Booth B2-04Venue: F1 Pit Building, No.1 Republic Boulevard, Singapore 038975 Dates: Private View (by invitation only): 11 November, Wed 6 – 10pm 12 November: 12 pm – 8 pm 13 November: 12 pm – 10 pm 14 November: 11 am – 7 pm 15 November: 11 am – 6 pmWebsite: www.tembusu-art.com.sg

Simon Wee

Simon Wee, Love Be Strong, 2015, Acrylic on Linen, 100 cm x 100 cm



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Escape from Reality

Magali Pagani’s debut exhibition

'Soul Solace'

Written by Zoe Goldstein

Magali Pagani, Brazilian artist and photographer currently living in Singapore

'Soul Solace' at the Brazilian Embassy in Singapore is Magali Pagani’s first painting exhibition. In it, she focuses on nature and how she relates to it, which is the thematic red thread running through all of her work, be it photography or painting.

Pagani is an experienced photographer, first picking up a camera as a young woman while still living in her native Brazil. Back then she worked with analogue techniques and photographed mostly for herself, using her camera as a tool to portray the situations, objects and persons that she observed around her, and as a way to express the emotions that such observations stirred in her. During her 20 years living in London, she expanded and developed her skills. When she finally made the transition to digital, this took her photographic ambitions to a new level, and since her move to Singapore in August 2012, her photography business quickly took off, particularly portraiture, though she is equally at home in architecture, food, product and travel photography.

Her interest in photography began while studying to become a journalist in Brazil, and this documentary pursuit to portraying reality “in its purest form” is evident in her style. But with her painting, Pagani rather focuses on escaping reality and its consequences,

Magali Pagani, Stealing my Thunder, 2015, Acrylic on Linen, 3 panels, 182.5 cm x 122 cm


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letting herself slide into an exploration of perceptions, feelings, suggestions and allusions: “My love for shapes, colours, textures, light and life’s emotions is what makes me to want to capture almost everything that surrounds me.” Colour and texture flow freely, her large expressive canvasses evoke movement and atmosphere, her mixed media pieces play with surface and form.

Her introduction to painting came through attending short courses at Lasalle College of the Arts and Miu Art Centre in Singapore, and then, to further her technique, she took lessons with the Brazilian artist Rosangela Kogiso. Of her diverse approach to artistic expression, Pagani explains: “It is because of the urge to represent and express my thoughts and feelings that I find it sometimes difficult to maintain a stylistic coherence kept and preferred by most artists. For me, rather than consistency, I follow my desire to experiment and to represent my perception and sensibility through a variety of shapes, textures and figures, not always to be explained but to be simply appreciated.”

Magali Pagani, Amy’s Unstoppable Self-Menace 2015, Oil on Canvas, 122 cm x 182.5 cm

Magali Pagani, Forgiveness Washes Away All Sins 2015, Oil on Linen, 150 x 123 cm

Exhibition: Soul SolaceDates: 23 November – 3 December 2015Venue: Brazilian Embassy in Singapore 101 Thomson Rd, #10-05 United Square, Singapore 307591Hours: By appointment only. Please contact Magali Pagani at [email protected] or call +(65) 93874727.



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The Artists Society of Singapore is a nonprofit organisation that consists of an independent group of Singaporean artists, ranging from students, working adults, professionals and older members of the community with a common passion for art making. In conjunction with Singapore's 50th year anniversary, The Artists Society will hold its first exhibition from 6th to 9th November 2015 at The Old Hill Street Police Station's ARTrium. In this exhibition, the artists present works that reflect their appreciation of Singapore via local themes. Ren Jianhui, President of The Artists Society of Singapore, tells us more about the organisation's recent development.

The Artists Society of Singapore Exhibition

ime flies. In a blink of the eye, it has

been four years since our last publication, a compilation of sketch drawings, was released in 2011. We are now publishing the second volume focusing on oil paintings. In these few years, our members have made significant progress from just taking a light-hearted pastime in drawing and painting to becoming professional artists in the making. A few among us have even gotten international exposure, such as participation in invitational exhibitions and inclusion in international publications. For example, William Tan’s work

was selected and collected by the 2014 Exhibition of Overseas Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy and awarded with distinction; he was also featured in Strokes of Genius, a global art publication in USA, in 2013. In the same publication series, Ms. Juliana Chan was featured in the 2014 and 2015 editions. Ms. Eu Oy Chun’s oil painting, which was exhibited in the 21st Anniversary Celebration Exhibition of Federation of Art Societies (FAS) in 2012, was selected and published in Chuan Cheng Yu Dian Fan by Jinlin Fine Arts Publishing House; while she was also invited into a panel of six international artists

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Juliana Chan, Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown, 2014

featured in a publication by a Chinese periodical in 2015. Furthermore, landscape and still-life oil paintings by Ms. Debbie Lee, Ms. Juliana Chan, Mr. William Tan, Ms. Feng Xiaojing, Mr. Kent Ng, Ms. Helen Li, Ms. Teo Ai Woon and Ms. Eu Oy Chun

were published in the bi-monthly Asian Art magazine in celebration of SG50 this year. Their progress in art has been tremendous over the short span of several years. Besides achieving improvements in techniques by a series of systematic training in the


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Tan Ruixiang William, Surging Forward, 2015

light of Academicism, their individual artistic styles are also intact while improving on foundational skills including compositional balance, tonal control, more appropriate brushstrokes as well as a more

precise styling of figures and viewer perspectives. It will not be difficult to spot each of their distinct individual styles in time to come. Our members have been actively participating and being selected while receiving

Ng Kong Ngoh (Kent), Little India, Dunlop Street, 2013


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Feng Xiaojing, Boat Quay Road No. 2, 2015

En Oy Chun, Top Park in Asia, 2014

positive comments in almost all the exhibitions organised by the FAS in these years, especially contributing to the golden jubilee of Singapore as well as the prosperity of the local art circle in its SG50 exhibition.

To celebrate the year of golden jubilee, the Artists Society of Singapore has organized its very first art exhibition. I wish us all the best!”

(Ren Jianhui, President of The Artists Society of Singapore)


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Exhibition: Artists Society of Singapore Exhibition 2015Dates: 6 – 9 November 2015Venue: ARTrium, 140 Hill Street #01-01A Old Hill Street Police Station, Singapore 179369

Debbie Lee, Heart to Heart - Singapore Bukit Timah, 2015

Ren Jian Hui, Blooming Season, 2014


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Block #87, Singapore, 2013, Peter Steinhauer, Photograph on Hahnemühle Paper

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REDSEA Gallery presents

Peter Steinhauer


Have you ever walked past the brightly coloured graphically numbered HDB blocks found in Singapore and found them strangely alluring? Well, you aren’t alone. Internationally acclaimed, urban photographic artist, Peter Steinhauer found himself pulled to capture these unique buildings whilst he lived here in Singapore back in 2013.

Home to 80% of Singapore’s population these Housing Development Board buildings were built to provide not just housing but as a means to integrate communities and cultural diversity throughout Singapore. But not for them the grey, ugly blocks normally associated with government housing, instead they are bright candy-coloured and cheerful buildings that Steinhauer just knew he had to document having never seen them anywhere else in the world.

Peter Steinhauer is an internationally-acclaimed urban photographic artist. The recipient of numerous international photographic awards, his work is held in galleries, museums and private collections worldwide. Steinhauer lived in Asia for over 21 years between Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore and in this time

Block 167, Singapore, 2013, Peter Steinhauer, Photograph on Hahnemühle Paper

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focused his skills on documenting cities and urban architecture. Fascinated by design, architecture and graphic design/scripts, Steinhauer can make even the most mundane everyday sight oddly interesting and appealing in the way that he is drawn to capture it.

Steinhauer’s Singapore ‘Number Blocks’ capture these wonderful unique buildings in Singapore. For him the interest lies in the colour schemes and the font and script type used on these buildings, the numbers are no slapdash markings but a well thought through and essential design element to the building. Whilst his ‘Cocoon’ series, created when he lived in Hong Kong, documents the surprising beauty of a construction technique native to Hong Kong; the bamboo and fabric nets that encase the 'metamorphosis' of a building project. Both series capturing the essence of these two cities through architecture rather than social commentary.

Describing himself as a purist from a photography background not a digital artist, Steinhauer turns his striking images into large-scale photographic works, printing them all himself using archival pigment inks and the highest grade Hahnemuhle paper. Previsualising the impact of the angle and perspective of his camera lense specifically for creating larger scale works, Steinhauer’s resulting images are stuninng, monumental works that capture the very essence of the cities he moves through.

Peter Steinhauer’s ‘Singapore Number Blocks’ and Hong Kong ‘Cocoons’ series will be on show at REDSEA Gallery in Dempsey from 18 November through to the end of December.

Green Cocoon 6, Hong Kong, 2010, Peter Steinhauer, Photography Archival Pigment on Paper, 140 x 186 cm


Exhibition: Singapore Number Blocks and Cocoons by Peter SteinhauerDates: 18 November – 30 December 2015Venue: REDSEA Gallery, Block 9 Dempsey Road, Singapore 247697Hours: Open daily from 9.30am to 9pm

Yellow Cocoon 2, Hong Kong, 2011, Diptych, Peter Steinhauer, Photoraphy Archival Pigment on Paper, 140 x 212 cm

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Block #155, Singapore, 2013, Peter Steinhauer, Photograph on Hahnemühle Paper

Exhibitions & EventsFor more events and updates please go to www.sagg.info

Singapore: Our Garden of Eden is an experimental mixed media visual art exhibition that commemorates 50 years

of the nation’s independence with collaboration works of two Singapore artists. Kevin Tan (painter) and Terence Tan (photographer) are challenged to a new breakthrough on the theme of Singapore as a city in a garden. They will create jointly on the same canvas and communicate to the audience their sentiments and perspectives of what make Singapore our garden of Eden.

The exhibition advocates the ordinary and simple. Landscapes we have become accustomed to. Daily scenes we do not take a second look at. Sweltering heat we find unbearable. A clean and green environment we have grown to expect. As the artists contemplate on what they would truly love or miss about Singapore, they jointly produce art works that throw a question back at the audience: if we could just stop and look, what stunning scenes would we behold?

Terence Tan will be photographing scenes with pictures that convey the story of Singapore, while Kevin Tan will draw and paint onto the photographs his perspectives of a city in a garden.

This fine art project is timed to coincide with the jubilee celebrations this year, and will feature beautiful scenes of Singapore as a garden city through art and photography captured in rare moments and unusual angles, and layered with the artists’ own perspectives and experiences of growing up in Singapore.

Organized by Art Channel Gallery, www.artchannelgallery.com 27 Nov – 06 Dec

The Art Space @ Suntec Level 1, Tower 1, close to Lamborghini Showroom, Pasarbella & Cedele 3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-449, Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983 Opening Hours: 11am – 9.30pm daily map no. 103

Reception Exhibition Performance Guided Tour Music

Workshop Film Kids Talk/Reading Lecture

FestivalArt Fair

events

The Exquisite Art of Lacquer Paintings. Lacquer paintings are unique to Vietnam. Lacquer has evolved from an ancestral

Chinese technique into one of the most creative and modern art media. Till 10 Nov

ArtBlue Studio 23 Yong Siak Street, Tiong Bahru % 9752 5458 www.artbluestudio.com map no. 601

Truong Be, The Course of Life, 140 x 160 cm


events

DEL KATHRYN BARTON: the highway is a disco. ARNDT Singapore’s first solo exhibition by acclaimed Australian artist Del

Kathryn Barton entitled 'the highway is a disco' represents the artist’s solo debut abroad. Earning countless accolades within her home country –including winning the prestigious annual portrait competition the Archibald Portrait Prize twice – Barton is considered one of the leading artists of her generation. An accompanying hard cover book will be published by Arndt Art Agency A3 on the occasion of the exhibition. 31 Oct – 06 Dec

ARNDT Singapore stages shows of leading international artists as well as projects and curated shows featuring Southeast Asian art.

ARNDT Singapore Gillman Barracks, BLK 9 (3rd Floor) Lock Road % 6734 0775 www.arndtberlin.com Opening Hours: Tue – Sat 11am – 7pm, Sun 11am – 6pm map no. 715

Del Kathryn Barton, wild carrot dream 2015, Acrylic on French linen

160 × 140 cm

The UOB Art Collection: drawing from our past, framing our future. This exhibition features selected artworks from the UOB

art collection, which has been amassed since the 1970s. Till 18 Nov

Lim Yew Kuan: Seasons. In this second solo exhibition at NAFA, the artist presents his recent work and some of his unpublished

earlier works. Till 15 Nov

NAFA SG50 Fine Art Celebration ‘Celebrating Everyday Life’ is an overarching theme that brings together the generations

of illustrious and budding talents from the NAFA community in a celebration of its legacy and practice. Over the years, thousands of Fine Art graduates have crossed its threshold and have now become artists active in Singapore and abroad. 29 Nov – 06 Dec

Celebrating Cultural Medallion (Visual Arts). Commissioned by the National Arts Council of Singapore, NAFA brings together the

works of 37 Cultural Medallion recipients in the Visual Arts in a commemorative publication and exhibition. It includes works by illustrious artists of our time, such as painter Lim Tze Peng, ceramist Iskandar Jalil and performance artist, Lee Wen. 18 Dec – 14 Feb 2016

Art Galleries at NAFA 80 Bencoolen Street % 6512 4043 www.nafa.edu.sg Opening Hours: Tue – Sun 11am – 7pm. Closed on Monday. map no. 131

UOB Collection, Dawn, Tay Bak Kio Oil on canvas, 75 x 100 cm

Lim Yew Kuan, Roaming Cloud, 1970


Art Xchange Gallery was founded in 2009 in Surabaya, East Java. The new venue at The Herencia presents some of the best

new upcoming artists from Indonesia, such as Adrinalia, Antoe Budiono, Agung Santosa, and R. Sumantri MS, as well as works by artists from Canada and Ukraine.

Art Xchange Gallery 46 Kim Yam Road, #01-13, The Herencia % 6224 9007 www.artxchangegallery.com map no. 404

events

Riverfront Surprise. This November, the Asian Civilisations Museum promises you a refreshing cultural experience in its exciting

new spaces. Immerse yourself in contemporary art or be awed by exquisite masterpieces in the new Kwek Hong Png wing. Explore treasures recovered from the Tang Shipwreck and marvel at views of the river and skyline from the new riverfront entrance. Get a taste of Asia at the new restaurant, Empress, or just chill out with friends at the Privé Café@ACM. 14 Nov, free admission

Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) 1 Empress Place % 6332 7798 www.acm.org.sg Opening Hours: Mon 1pm – 7pm, Tue – Sun 9am – 7pm, Fri 9am – 9pm) map no. 104

Fan Shao Hua: Symphony of Happiness. After a decade of immersion and experimentation in combining the genres of

abstract expressionism and Chinese ink painting, Fan Shao Hua presents an unprecedented series of oil paintings, titled 'Symphony of Happiness'. In returning to his roots as a Chinese painter, and drawing upon his classical training in Western oil painting, Fan presents us an exciting visual ensemble where the boundaries of representation, abstraction and formalism are blurred.

The creative process begins from the point of the artist's heart, without reference to a particular subject. The tension between pictorial flatness and energetic, corporeal forms is made possible by the artist's deftness in his brushstrokes, which draws on the best traits of the xieyi tradition: lively, rhythmic and expressive, emphasizing the visually poetic qualities of Eastern painting. Grounded in life, but yet aspiring to the cosmos, to a more spiritual plane of experience – perhaps that describes the spirit of the paintings, and of the artist himself. Till 31 Jan, at Public Art Space, Pan Pacific Singapore

Asia Art Collective (Consultancy & Gallery) 19 Tanglin Road, #03-42 Tanglin Shopping Centre % 6733 2155 www.asiaartcollective.com Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm daily map no. 518


events

Introduction to Modern Art History Course: Bridging The Centuries, Fom Manet to Picasso – 5 Sessions. An overview

of the Modern Art History starting with the Impressionists in the 1860s, who inspired by their free-spirited experimentation practices, motivated new styles and techniques that gradually broke with traditional standards. Artists featured include Monet, Cezanne, Van Goh, Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso among others. The last session will be dedicated to the Singapore Modernists artists.

From Modern to Contemporary: Movements of the 20th Century – 5 sessions. Beginning with the legacy of Modern art and exploring the evolution of essential practices and mediums Post WWII, these lectures

will review the most important European and American art movements that molded the aesthetical and conceptual foundations of today’s art. Contemporary Art movements to be reviewed include Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Minimalism, Performance and Street Art among others. This course is designed for those who wish to discover more about the origins of Contemporary art.

For more info and booking go to www.corcovadoarts.com

Corcovado Arts [email protected] www.corcovadoarts.com

Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery was established in 1989 with the aspirations to encourage artistic creations and art

collection in Singapore. Through regular exhibitions, participations in art fairs and forums, Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery has achieved this. Today, it has become one of Singapore's most prominent art galleries.

Cape of Good Hope Art Gallery 140 Hill Street, #01-06, Old Hill Street Police Station % 6733 3822 www.capeofgoodhope.com.sg no. 108 Tung Yue Nang, Mother of Pearl

Ink on rice paper, 97 x 97 cm, 2014

The Two of Them – Solo exhibition by Liana Yang. This mixed media showcase by visual artist Liana Yang presents experimental

works and ideas fomented during her residency as part of DECK’s inaugural Artist in Residence (A.i.R.) programme. Till 04 Nov

DECK 120A Prinsep Street www.2902gallery.com Opening Hours: Tue – Sun 12 – 7pm, Sun 12 – 5pm map no. 134

Forever Is A Long Time by Liana Yang, 2014


Socio-criticism: Fictional Spaces by Wayne Lim and Ezekiel Wong. The notion of fictional spaces through texts and images

have constantly become a point of dialogue in the works of Wayne Lim and Ezekiel Wong. The fictional spaces found in their artworks create an artistic sensibility that can be inferred as strong critique against traditional spatial or geographiclimits that have been blurred, erased or redrawn by our socio-political conditions. The artworks try to make us re-think how such spatial conditions have been framed within our psyche as formidable spaces.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. S. Chandrasekaran, Curator/Senior Lecturer, LASALLE, College of the Arts. 28 Nov – 13 Dec

Flaneur Gallery 129 Jalan Besar www.flaneur.sg Opening Hours: Wed – Fri: 3 – 8pm, Sat + Sun: 1pm – 6pm map no. 204

events

I SEE YOU SEE ME by Mary Bernadette Lee. Mary Bernadette Lee (Mrydette) is an illustrator and a visual communication

graduate from NTU, School of Art, Design and Media. Till 8 Nov

Harvest by Han Sai Por. This large-scale multiple media installation features Han’s work in various mediums like clay, paper

and fibreglass light sculptures dotting the Esplanade’s Concourse steps and main forecourt entrance. Till 4 Jan 2016, at Concourse Steps

Twentyfifteen.sg. Featured photographers include Tay Kay Chin, Darren Soh, Tan Ngiap Heng, Leonard Goh, Sean Lee, Kevin

Lee, Robert Zhao Renhui and Lim Weixiang. Till 3 Jan 2016, at Jendela Visual Arts Space

While You Were Sleeping by Darren Soh is a collection of large-scale nocturnal landscapes of Singapore. Ten years ago, the

artist embarked on a journey of discovery, both of Singapore and of himself as a photographer. His first serious foray into photographing landscapes and spaces in Singapore would later become his first monograph, setting the stage for all the work that he has made since. 14 Nov – 04 Jan 2016, at Esplanade Tunnel

Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts. The Festival presents different Indian art forms including dance, music and theatre, featuring both classical interpretations and contemporary expressions. 20 – 29 Nov

Esplanade, Tunnel 1 Esplanade Drive www.esplanade.com map no. 100

Darren Soh


Hippop’Art Exhibition. In collaboration with French artist Arnaud Nazare-Aga and his wife artist Adeline Nazare-Aga from PAJ’Art

Studio, The Fullerton Heritage presents a special Hippop’Art Exhibition at The Fullerton Heritage precinct. Featuring a vibrant selection of Hippo sculptures painted in attractive pop art colours, the artists’ mission is to bring joy to the public with their brightly coloured Hippos and for the first time, the Whale Pop. Till 04 Jan 2016, at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Merlion Park, One Fullerton, Clifford Square, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, Clifford Pier, Customs House

My Journey, My Home. Indulge in the masterpieces by Singapore first generation artist, Choo Keng Kwang 朱庆光, as he

brings you on an artistic journey unraveling the wonders of his realism paintings of animals and oil paintings of iconic early Singapore scenes. 05 – 17 Nov, at East Garden Foyer & The Fullerton Heritage Gallery

President’s Charity Art Exhibition. A group of 8 artists – Choo Keng Kwang, Sujak RahMan, Lim Sew Yong, Wong-Ma Jialan,

Aini Axiu, Quek Kah Pok, Kumuda Krovvidi and Shivali Mathur – jointly donate their original artworks to the exhibition, to raise funds for The President’s Challenge 2015. Commemorative EZ-link Cards and SingPost Stamps featuring original artworks will be available at The Fullerton Heritage Gallery. 21 – 22 Nov, at East Garden Foyer & The Fullerton Heritage Gallery

Fullerton Hotel Singapore (The Fullerton Heritage) 1 Fullerton Square % 6557 2590 www.thefullertonheritage.com map no. 101

events

Gajah Gallery opened its latest exhibition space at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, nestled on the third floor of a rustic industrial

building. The impressive 6000 sq/ft space boasts a 5-metre high ceiling with towering walls and minimally designed interiors inviting an interplay of contemporary aesthetics where the artworks take centre stage.

Gajah Gallery 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, #03-04 % 6737 4202 www.gajahgallery.com map no. 312

Yunizar, Red Garuda, 2015 Acrylic on Canvas, 209 x 188 cm

Choo Keng Kwang


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Soul & Sensibilities by Kwek Leng Joo and Lin Lu Zai. Soul & Sensibilities is an exhibition by eminent photographer

Kwek Leng Joo and award-winning China-born painter Lin Lu Zai celebrating their inaugural collaboration. Lin Lu Zai applies his signature Chinese brush painting to Kwek Leng Joo’s carefully composed images to reveal the soul of nature and tranquil beauty in works created over a year-long collaboration between two artists who have a penchant for nature. The marriage of traditional Chinese brush painting and modern day photography culminates in a captivating form of art, exceeding the limits of both mediums. Till 30 Nov

Galerie Belvedere 140 Hill Street, Old Hill Street Police Station #01-10/11/12 % 6423 1233 www.galerie-belvedere.com Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 11am – 7pm, Sat/Sun 12 – 5pm map no. 107

Xie Ke – New Sculptures. Xie Ke’s natural passion and curiosity, his training and exposure to various media of visual art

inspire him to being a multi-disciplinary artist. 27 Nov – 13 Dec

Colours of Our Home is a solo exhibition by Zhu Hong. Presenting original artworks on canvas, Zhu Hong’s colourful depiction

of our familiar streets, beautiful cityscape and historical buildings will awaken your senses and lift your spirits! 31 Oct – 06 Nov

HaKaren Art Gallery 19 Tanglin Road #02-43, Tanglin Shopping Center % 6733 3382 www.hakaren.com Opening Hours: Mon – Sat 10.30am – 6.30pm, Sun & Public Holiday 12noon – 6pm map no. 509

相看两不厌 Lovely Companionship Kwek Leng Joo & Lin Lu Zai, 2015

Xie Ke, Burning Love, Chrome SteelH250 x W180 x D95 cm, 2014

Benny Ong. This exhibition presents recent collections by BENNY ONG, the pioneer London/Singapore designer, who is often

remembered for dressing royalty. Benny still remains one of the only Singaporeans to have established his brand in London. He will show his recent art graphics on silk. A hybrid of cross-cultural heritage and interpretations, Benny Ong's art is colourful and witty, toying with the transi-tion between contemporary and traditional cul-ture. 7 Nov: 12pm – 9pm, 8 Nov 12pm – 5pm Opening reception: 6 Nov, 7pm Conversation with Benny Ong: 7 Nov, 3pm

Gillman Barracks Block 47 Malan Road #01-25


Malay CultureFest 2015. This year, the festival centres around the theme of bangsa (or nation), and presents Kampong Gelam

as a focal point. Enjoy the fusion of traditional and contemporary through cultural performances, workshops, lectures, and the latest special exhibition – Kampong Gelam: Beyond the Port Town, which examines the makings of bangsa within the precinct. 07 – 27 Nov

Malay Heritage Centre 85 Sultan Gate % 6391 0450 www.malayheritage.org.sg Opening Hours: Tue – Sun: 10am – 6pm map no. 213

events

Navin Thomas: The heart is a variant. Navin Thomas (b. 1975, Chennai) is an artist whose works explore the effects of

electro-acoustic cologies on natural ecologies such as groups of insects, birds and human communities. This exhibition – presented in the largest gallery of the ICA Singapore – features new installations that engage with built architecture and sound. These include Long live the new flesh (2014), an installation composed of two archery targets connected by an invisible wave of sound. It is Thomas’ first major solo presentation in a public institution. Till 02 Dec, at Gallery 1

Echo: Inside out is a cross-disciplinary and cultural exchange programme developed by the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA)

and LASALLE College of the Arts. This exhibition features photography, installation and video made by participants from this year’s programme. 14 Nov – 13 Dec, at Project Space & Praxis Space

MA Fine Arts: Work-in-progress. This exhibition features work-in-progress from MA Fine Arts candidates in a range of media.

14 Nov – 13 Dec, at Brother Joseph McNally Gallery

An American in Singapore 1965 – 70. LASALLE students respond to photographs by George Porter. The Embassy of the USA in Singapore, and LASALLE

College of the Arts present a new exhibition of American diplomat George Porter’s photographs (1965-70) alongside works in various media created in response by LASALLE students. Till 5 Nov, at Brother Joseph McNally Gallery

Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (ICAS) LASALLE College of the Arts 1 McNally Street % 6496 5070 www.lasalle.edu.sg Opening Hours: Tue – Sun: 12 – 7pm, closed on Mon & PH map no. 132

Qiu Yu and Jade Yeo, Collide, 2015, holi powder, 12 audio speakers and 2

digital videos (looped) 10 x 235 x 165 cm

© Courtesy of the artists Photo: Priscilia Liew Xi Rui

Navin Thomas: The heart is a variant


events

Tomás Saraceno: Arachnid Orchestra. Jam Sessions. Arachnid Orchestra. Jam Sessions is the first exhibition in Southeast Asia of

Berlin-based Argentinian artist, Tomás Saraceno. For many years, Tomás Saraceno has explored in his practice the three dimensional spider webs and their role to describe the formation and structure of the universe. At NTU CCA Singapore, Tomás Saraceno will turn the exhibition space into an immersive sound and visual environment where spiders and humans perform together. The artist will develop this project in response to Gillman Barracks’ natural jungle habitat, turning the gallery space into a galaxy-like environment and instigate reflections on questions of nature, eco-systems and constructed landscapes highly relevant to the local context. Till 20 Dec

Exhibit 101: Li Ran and Gary Ross Pastrana. Unfolding over two months, Artists-in-Residence Li Ran and Gary Ross

Pastrana develop projects for The Lab, NTU CCA Singapore's space for experimentation, which are speculations on how an image is created and deconstructed. Gary Ross Pastrana's An ASEAN Exhibition 1 creates an artistic gesture around the idea of Southeast Asia as a reference with no visual referent. Li Ran presents a new project Waiting for the Fog to Drift Away, a collaboration with Singapore Management University (SMU), Assistant Professor Rowan Wang, a specialist in overall planning science. Till 29 Nov

NTU Centre for Contemporary Art 43 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks % 6684 0998 www.facebook.com/CentreForContemporaryArt Opening Hours: Tue – Sun 12 – 7pm; Fri 12 – 9pm. Closed on Mon, open on PH map no. 711

Tomás Saraceno, Omega Centauri 1 Nephila Kenianensis 4 Cyrtophora citricola, 2014, Spidersilk, carbon

fibre, light, Tripod. Courtesy of the artist and

Esther Schipper Gallery, Berlin

Tropical Paradise 2015 Courtesy of DSM Solutions

ArtText (Design) – Open Call. Till 5 December, ArText is having an open call for designers keen on a very short

mentorship programme with Bryan Angelo Lim, designer and partner at qu’est-ce que c’est. During the 4 sessions of mentorship on 9, 16, 23, 30 January 2016, held at the Central Public Library (12pm-2pm), you will be interpreting prose and poetry into text-based art like typography or visual poetry. You will be introduced to Expressive Typography, Principles of Design, Type Classification, and the different movements in type art.

To apply, please send in 3 images of your works together with the following information (Name, Address, Email address, IC number, short description – 100 words or less – why you would like to be part of ArText) by 5 December 2015 to Joey Chin at [email protected].

National Library Board www.sagg.info/event/arttext-design-open-call


Gatot Pujiarto: Masquerade of Life. Gatot Pujiarto’s works explore abnormalities, weirdness, and tragedy. The show focuses

on his figurative works and examines the everyday comedy of being someone that we do not actually like to be. Scratched, stained, and collaged, Gatot Pujiarto’s men wear masks with open-mouthed laughs. In their attempts to meet the expectations of today’s society, they have put on false fronts that are in fact very different from their actual personalities. It is through his technique that Pujiarto reveals his critique of this world: broken, real and emotionally rich with passion. Till 15 Nov

Pearl Lam started exhibiting and promoting Chinese contemporary art in 1993 in Hong Kong. Currently, Pearl Lam Galleries operates of two spaces in Shanghai, and the gallery at Gillman Barracks in Singapore.

Pearl Lam Galleries 9 Lock Road, #03-22, Gillman Barracks % 6570 2284 www.pearllam.com map no. 718

Sheltered: Documents for Home traces our assumptions regarding domesticity and urbanity in Singapore’s public housing

landscape. Using photography, architectural drawing, installation and publication, the projects featured began as responses to architectural essay film 03-FLATS by Dr Lilian Chee and Lei Yuan Bin. Till 20 Mar 2016

“There are too many episodes of people coming here…” [projects 2008 – 2014]. An exhibition about exhibitions, it brings

together a group of artworks, artefacts, and documentations drawn from projects organised by the NUS Museum between the years 2008 to 2014. Together, they can be considered highlights of recent curatorial projects, but importantly, they are assembled to prompt considerations into ways of working, and the broader relationships between objects, subjects, and authorial control or the lack of it. Many of these projects were also devised along encounters that drift between discipline and heuristic impulses, and as such render readings or positions dependent on negotiations and play. Till 29 Nov

Vietnam 1954 – 1975: War Drawings and Posters from the Ambassador Dato’ N Parameswaran Collection. Comprising of posters, woodcuts and drawings from the French phase of the Indochina war of resistance against

the Americans, and drawings and sketches of life and people at the frontlines, the collection is an important documentation of the Vietnamese response to the war. Till 03 Apr 2016

NUS Museum University Cultural Centre, 50 Kent Ridge Crescent, National University of Singapore % 6516 8817 www.nus.edu.sg/cfa/museum Opening Hours: Tue – Sat 10am – 7:30pm, Sun 10am - 6pm, Mon & PH closed

events

Gatot Pujiarto (b. 1970) Domestic Violence (KDRT), 2009

Canvas, cloth, thread, 200 x 150 cm


events

President's Young Talents 2015. The President's Young Talents is Singapore's premier exhibition, which awards promising

artists whose practices chart new dimensions in Singapore contemporary art today. Inaugurated by Singapore Art Museum (SAM) in 2001, a selected group of artists below the age of 35, nominated by an independent curatorial committee of local art professionals through a rigorous assessment process, present new work in this commissioning exhibition.

The finalists for this year's President's Young Talents are Ang Song Ming, Bani Haykal, Ezzam Rahman, Loo Zihan and Ong Kian Peng. Representing some of the most exciting strands in contemporary Singapore art, they will create works spanning the disciplines of performance, new media, sculpture and sound. Till 27 Mar 2016

SAM at 8Q is the annexe of Singapore Art Museum - Singapore's contemporary art museum. Located at the heart of the city, it derives its name from the museum's location at No. 8 Queen Street near Bras Basah Road. SAM at 8Q is also approximately 88 steps away from Singapore Art Museum.

SAM at 8Q 8 Queen Street, Singapore 189555 www.singaporeartmuseum.sg Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 10am – 7pm, Fri 10am – 9pm map no. 119

Peter Steinhauer at REDSEA Gallery. Peter Steinhauer is an internationally acclaimed artist/photographer whose

works focus on the beauty of urban architecture. Steinhauer’s ‘Singapore Number Blocks’ document the unique brightly-coloured, graphically numbered HDB blocks only found across Singapore, whilst his ‘Cocoon’ series capture the surprising beauty of a construction technique native to Hong Kong; the bamboo and fabric nets that encase the ‘metamorphosis’ of a building project. Steinhauer is the recipient of numerous international photographic awards and his work is held in galleries, museums and private collections worldwide. 18 Nov – 30 Dec

REDSEA Gallery Block 9 Dempsey Road, #01-10 Dempsey Hill % 6732 6711 www.redseagallery.com, facebook.com/redseagallery Open daily 9.30am – 9pm. Sun and PH 10.30am – 9pm map no. 532

Block 167, Singapore, 2013 Peter Steinhauer

Photograph on Hahnemühle Paper

Ezzam Rahman Here's who I am, I am what you see

2015, Artist's skin, nails and adhesive, second-hand furniture and glass bell jars, Dimensions variable Singapore Art Museum commission

Collection of the Artist

Fragile, miniature flowers shaped from flakes of dead skin, and ephemeral sculptures that consist of little but talcum powder – Ezzam Rahman’s

practice is grounded in a keen sense of materiality. Animating these

otherwise mute objects, however, is the artist’s living, breathing body. The

skin is his own, culled over a period of time from the soles of his feet, and

the powder sculptures are remnants of his performances, into which his

perspiration is mixed.


5 Stars: Art Reflects on Peace, Justice, Equality, Democracy and Progress is the Singapore Art Museum's (SAM) salute to

Singapore's Golden Jubilee and the five stars on the Singapore flag, which represent universal humanist values. In inviting and commissioning five art luminaries of the nation – Ho Tzu Nyen, Matthew Ngui, T.K. Sabapathy, Suzann Victor, and ZulkifleMahmod – to ponder and respond to each of the values, SAM gives scope to these extraordinary Singaporeans, whose life-long commitment to art is inimitable and exemplary. Till 01 May 2016

Time of Others. A survey of contemporary art from the Asia Pacific region, Time of Others features works of artists responding

to social, historical and geopolitical concerns at this present juncture of living in a more interconnected world today, where notions of boundary, difference and otherness have also become more complex. The exhibition presents contemporary artists from diverse regions whose works reflect on both individual and shared histories, cultural specificities, colonial legacies, as well as their subjectivities that shape our understanding of culture and identity today. 21 Nov – 28 Feb 2016

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) 71 Bras Basah Road % 6332 3222 www.singaporeartmuseum.sg Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 10am – 7pm, Fri 10am – 9pm map no. 116

events

Antoine Rameau House of Holy Spirits

An My Le, From Event Ashore series 2005, 2009, 2010 QAGOMA Collection

THE ESSENCE – Antoine Rameau. Featuring 35 of Antoine Rameau’s latest photo-collages, this new exhibition presents

a series of vintage-style collages referring to iconic pin-ups and brands from the 1950-60s’ to express “THE ESSENCE” of dreams, beauty and desire, as well as the birth of “consumer society".

Inspired by an eclectic range of sources including comics, Pop Art, Street Art and the Recycled Art movement, Rameau started experimenting with collage early on. He explored different techniques, from Surrealist juxtaposition to Cubist construction, and slowly developed his unique style while collecting evocative images, such as vintage photographs, old maps, newspapers and comics, and turning them into oniric new visual worlds. Each collage tells an elaborate story filled with multiple symbols and often satirical messages. 3 – 21 Nov

SOCIETE GENERALE Gallery, Alliance Française 1 Sarkies Road, Singapore 258130 % 6833 9314 Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 11am – 7pm, Sat 11am – 5pm www.alliancefrancaise.org.sg map no. 502


Making Space: 25 years of The Substation. Making Space is an exhibition about The Substation, its archives, and its role

in contemporary art in Singapore. Since The Substation opened its doors on 16 September 1990, it has prided itself as a space for diversity, inclusiveness and experimentation. Looking back on 25 years of its history, we begin to wonder – what has The Substation seen? What has The Substation experienced? What was The Substation trying to do in the past, and what does it want to become in the future? Till 16 Nov, at National Library Building

10 Years of BooksActually. Whoever said that print is going the way of dinosaurs will probably have to eat their words now. Come

November, homegrown independent bookstore, BooksActually, will celebrate 10 years of fighting for the right for local writers to be read and heard, for their right to publish, and to ensure that books will always remain a part of our lives. The exhibition will present old books and memorabilia collected in the last decade and even have some of them on sale. The profits will be used to buy a permanent home for the bookstore. 18 – 21 Nov

The Substation 45 Armenian Street % 6337 7535 www.substation.org Opening Hours: 12noon – 9pm map no. 113

events

Do Ho Suh: New Works. STPI and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea present “Do Ho Suh: New Works”, featuring

latest works by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh. Known for his large-scale fabric installations and sublime architectural compositions of past homes, Suh has seamlessly translated compelling three-dimensional architectural forms into the two-dimensional at STPI, with delicate thread drawings embedded in paper. These reflect the transnational dilemma of home and belonging, malleable spaces and memory, as well as the boundaries of identity.

This show is part of the Korea Festival 2015 in celebration of Korea’s 70th anniversary of liberation and 40 years of diplomatic ties with Singapore. 07 Nov – 02 Jan 2016

STPI 41 Robertson Quay % 6336 3663 www.stpi.com.sg Opening Hours: Tue – Fri 10 – 7, Sat 9 – 6, Closed on Sun and PH, Mon by appointment map no. 402

Do Ho Suh, My Homes, 2014 thread drawing embedded in STPI

handmade cotton paper 147.5 x 274.5 cm

Courtesy of the artist & STPI © Do Ho Suh

The Substation Theatre, before refurbishment in the 1980s. Image credit: The Substation


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Call Charles for a free consultation and quotation today.

10 Ubi Crescent #03-11 (Lobby B) Ubi Techpark, Singapore 408564 % +65 67602602, +65 91187478 Email: [email protected] Web: www.thepiastudio.com

PIA Preserve In Aesthetics are professional qualified conservators to treat a magnitude of degraded artwork and archival collections and well aligned with aethetics and integrity in both artistic as well as in scientific approach.

Transportation & Crating

Agility Fairs & Events Logistics Pte Ltd No. 5 Changi North Way, 3rd Floor Singapore 498771 % 6500 0250 Fax: 6214 9592 [email protected] www.agility.com

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Agility Fairs & Events is the first logistics company in Singapore and Asia to be ISO-certified specifically for fine art logistics. We provide full service, end-to-end fine art logistics, utilising our global network of art handling partners, experienced art handlers, modern art storage facility and temperature-controlled air-suspension vehicles, which cater to the sensitive needs of galleries, museums, collectors and artists alike. We have the capacity to handle art installations, as well as special packing and crating works. Any size. Any volume. Anywhere – We are there for you.

Agility is contracted by the Singapore Art Museum for the provision of art handling services.

Crown Fine Arts 36 Pioneer Road Singapore 628504 % 6593 7314 Fax: 6862 2840 [email protected] www.crownfineart.com

Crown Fine Arts, a division of the Crown Worldwide Group, has been providing specialised fine arts packing and transportation services since 1989. With our extensive network, we are able to serve all domestic and major global locations requiring this highly delicate and specialised service. Our personal approach to every project has garnered the appreciation and trust of clients ranging from world-renowned museums and major art galleries to private collectors.


100. Esplanade F/5 1 Esplanade Drive, www.esplanade.com

101. The Fullerton Heritage Gallery B/5 1 Fullerton Square

102. DaTang Fine Arts Singapore 1 Coleman Street, The Adelphi #B1-31

103. The Artspace @ Suntec 3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-449, Suntec City Mall

104. Asian Civilisations Museum E/5 1 Empress Place, www.acm.org.sg

105. The Arts House E/5 1 Old Parliament Lane, www.theartshouse.com.sg

106. Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall E/5 9 Empress Place

107. ART-2 Gallery E/5 140 Hill Street #01-03

107. Galerie Belvedere E/5 140 Hill Street, Old Hill Street Police Station

107. Tembusu Art Gallery E/5 140 Hill Street, Old Hill Street Police Station

108. Cape of Good Hope E/5 140 Hill Street, #01-06

108. ReDot Fine Art Gallery E/5 140 Hill Street, #01-08

109. Element Art Space E/4 Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road

111. Mulan Gallery Pte Ltd E/4 36 Armenian Street #01-07

112. Singapore Philatelic Museum E/4 23B Coleman Street

113. The Substation E/4 45 Armenian Street

114. National Museum of Singapore E/4 93 Stamford Road

115. Singapore Management University - The Gallery D/3 90 Stamford Rd

116. Singapore Art Museum (SAM) E/4 71 Bras Basah Road

117. National Design Centre B/3 111 Middle Road

118. Objectifs Gallery B/3 155 Middle Road, www.objectifs.com.sg

119. SAM at 8Q E/4 8 Queen Street, Singapore 189555

124. Lalin Gallery E/4 328 North Bridge Road #01-24

125. Chan Hampe Galleries E/4 328 North Bridge Road #01-21

125. Kato Art Duo E/4 328 North Bridge Road #02-25

126. Ode To Art E/4 252 North Bridge Road #01-36e/f

131. Art Galleries at NAFA E/3 80 Bencoolen Street

132. Institute of Contemporary Arts S'pore – LASALLE College of the Arts E/3

133. Emily Hill E/2 11 Upper Wilkie Road

134. DECK D/3 120A Prinsep Street

136. Art Seasons E/3 BIG Hotel, 200 Middle Road, #01-02

139. Peranakan Museum E/4 39 Armenian Street

140. The Luxe Art Museum D/3 6 Handy Road, #02-01

146. 11.12 Gallery D/4 50 Armenian Street, #01-02

153. Artcommune E/4 231 Bain Street. #02-43, Bras Basah Complex

181. ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands F/5 6 Bayfront Ave

203. Ngee Ann Kongsi A/4 97 Tank Road, Level 2 of Teochew Building

204. Flaneur Gallery C/2 129 Jalan Besar, www.flaneur.sg

venues

Arts & Heritage District


205. Indian Heritage Centre B/2 5 Campbell Lane, www.indianheritage.org.sg

210. Artistry C/3 17 Jalan Pinang, www.artistryspace.com

213. Malay Heritage Centre F/3 85 Sultan Gate

A B C

A B C

1

2

3

4

5

venues

Arts & Heritage District


401. 72-13 TheatreWorks C/4 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road

402. Singapore Tyler Print Institute C/5 41 Robertson Quay

404. The Art Fellas C/5 46 Kim Yam Road, #02-25, The Herencia

404. Art Xchange Gallery C/5 46 Kim Yam Road, ##01-13, The Herencia

406. DBS Arts Centre C/4 20 Merbau Road - Robertson Quay, www.srt.com.sg

501. ION Art Gallery B/3 2 Orchard Turn #03-05

501. Opera Gallery B/3 2 Orchard Turn #03-05

501. Galeries Bartoux B/3 2 Orchard Turn #01-12A/13

502. SOCIETE GENERALE Gallery C/1 1 Sarkies Road

503. MAD Museum of Art & Design C/3 10 Tanglin Road #01-01

506. Art Forum Pte Ltd C/2 82 Cairnhill Road

508. Third Floor Hermes B/2 541 Orchard Road, Liat Towers

509. HaKaren Art Gallery A/2 19 Tanglin Road #02-43

511. Yang Gallery Pte Ltd A/2 19 Tanglin Road #02-41

513. Peach Tree A/2 129 Tanglin Road, Tudor Court

514. Artz Space A/2 1 Nassim Road, www.artz-space.com

515. One East Artspace C/2 15 Scotts Road, #09-03, Thong Teck Building

518. Asia Art Collective A/2 19 Tanglin Road, #03-42

519. Art Front Gallery C/3 176 Orchard Road #04-17/18, The Centrepoint

520. *scape Youth Park C/3 113 Somerset Road #01-02, www.scape.com.sg

521. Goshen Art Gallery C/3 150 Orchard Road, #03-61, Orchard Plaza

523. Japan Creative Centre A/2 4 Nassim Road

524. iPRECIATION E/5 50 Cuscaden Road, HPL House, www.ipreciation.com

527. Collectors Contemporary A/3 21 Orchard Boulevard, #01-21 Park House

528. Bruno Gallery A/2 91 Tanglin Road #01-03, www.brunoartgroup.com

531. Linda Gallery Blk 15 Dempsey Road, #01-03

532. REDSEA Gallery Blk 9 Dempsey Hill #01-10

533. Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA) 27A Loewen Road

Artwalks are listed by area.Venues are listed in numerical order (map numbers).

venues

Orchard & Tanglin

river valley


venues

A B C

1

2

3

4

5


304. SPRMRKT D/6 2 McCallum Street

306. Singapore City Gallery, The URA Centre D/6 45 Maxwell Road

307. Blue Lotus Fine Art D/7 108 Tanjong Pagar Road,

308. Barnadas Huang D/7 61 Duxton Road, www.barnadashuang.com

309. Red Dot Design Museum D/7 28 Maxwell Road

311. Ikkan Art Gallery C/8 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark

312. Gajah Gallery C/8 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark #03-04

313. Artspace@Helutrans C/8 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark

316. Indigo Blue Art D/6 52B Temple Street

317. New Majestic Hotel C/6 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road

318. Goethe Institut C/6 136 Neil Road

321. Utterly Art Gallery D/6 20B Mosque Street

322. Momentous Arts D/5 1557 Keppel Road, #03-27

323. Instinc D/5 Eu Tong Sen Street, #04-163

326. NUS Baba House C/7 157 Neil Road, www.nus.edu.sg/museum/baba

551. d’Art Studio H/2 5 Westbourne Road #02-03 Blenheim Court

551. Milica Bravacic H/2 5 Westbourne Road #01-01

551. CdeM Atelier & Art School H/2 5 Westbourne Road, #01-02

552. JoyClay Studio & Gallery H/2 10 Woking Road, #01-01

554. Kelly Reedy – Studio Arts H/2 28 Woking Road # 03 - 05

555. Rasha Eleyan H/2 9 Westbourne Road

556. Sealey Brandt H/2 1 Westbourne Road #01-02

venues

Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown & Raffles Place

Wessex Estate


C D E

5

6

7

8

5

6

7

8

1

2

3

1

2

3G H I

venues

Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown & Raffles Place

Wessex Estate


701. Yeo Workshop 1 Lock Road, #01-01, www.yeoworkshop.com

701. Arnoldii Arts Club 1 Lock Road, #01-01, www. arnoldiiartsclub.com

702. FOST Gallery 1 Lock Road, #01-02, www.fostgallery.com

704. Sundaram Tagore Gallery 5 Lock Road, www.sundaramtagore.com

705. Partners & Mucciaccia 6 Lock Road, www.partnersandmucciaccia.net

706. NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Office & Research Centre

707. NTU Centre for Contemporary Artist Studios

711. NTU Centre for Contemporary Art 43 Malan Road

712. Platform Projects 22 Lock Road #01-35, www.platformprojects.sg

713. Mizuma Gallery 22 Lock Road, #01-34, www.mizuma.sg

714. Ota Fine Arts 7 Lock Road #02-13, www.otafinearts.com

715. ARNDT 9 Lock Road #03-21, www.arndtberlin.com

716. Yavuz Gallery 9 Lock Road, #02-23, www.yavuzgallery.com

717. ShanghART 9 Lock Road, #02-22, www.shanghartsingapore.com

718. Pearl Lam Galleries 9 Lock Road #03-22, www.pearllam.com

719. Michael Janssen Singapore 9 Lock Road, www.galeriemichaeljanssen.de

720. Art Outreach 47 Malan Road, www.artoutreachsingapore.org

venues

Gillman Barracks

601. ArtBlue Studio 23 Yong Siak Street, www.artbluestudio.com

602. BooksActually 9 Yong Siak Street, www.booksactually.com

603. White Space Art Asia 79 Chay Yan Street, #01-26, www.wsartasia.com

604. Grey Projects 6B Kim Tian Rd, www.greyprojects.org

605. White Canvas Gallery 57 Eng Hoon Street, #01-82

Tiong Bahru


venues


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