Xu Weilin Clara
On any given day, Singaporeans and tourists will visit the few likes of Singapore Art Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum or ArtScience Museum for a taste of the nascent arts scene in Singapore and the region. But what else lies beyond the ancient Southeast-Asian statues, vases or even the traveling blockbuster showcases of Da Vinci, Annie Lebovitz and other fleeting ones?
Enter the annual Singapore Art Week, a long-running week filling in the void for art buffs to access the finest contemporary art on display.
Singapore Art Week, which took place from Jan 17 to 25, is a joint initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
“This year saw the largest edition so far, with more than 100 events over nine days in January – more than double the number of when it first started,” explained Kow Ree Na, Director of the Lifestyle Programme Office of EDB.
Amidst the jam-packed galleries and exhibitions organized across the week, the inauguration of Prudential Singapore Eye is one exhibition many ought to look out for.
Featuring an extensive display of over 110 submissions by 17 local artists of Singapore’s contemporary art, the Prudential Singapore Eye exhibition paid tribute to the diverse artistic expressions and emerging local talents.
“You feel the nourishment of the urban all the way through the exhibition. You feel this care, this almost tenderness from the material approach of the objects. It’s striking and [there’s an] engaging contrast between the urban and the intimate,” described Honor Harger, Executive Director of the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.
Besides the innovative disclosure of themes, the various showcases also highlighted versatility among artists, as many optimized creativity despite challenges posed by limitations in resources. Described by Tan Boon Hui, Programme Director of National Heritage Board (NHB), creativity is enhanced through the “use of materials, the kind of technical proficiency, [and] the ability to mould materials in innovative ways”.
What’s more, interestested visitors are now able to enjoy the luxury of gaining free admission to the widely raved Singapore Eye exhibition at ArtScience Museum on every first Monday of each month, starting from Feb 2 this year.
Apart from Prudential Singapore Eye, the involvement of SG50 (Singapore 50) also brought together the conceptualization of other programmes and exhibitions – Art After Dark at Gillman Barracks, annual International art fair Art Stage Singapore and the second Prudential Eye Awards – to commemorate the nation’s golden jubilee. David Ciclitira, founder of the Prudential Eye Programme said, “It’s a timely moment to look in depth at what Singapore’s richly talented array of contemporary artists have been producing.”
As if the statement was made in reference to 37-year-old Installation artist, Donna Ong, she cropped up as the sole local winner of Best Emerging Artist Using Installation during the prestigious award ceremony, Prudential Eye Awards 2015. Known for her evocative and thought-provoking environments made from furniture, found objects and original artworks. Donna’s impressive artworks have not only been showcased locally but globally, inspiring even internationally renowned art professionals.
Competing with her for the prize are two other nominated installation artists, Wu Chi-Tsung and Hannah Bertram, from Taiwan and Australia respectively.
The Evolution
The exposure to such diverse array of contemporary artworks displayed in exhibitions, one after another, puts one in a whirlwind of emotions as we strike attempt to decipher the work of art as well as the artists’ intentions during the creation of an artwork. As contemporary art covers a wide range and refers to any form of art that is created within a lifetime, it is no doubt that this nation’s contemporary art scene is looking at greater potential of transforming into the ideal arts hub within Southeast Asia.
As early as 1990s, the establishment of The Substation paved way for contemporary art practices, as it stood as the nation’s first independent contemporary arts centre. More often than not, this serves as a commonplace for visual artists to gather and contribute to the value of artistic expression, forming a solid state for Singapore’s arts and culture landscape.
Late Kuo Pao Kun was the founder of The Substation, an art activitist himself and an artists greatly involved in theatres and plays. No doubt his passing was a great loss to the nation’s arts heritage, Singapore’s contemporary art scene only continued to expand since then.
Apart from the opening of over 10 galleries and exhibitions over the last decade, small interest group as well as art associations have also been putting themselves out in the community, reaching themselves out to the public. Last November, Singapore Contemporary Young Artists (SCYA) – a project started out by Jacquelyn Soo “to enable and enrich platforms for art talents to showcase their works” – had the honour of exhibiting their artwork at the new Marina South Pier MRT station.
Furthermore, this little red dot seems to be proving its worth even to international contemporary artists. In an interview done with The Muse, China art idealist Pearl Lam, revealed that she set up an outpost in Singapore because of its “geographical location”, hence drive “a special focus on Southeast Asian Art”.
Singapore’s contemporary art scene indeed foresees multitude of possibilities for artists, youths especially, to explore their talents and showcase their works.
The Region’s Destination for Contemporary Art
Also known as Singapore’s contemporary art “enclave”, Gillman Barracks is home to 17 international art galleries, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Singapore, Platform Projects and 7 dining restaurants, cafes and bars.
This conserved colonial barrack has attracted art enthusiasts due to its rich history in art. As such, NTU’s CCA is launched to provide local and visiting art industry professionals entry points to the work and practice of local talents. Opened in 2013, it aims to play an active role within the local art scene, as well as being a part of the development of regional and international art infrastructures.
A boost in art offerings also kicked off with their latest addition, the Platform Projects, which started last month. Platform Projects is a non-profit charity organisation dedicated to support Singapore’s contemporary art and to raise awareness through independent and internationally focused art projects and commissions.
Before twilight fades to darkness, we were walked through the newly introduced exhibition by Mumbai-born artist, Jitish Kallat. His third solo exhibition here in this lion city, Here After Here explores themes of “time, recurrence, and recursion” that appears through a poetic interplay of text and video.
Thereafter, the writer was welcomed by an ominous vibe gathered within the dark interior of Kallat’s gallery. A line of charred text greets the first person, repeating the phrase “Here Afer Here” that is rendered in situ by setting aflamed on the gallery wall. Following this, visitors will be led to the viewing of two of Kallat’s seminal videos namely Forensic Trail of the Grand Bouquet and Breath.
Certainly, Kallat’s gallery was just one out of the many that aroused the artistic instincts of curious onlookers that night.
This little red dot has arrived at its turning point, evident from the introductions of various initiatives to encourage youths in being more involved in Singapore’s contemporary art scene.
For art enthusiasts who are looking forward to brand new installations, Ree Na further revealed that two highly anticipated world-class museums will open in Singapore this year. “With the addition of these two exciting institutions to our increasingly vibrant art landscape, Singapore will continue to strengthen its position as the region’s art hub and offer a myriad of options for resident and visiting art enthusiasts alike.”