salon solidarity

Is it ever possible for art to sustainably benefit those in severe need?


I think of charity art events and auctions.

I think of shops selling cottage industry merchandise or disabled artists' work.

I think of the three times I taught art to needy children.

I think of art psychology and therapy.

And I stop.

Is art really all just about beauty, knowledge, emotions and the intangible? When will art be sustainably used to really benefit humankind in the worlds that need benefit to matter?

Humankind, not just that one person.
Benefit, not just feel good.
Sustainable, not just event-driven.

There is no answer.

by Jack Youngblood

Opening reception 22 September, 7pm - 10pm

Location: 59 Eng Hoon St #03-57 (Tiong Bahru estate)
Show runs 23 September - 1 October
Opening times: Sat, Sun, Wed, Thurs & Fri: 11am - 9pm

Jack Youngblood is an artist whose work has been collected by such
establishment figures as Lord Gowrie (British minister of the arts)
and the Arts Council of Great Britain. However, David Bowie has also
been an avid collector and his work has achieved something of a cult
status amongst those with an interested in the digital.

Trained as a traditional painter, his skill-set has recently broadened
into encompassing digitally manipulated photographs and short video
animations.

His imagery can best be described as being a cross between science
fiction and old master painting, with many disturbing references to
old and exhausted astronauts.

For at least some of the duration of the show it is his plan to dress
up as an Apollo era astronaut to receive visitors. He has taught art
at London's St Martin's Art School and Goldsmiths College.

He moved to Singapore this year to teach digital painting at NTU's new
school of art design and media. This follows his growing interest in
the digital, something he believes is more widely accepted and
practiced within the developing Asian art scene.

This sounds like an interesting event, too bad I can't make it:



Southeast Asian Art Practices in the 1970s: Concepts & Contexts

4.00pm, 8 Sep (Fri) | SAM Auditorium (Level 2)

7.00pm | CURATOUR: `Telah Terbit' by Ahmad Mashadi

In conjunction with `Telah Terbit' (Out Now): Southeast Asian
Contemporary Art Practices During the 1970s, a special exhibition of
Singapore Biennale 2006

Pushing through the 1960s, where modes of abstraction were adopted as an
_expression of progressiveness and at the same time, an instrument of
international engagement, the 1970s' art practices may be seen as a
critique on the variants of modernity that emerged out of the processes
of decolonization and independence. `Telah Terbit' (Out Now)
follows the progression of Southeast Asian artists and art groups as
they navigate through the aesthetics of both empathy and rejection.

Hear from participating artists, Edgar Talusan Fernandez (Philippines)
and Cheo Chai-Hiang (Singapore) on their art practices and experiences
of making art during that decade. Moderated by Ahmad Mashadi, exhibition
curator & Senior Curator, SAM.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Edgar Talusan Fernandez (b. 1955)

Edgar "Egai" Fernandez obtained his art education from the
Philippine Women University (PWU) College of Fine Arts. Despite majoring
in commercial art and interior design, Egai found his forte lay in
painting and starting from his earliest works in 1974, the artist
emerged as one of the most productive social realist with a wide theme
range and creative resources. In his art, Egai assumes the authentic
role of an artist of our time: to be witness to contemporary events and
to take up the cause of the people in art, as he develops a personal
idiom that realizes his vision

Cheo Chai-Hiang (b. 1946)

Cheo Chai-Hiang is an artist, lecturer and independent curator who was
trained at Brighton Polytechnic, Royal College of Art in United Kingdom
and British School at Rome, Italy during the 1970s. During his sojourns
in Europe, he started questioning his own preconceived way of looking at
things and to accept the idea of `art as a thought process.'
Exploring the notion of art beyond the realm of paintings, Cheo was
stimulated to look for source materials in his own visual
investigations. Through the development of his work and thoughts in
Singapore, UK, Spain, Italy and China, Cheo has expounded new
interactions of identity, culture and place.

We need to hire art instructors for upcoming projects with Splashwurks. Please spread this word if you come across this post.

Splashwurks is an art education company that does visual art programmes for schools, ranging across mediums such as tempera and acrylic painting, ceramics, and digital art. Splashwurks instructors are an excited bunch of people who are passionate about art, about learning, and about serving.

The position is freelance, and projects usually last for weeks at a time; for example use the schools' whole of term 4 as a gauge. Payment is on a freelance basis, email me to find out more about how much.

We are looking for people with:

1. Background in art or design, trained or self-taught. The more artistic mediums you are familiar with, the more projects you will be able to take on.
2. Experience in teaching / training / leadership is critical. Good spoken English required.
   
3. Attitude. This is critical, regardless of your skill level or experience. We are looking for people who are passionate, who desire to learn, are humble, and never mind if you are a bit mad.
   
4. Availability, to take on freelance projects, each one to completion. You are likely a tertiary student or a freelancer who can afford timeslots in your work week to fit in projects that occur over periods of a few weeks or months.
   

If you are keen or you know someone of calibre who will fit the bill, please email me and I will be glad to speak with you.

Closing date: Friday 8 September.

A new blog by 2 artists to be:

Why Coffee Banana? We don't know. It's a strange name for an art blog belonging to two would-be artists. Wanjuro, the designer, fashionista, metrosexual; believes himself to be the good looks in the equation. Ophiel, the illustrator, fashionidiote, ruralsexual; believes herself to also be the good looks in the equation. (Which goes to show that belief is a wonderfully blissful thing.) It's quite possible that one of us is the banana, and the other is coffee, although it would be mildly traumatizing to speculate which and why.

So I present to you our blog, where we voice all sorts of artistic joys and frustrations from "I got a comission!" to "How can that guy be so good?!" and "Life's not FAIR!"

A pretty interesting read, have fun!

Some artists are getting together to sell their work to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Please do click the title link to find out more. Spread the word, the exhibitions end 18 June.

Check out this new site, (still in the making, but good enough to go, Mac users excepted). It is a site that conglomerates the contemporary art scene in Singapore. You should be able to find useful links, reviews and a healthy looking database of almost all arts related groups in Singapore. I will be posting this in the side bar too.

With GE coming up close and sweaty on our doorsteps, or walking over our doorsteps depending on which part of Singapore you live in, there is a fresh reminder on the issue of how the political climate affects us in the arts industry.


I cannot really accurately speak for the performing arts but for the visual arts, since I am nowhere near being a performing arts practitioner, hence I am speaking with a subliminal focus on the visual art clime in Singapore.


I cannot but admit I have read all the party manifestos rolled out, I have been curious to say the least. But I have no outward inclinations politically, at least party-wise, I will not argue anything for or against any party, and of course we all know that it would be career suicide for me to do so anyway.


With all my disclaimers out of the way, I will start to think aloud:


An issue that was raised on some party manifestos was on censorship, and how the well-being of our society, depends not only on bread-and-kaya issues, but also on the creativity and the broader limits it needs beyond censorship.


If you are a part of the local arts community yahoogroup, you might have read certain discussions on the issue of govermental censorship on art, and how there are many censored and banned artworks that we know not of, and of course how in the first place can art be banned to this extent. I will not go further, because I think that censorship is a continuum, that must be exercised to some or much extent, and we can never be rid of censorship, imposed centrally or as caregivers for our children. But the message behind the central, heavy act of censorship, to follow a similar refrain of WP's Sylvia Lim concerning the use of upgrading as an electoral popularity tool: What message does this convey? What kind of values are we transmitting? It is time to think if you haven't already, about this issue.


If artwork has to go through a panel for censorship, how can we manage this panel fairly enough that it sends home the right messages and values for our societal well being? Art is so subjective - recall that many artistic movements in history arose out of mockery and criticism. When Monet and his gang's artworks were rejected by the central artistic authority of their Parisian day, they had an alternative channel that they set up on their own, the Salon des Refuses, and through their first critical exhibition via this channel, they earned their name 'Impressionism' through their mocking critics. So they had some form of censorship like we Singaporeans do, but they had a mind of their own to set up the Salon des Refuses, and the avenues and possibilities to congregate and create so, were present. Are we encouraging alternative channels? Or are we saying, mainstream subjectivity is the only way. And how many alternative channels are there? Are they dying? Unheard of? Hushed to obedience? I do not know exactly as I am not a banned artist or anywhere near that, but if I do not know, is it because I am dumb, or because art is simply not flourishing beyond the mainstream censored channel. Do we have the choice or mind to create these alternative channels of art if we are banned? Or do we bow down to subjectivity involuntarily, because we refuse to think and rise above.



And this brings me to the next issue, on education. Are we creating people who think beyond their need for physiological and safety issues, who rise above to think about the creative aspect of their lives that needs to be fulfilled - or more importantly, their destiny? One of the compelling reasons why I am this business of art education with my partner H, is because we see so many crippled undergraduates - the basic undergrad being the regular pinnacle of academic excellence - stunted because they never knew they had a destiny to think and search out to fulfillment, they only knew they had to attain economic skills. A lack of creativity is crippling, so much to the point that in the end, we create a society that is merely about the money and the material, instead of it also about the passion and the destiny. That is why art and education need to be in balance, and there must be thinking, there must be. Otherwise we would never create our Salon des Refuses. Eradicating censorship will not be the panacea. It is the mind to think, and the freedom to act, that has to flourish more that it does now.


So I believe, that art and creativity is important for true education, and true education, for art and creativity. Art is becoming more accessible nowadays, but is it enough? Should museums be free? Is there enough funding for these organisations? I leave it to you think, for I haven't a clue, except that I am not free on Friday nights when SAM has free entry. And I thoroughly enjoyed my free museum visits overseas. Also, is there enough funding for artistic education? Do we have enough skilled art educators, who believe strongly enough in the cause for creativity and passion?


How far do we respect artistic talent and creativity? I am saddened by the fact that much talent is not talent unless it is certified, stamped and signed. It is not recognised as yet, by the depth of thought and action in artistic creativity, but more so by its necessary papers from the big art schools we have in Singapore. How about the poor artists who have no money to go to art school, or were before the time of Lasalle and the like, who now have to teach art in community centres or paint along the street, or worse, become contractors. Or how about people like me, who chose to study another skill - in management, - because I saw that I would need it, and during my time, there was no such thing as arts management? Are we artists? Can we hold exhibitions, be recognised by the cental arts governing authorities? Well, it would be harder to say the least, but at least some younger art school grads will have it easier this route now, compared to the uncles I am talking about, and the uncertified pariah group they represent.


So where is the current Singaporean artistic talent really? Or is there none particularly, and we are but an island meeting place for the arts. I have nothing against foreign artists coming into Singapore to curate, perform, exhibit their art. I love contemporary art and that of those beyond our shores. However, I think: where is contemporary Singaporean art? If a historian years later were to dig up our shores and see what we had culturally, do we have a place in art history? Now, what does this have to do with politics or central governing authorities you say. I think, that if we were to study notable art movements in history, the movements are congruent in style, in themes, in mediums, in representing a particular ethos of the people at the time. They wrote manifestos, or they were popularised by the authorities, or by the people, critics or otherwise. The art of those times, if representative of an area or region, had a strong sense of identity coming through. And where is ours? If we had a solidarity as Singaporeans, and a voice in art to show of it, we would have a strong artistic movement to marvel at, and for our later generations to marvel at too. Perhaps we have to have more solidarity, and more voice to speak of it. Perhaps we need artistic leadership, and not artistic silence. And who are these leaders, do they exist in the current leadership of the country? Or are they even at best encouraged to exist? I am not saying that they are definitely not, but it does serve as a stirring thought to us as art-loving Singaporeans, that we need to build or become artistic leaders, we need to think about and forge the solidarity we need to have as our own society. Otherwise, there is no such thing as Singaporean art beyond what we already know.


You have to know this: I am not putting up a front and trying to subliminally encourage you to be anti-law and such. But I would like to at least, in my own voice, cause you to think about how politics affects not just the bread-and-kaya issues, but you, as an arts-lover, or your loved ones and your children who may become the next ground-breaking Artist. Will you think? Help to move the climate? Or will you sit here, read this, and decline comment to all, including yourself? Excuse me if I have sounded angsty, for I am not, but merely inspired to want to help change the face of this nation artistically, for it is so passionately important, and important for our passion, which simply must not die, on us, and on the people we represent.

Sorry, pls let me be shameless for once (or is it more than once already?)



Anyway, pls feel free to drop by this coming Fri nite for the opening of 'Dirty Laundry' :-P

Venue: Plastique Kinetic Worms (61 Kerbau Road, Singapore 219185)
Date/Time: 28 April 2006 (Fri), 7.30pm
Guest of Honour: Mr. Eugene Heng, Chairman, Waterways Watch Society

Exhibition runs till 2 May 2006
Tues. to Sat. 1100 - 1600 hrs
Closed on Sun, Mon & Public Holidays

Artlex has a good summary on still lifes in art history

Cubism in Asia: Unbounded Dialogues Panel Discussion
17 Feb (Fri), 3.00pm
The Cube, Singapore Art Museum

The Cubism in Asia: Unbounded Dialogues exhibition was conceived to
examine the impact of a Western art movement in Asia within the
context its modernity. A curatorial panel was set up comprising of
curators from Japan, Singapore and Korea to realise this project that
has already traveled to Japan and Korea. Headed by Tatehata Akira as
Chief Curator, the curators embarked on study trips to several Asian
countries where they viewed works in private and public collections
as well as engaged in discussions with scholars and artists in the
region. As anticipated, the final selection of works for the
exhibition proved challenging as the impact of Cubism in modern Asian
art was profound.

The Cubism in Asia panel discussion will highlight the complexities
of the research topic and the challenges faced by the curatorial team
in identifying works that manifested Cubist influences. This is an
excellent opportunity for a dialogue between the curatorial team and
participants to press forward the understanding of modern art in Asia.

Curatorial Panel
----------------
Chief Curator:
Tatehata Akira, Director, National Museum of Modern Art, Osaka

Members:
Furuichi Yasuko, Exhibition Coordinator, Japan Foundation;
Ahmad Mashadi, Senior Curator, Singapore Art Museum; Joyce Fan,
Curator, Singapore Art Museum; Miwa Kenjin, Assistant Curator, The
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo;


Cubism in Asia: Unbounded Dialogues is jointly presented by Singapore
Art Museum; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; The Japan
Foundation and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea as the
first comprehensive exhibition to assemble Cubist works by modern
masters of Asia

+++++++++
COMING UP
+++++++++
Cubism in Asia Symposium • 25-26 Mar (Sat– Sun) • SAM Auditorium
Registration required. Registration fee: $35 (NSmen/students/senior
citizens), $70.

Featuring renown scholars and curators who have influenced and
impacted the study of art and architecture in Asia and Southeast
Asia. Using Cubism as a theme, the symposium will open up dialogues
and discussions across several topics including the use of Cubist
idiom in mass culture such as in printmaking, architecture and
design. For updates, please visit www.singart.com.

I came across this article just, and felt it useful for all of us adults who work in the visual art industry in some way or another.


The trends are changing and we all have had a part to play in it, and will continue to do so. The face of Singapore is changing because of people like you.



Gallery outreach, higher incomes drive growing interest in art collecting
By David Chew, TODAY



Five years ago, Andrew Choo bought his first painting, a work by Singapore artist Ng Joon Kiat.

Since then, he has amassed a collection of about a dozen original artworks by Ng and other artists.
The 36-year old civil servant became interested in Asian art while working as a systems analyst on an archiving system for the Singapore Art Museum in 1996.

"We had to clean up all the write-ups for the art," he said.

"And while dealing with the works and the curators, my interest in art was piqued."

While admitting that he spends a substantial amount on paintings, Choo said that building an art collection has become increasingly affordable over the years.

"I collect art to display it in my home," he said. "After having gotten to know some of the artists, I also see it as a way of supporting their inspiration."

AFFAIRS OF THE ART

Choo is not alone.

Whether they are young couples looking to furnish their homes or art lovers who develop a passion for a particular work, a growing number of Singaporeans are seeing the benefits of owning art.

In the past, there were several factors working against the development of an art-buying culture in Singapore.

For one, the relatively small number of galleries here limited the number and range of artworks available and made for high prices.

Today, all that is changing.

Although, galleries here were reluctant to reveal hard data, figures and anecdotal evidence from gallery operators that Today spoke to suggest that art-buying among Singaporeans, especially young people, is on the increase.

Local gallery Utterly Art, for example, reported a 63 per cent jump in profits between 2003 and 2004, while Art Seasons said its sales had risen by 50 per cent in the past year alone.

Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) recently held an exhibition of Filipino artist Bencab's work and all 49 paintings were sold by opening night.

"There used to be a lack of awareness and art appreciation," said Art Seasons manager Jose Tay.

"Now there are a lot of activities and exhibitions going on every year, and that has increased the awareness and appreciation."

Tay added there is now so much diversity in the market that there is bound to be a painting to suit anyone's taste and budget.

"Art is for everyone," said art consultant Emaline Sze.

"The continued challenge is for those involved in the arts to help change the perception that art is only for the well-heeled and well-educated".

Art now, pay later

Although Singapore's growing affluence helps, Art-2 Gallery co-director Seah Tzi-Yan credited education and artist-led outreach efforts as key reasons for the trend towards investing in art.

At the moment, there are almost 200 visual arts companies and societies in Singapore, which includes photographic societies, art galleries, art auctioneers and other visual arts-related business.

In a span of just over a decade, such companies and societies have quadrupled the number of visual art exhibitions held here every year, from 150 in 1993 to 563 in 2004.

The number of exhibition days has also risen drastically from 1,441 in 1993 to 13,990 in 2004.

Said art consultant Sze: "I believe that given the continued efforts of the public and private sectors, with further education and continuous exposure to good art, those who are already buying and collecting, as well as new audiences, can further develop a deeper level of understanding and appreciation of art."

Outreach initiatives such as those of the artist-run Telok Kurau Studios, P-10 and Plastique Kinetic Works - which include talks on art appreciation and starting an art collection - are helpful, but increases in incomes have also played an important part.

The average monthly earnings of Singaporeans jumped from $2,086 to $3,329 between 1994 and 2004, although the inflation rate has not gone beyond 1.7 per cent.

"Thankfully for us, people have more disposable income," Seah said. "And are also putting art higher on their wish lists than they did before."

Regardless of their earnings, art buyers can be divided into three segments, noted gallery owners.

There is the serious collector who wants to start a collection and understands art, there is the collector who sees art as an investment and then there is the type of buyer who simply collects what he likes.

The last group of buyers tends to be younger and they are also the ones who are getting the most encouragement to delve deeper into the arts scene.

The National Arts Council recently announced the launch of an initiative with local banks such as UOB, DBS and OCBC and The Arts House to offer interest-free instalment plans that can be used towards the purchase of art.

The banks have reported strong interest from customers.

Such initiatives have helped buyers like 43-year-old theatre practitioner Glen Goei start collecting art at a time when they might not otherwise have been able to do so.

"Although using instalment plans to buy art isn't new at galleries, (the existence of such schemes) isn't very well known among the non-art buying public," he said.

Dollars and art sense

But lest anyone think artwork is only affordable when paid for in instalments, Art-2's Seah said this was not the case "as prices for artwork range widely now".

"Many young couples, for example, buy artwork that costs about $1,000 to $2,000, and they just pay up front for that." she said

These days, works by both local and foreign artists are being sold for as little as a couple of hundred dollars, depending on the size of the work and the types of materials used among other factors, said gallery owners.

STPI's Bencab exhibition had artwork with prices ranging from a reasonable $500 to $60,000.

Some of the buyers who bought the more expensive works made use of the interest-free installment plans, according to STPI.

Art Seasons' Tay said most young buyers have a budget of up to $5,000.

But the money issue is not the only thing on the minds of gallery owners, artists and industry watchers.

There is also the all-important matter of art appreciation.

As LaSalle-SIA's dean of fine arts Milenko Prvacki said with a laugh: "No point having money and no taste, right?"

Although artist Tang Ling Nah acknowledged that the art market is growing here, she said that the majority of Singaporeans have yet to see art buying as a part of their lives.

"Sometimes only a certain group of people buy art, or worse they go for non-authentic or affordable art i.e. art that is copied in massive quantities in factories," she said.

"Because their concern is not who made the art and whether it was made from a good idea, but that it looks good and hip to have a painting in the room."

For this reason, she added, it's important to know the art you're buying, and more importantly, to look beyond economic concerns in considering whether to buy a piece of art.

"You do not need to understand intellectual theories to simply understand, appreciate and enjoy the arts," said art consultant Sze.

"The great impact a good piece of art has on a viewer sometimes cannot be explained, just like you cannot explain the impact of a sunset."

Art collector Goei, who has been buying Singapore art for the past three years, noted that it was also important to see art buying as a way of supporting artists, especially those working here.

"I'm not just saying this because I'm in the arts too," he said with a laugh.

"These artists will be the ones recording the memories and history for our children and for our children's children, so it's important for us to put our money where our mouth is." - TODAY

Nam June Paik passed away on Sunday 29th January 2006.



I saw his artwork at the Queensland Art Museum in Brisbane during their Asia-Pacific Triennial in 2002.


I will never forget his TV Buddha because it was one of those installation artpieces that are worthy of a second look and many a deep thought.


I often refer his work to others who seek inspiration in installation art.


Apart from Nam June Paik, I remember no other Korean name vividly in art (or in any industry for that matter...).


Hope you enjoy looking at his works online.

ArtCyclopedia: The Conversation


This is a forum spawned from one of the many web sites I often turn to for information on artists and art history, artcyclopedia.com



Might be fun and useful looking through - I am going to sign up!

SAMPLING | Artwork by Joel Seah
The Substation Gallery
20 - 28 Jan 2006, 11 am - 9 pm
Free Admission

SAMPLING is a series of wall paper pattern designs composed entirely of text - words that Seah has said to past lovers, boyfriends and partners. In the concealing/revealing of these phrases with proposed designs for hypothetical domestic artifacts, Seah investigates the notions of public/private space, visibility/invisibility and absence/pressence as it pertains to contemporary gay ideology.

Joel Seah is a visual artist and printmaker based in America. His previous show at The Substation Gallery was Domestic Partners.

note: I did 3 exhibitions yesterday at one go. Nearly killed my legs. Anyway, I really like the works by Joel Seah at The Substation. I thought they looked more like wrapping paper designs than wallpaper designs. The works look good from a distance and at closed-up view (because you can try to figure out what are the words actually).

Presented by Singapore Tyler Print Institute and Bodhi Art.
7 – 21 January 2006
Singapore Tyler Print Institute
41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236
Website: www.stpi.com.sg

A collection of new works on paper, created at Singapore Tyler Print Institute in late 2005 by leading contemporary Indian artist Atul Dodiya. Through the works, story-teller Dodiya reflects on an increasingly disrespectful world through one of the characters in the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana.

Artist profile:
Atul Dodiya, one of India's prominent artists takes his role as an artist in
society seriously - whilst in the past he may have been focused more on
aesthetics, today he finds a need to reflect on the social and political
issues in India and the world. Known for his watercolour series on Mahatma
Gandhi and his acclaimed roller shutter paintings which juxtaposed
contradictory images of fortune and tragedy, Dodiya continues to explore
social issues in this new series of works created at Singapore Tyler Print
Institute (STPI) in September and November 2005.

The new works - a mix of unique paper pulps and edition prints tell the
story of Sabari, a young female character in the classical Indian epic The
Ramayana, who forsakes everything to live alone in the forest with nature.
In his work Dodiya explores her story and her enduring respect for nature,
reflecting on what he perceives has been lost in our modern world. Although
most know Sabari as the woman who waits for Lord Rama into her old age,
Dodiya chose to contemplate her life afresh, as a young woman, reflecting on
why she chose a life of hardship and devotion.

The works were created during Dodiya's residency at STPI - as part of a
collaboration between the Institute and Bodhi Art, the S.E. Asian specialist
in contemporary Indian art. Dodiya, a mixed media artist for many years,
embraced the opportunities for experimentation and the works radiate his
energy and exuberance.

At 46 years old Dodiya's star is certainly on the rise both at home and
internationally. This year he has seen record prices for recent works at
auction in New York, making him an Indian artist to watch. Born Mumbai,
India in 1959, Dodiya earned his B.F.A. in 1982 from the Sir J J School of
Art, Mumbai and from 1991-2 he studied at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris.
Winner of several awards, in 1999 he won the Sotheby's Prize for
Contemporary Art. He has exhibited extensively worldwide, both solo and
group shows, including London's Tate Gallery exhibition 'Centuries Cities:
Art and Culture in Modern Metropolis' in 2000; 'I con: India Contemporary' -
a satellite show at the 2005 Venice Biennale and the 'Indian Summer'
exhibition of contemporary Indian art at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in
October 2005.


Note:
Just heard fantastic raves from Enid who has just gone there.

Personally I love mixed media works, especially when they border on oriental themes or mediums, but presented with a dose of modernity. I find myself finally verballt defining my favourite genre of art: contemporary Asian art.

Will be visiting this exhib before it closes tomorrow at 6pm. Go see if you can. They close at 6pm daily I believe.

12 – 22 January 2006
@ The Arts House (Ground floor Print Gallery & Foyer, 2nd floor main Gallery)

Featuring:
Heleston Chew
Miguel Chew
Safaruddin Abdul Hamid (aka Dyn)
Kng Mian Tze
Justin Lee
Sandra Lee
Andre Tan



Bringing together 7 Singaporean artists whose uniqueness and strength
of style have not only warranted them a following but have won them
commissions on various commercial and creative projects, this exhibition
seeks to examine the place of commissioned work in an artist’s oeuvre.

Do commissioned works reflect artists’ true styles and give them a
chance to push the boundaries of their own practice? Or does it delimit
them to second guessing the client? When and how does one draw the line
between accommodating and compromising when one’s artistic reputation
is at stake?

Specially commissioned works for this show will be exhibited
alongside prior commissions and selected works from the artists’ distinctive
portfolios. The juxtaposition and synthesis of these kindred or disparate
works will allow the viewer to contemplate the delicate balance between
artistic integrity and viability.


Supported by:
The Arts House
Asian Art Options
The New Majestic Hotel
Hotel 1929
Kriston
Straits Cellars
National Arts Council, Singapore

The Substation, Sunday, 22 January 2006
Time: 1.00pm to 5.30pm
Guinness Theatre
Admission is free

Founded in 1955, documenta is one of the world’s most significant
international exhibitions of contemporary visual art. It takes place
every five years in the German town of Kassel; for the 12th edition,
opening in 2007, the artistic director is Roger Martin Buergel. One of
its major projects is the documenta 12 magazine, which will bring
together more than 70 print and online periodicals throughout the
world. The aim is to engage these diverse artwriting initiatives, to
dialogue and discuss the main themes and theories behind documenta 12,
with an emphasis on reflecting upon specific local interests, contexts
and knowledge from around the world.

On January 22nd, Georg Schöllhammer, who heads the magazine project,
and Ruth Noack, a Curator for documenta 12, will give presentations at
The Substation. Schöllhammer and Noack are in Singapore to conduct
research about the region, and to meet with artists, curators, writers,
and editors of art magazines and publications from Southeast Asia.

Schöllhammer’s and Noack’s presentations will be followed by a panel on
“Artwriting and the Public: Perspectives from Malaysia and Singapore”,
and a discussion with several visiting art magazine editors from the
region, including: Nirwan Dewanto, Senior Editor of Kalam and General
Manager of Komunitas Utan Kayu, Indonesia; Eileen Lagaspi-Ramirez,
Managing Editor, Pananaw, the Philippines; Kathy Rowland, Director,
Kakiseni.com, Malaysia; and Giang Dang, Editor, Talawas, Vietnam.

For more information about documenta 12, see .





The Substation Ltd
45 Armenian Street
Singapore 179936
www.substation.org
tel: +65 6337 7535
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An installation exhibition by SooKoon Ang The Substation Gallery (show extended till 12 January) 5 - 12 January 2006 11 am - 9 pm daily Free Admission There will be an opening reception Thursday 5 January at 7 pm. All are welcome. "I measure every grief I meet With analytic eyes; I wonder if it weighs like mine, Or have an easier size." Emily Dickinson Weighs Like Mine addresses duo interior spaces; the domestic interior space and the interior space within us (our spiritual, emotional and imaginative world). SooKoon also explores how these two both reflect and have an effect on each other.