An Insider’s Look: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

For the inaugural Mondrian property in Southeast Asia, The Artling worked as the art consultant to create an inspiring artwork collection for the hotel. The hotel is in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, serving innovation and creativity for everyone to indulge. Known for its design and progressive programming, Mondrian’s art collection comprises commissioned works by local artists as well as artworks by well-known international artists, strategically placed in the guestrooms and public areas.

Mondrian is more than a hotel: it's a way of travel. The core of the Mondrian experience revolves around design, with hotels crafted by internationally renowned architects and designers, including notable figures like Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders. Presently, Mondrian has nine properties spread across key cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, London, Doha, Mexico City, Cannes, Seoul, and Singapore. This expansion is marked by substantial growth, as there are upcoming launches in destinations like Ibiza, Bordeaux, Australia's Gold Coast, and more.

Project Information

• Location: Singapore
• Client: Ennismore
• Project Type: Hospitality
• Project Scope: Guestrooms, Public Areas
• Services Provided: Art Consultancy
• Interior Designer: Studio Carter, DPA
• Status: Completed
• Artling Project Team: Kim Tay, Talenia Phua Gajardo, Ivy Chang, Tina Rim
• Year Completed: 2023

Process and Collaborators

The Artling worked with LA-based interior designers Studio Carter and Singapore-based architects DPA to select artwork locations that would add to richness of the property. The selection was also carefully coordinated with the client, Ennismore, ensuring that the artworks were aligned with the various different themes across their spaces, such as a botanical theme in the main bar, Jungle Ballroom where we integrated a series by Emma Anna.

Accessories were also a key part of the project, injecting pops of color and quirky design objects into some of the guestrooms and key public areas. We worked with all the project consultants to layout the various spaces with artworks and design items that aligned with the client’s needs. Images of the artworks were superimposed into renders or onto elevations in the relevant locations, so we could ensure that the artworks blended seamlessly with the interior design.

The Collection

In creating the artwork collection, it was key to delve into the story behind the brand, and to ensure this was integrated into the art collection. Mondrian as a brand is about creating twists on perspective, and doing the unexpected. The art was selected to reflect this, inspiring a sense of discovery in guests as they explore the hotel. Some of the artworks blur the lines between art and design, allowing guests to question the pieces and create points of interest in the various spaces.

Entrance

Positioned with deliberate significance at the entrance of the hotel on the intersection of Neil and Craig Roads, WHAT PARTY by American artist, KAWS, emerges as a striking representation of Duxton's eclectic street culture. It gracefully coexists with Singapore's cherished heritage shophouses and the towering HDB public housing, while simultaneously casting its gaze towards the horizon, offering panoramic views of the CBD skyline - a testament to its unwavering commitment to honour tradition while embracing a forward-looking perspective.

Christina's

Some of the artworks blur the lines between art and design, allowing guests to question the pieces and create points of interest in the various spaces. The installation in Christina’s on the ground floor is by New York-based artist studio Softlab, and is inspired by geometry and light. Made up of diochromatic film and acrylic, it emits different qualities of light as it transforms during the day and into the night.

The installation changes color and reflectivity dynamically as people move around the artwork. In this case the artwork is “growing” out of the ceiling, producing a kaleidoscopic half sphere of crystals and facets that reflects and refracts the reflections of people and the activity in the space.

Reception

As guests arrive on the main hotel floor, they are greeted by the monumental work Deep Magenta Mirrored from British artist Ian Davenport. Streams of acrylic paint flow from the painting's top, cascading onto the floor, creating puddles that introduce a sculptural dimension to the artwork.

Opposite the Davenport, Waterfall IV by celebrated Singaporean artist Dawn Ng showcases a fascinating journey into entropy as the timelapse film charts the decay of a large block of ice coloured with various pigments.

Bottega di Carna

In Bottega di Carna, the vibrant modern Italian eatery by Dario Cecchini, also known as “The Greatest Butcher in The World", a striking neon work by Tracey Emin draws guests into the space. The neon works of Tracey Emin have represented a critical part of her practice since the 1990s. Adopting a form more generally associated with the language of advertising and commercial signage, they feature a variety of imagery and text written in her characteristic hand. The process begins with drawing, a fundamental aspect of her art.

The words and phrases that feature in the neon works switch from being directly candid to romantically elegiac. At times there is ambiguity in the meaning, where statements might be read as an intensely personal declaration by the artist or a universal observation.

Guestrooms

For the guestrooms, we brought in Singapore artist André Wee to create a commissioned work. The multi-layered final artwork is brought to life through the use of a special Augmented Reality filter, that allows guests to get insights into the artist’s process behind the artwork.

Canyon Club

At the rooftop’s Canyon Club guests are transported to the glitz and glamour of 1970s Hollywood, with the eye-catching Water Mouths Monochrome series of images by Tyler Shields and his injection of vibrant colour and playfulness with Ferrari Legs setting the mood on arrival. Often hailed as Hollywood's favourite photographer, Shields' art perfectly complemented the theme of the space.

A special thank you to ALL the participating artists, designers and galleries for working with us on this amazing project!

Check out some of our press coverage here:

Conde Nast Traveller
Fox Communications
Salon Prive Magazine
Travel Weekly Asia
Lifestyle Asia

Do you need help with artwork for your hospitality projects? We'd love to hear from you! Contact our expert team of consultants here.