Author Archives: Yunyi Lau

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE 'CATALYST' BY ART STAGE

Have a first look at 'CATALYST', a premier publication by Art Stage Singapore on Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia right here!

January 22, 2016

Interview with Sookoon Ang

Opening on the 20th of this month is Singaporean Sookoon Ang’s solo exhibition at Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, entitled EVEREST. Despite her hectic schedule in the days leading up to the opening, The Artling managed to sit down with her to find out more about her project.   Tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for EVEREST, and how you and the curator June Yap came together on this project. EVEREST is the title of my installation as well as the title of my solo exhibition at Objectifs. I first conceived of the idea in 2006 when I was at residency at the Rijkaakademie in Amsterdam. The title plays with the words, “Ever” & “Rest”, which conjure the ideas of the ethereal and eternal peace. It engages the present reality by calling upon the ‘unreal’; a figment of imagination that became actual, vivid and existing in an external objective space. I have been interested in making works that bring about metaphysical element to a physical presence. I naively supposed that if I take a very light fabric, starch the fabric to a 3 peaks form, place helium balloons under the fabric, et viola! I would have a floating ghost mountain. It took me the following years of technical experience to gradually understand what I have to do to produce this installation to its potential. In late 2014, early 2015, I started to push for the realisation (rebirth) of EVEREST. Coincidently, my first meeting with June also happened in Amsterdam in 2007 when she was on a curatorial visit in The Netherlands. I have always wanted to work with June and when Objectifs offered me this solo exhibition, I asked June if she’d be interested to curate it. It’s been a real pleasure working with June. It’s really great to have her collected & insightful opinions, her openness towards thoughts and ideas, and her humility in light of her many years of experience. "Fugitive Waves III" by Ang SooKoon Bronze / 2015 / 29.5 x 20.5 x 30.0cm / 11.8″ x 11.6″ x 8.1″ / Unique / USD $5,580 EVEREST is a multi-disciplinary work that features a wide variety of mediums from wax and bronze figures to sketches, and even video art. Was this as much an exploration into the concept of the monumental as an exploration of the properties and limitations of different mediums? The exhibition started by building from EVEREST, the installation. The different series of works come together easily because fundamentally they concern the idea of interior landscapes. If I remember correctly, Richard Wilbur said this about my favourite poet, Emily Dickinson: “She who contains the universe does not need the world”. Jeanette Winterson, another of my favourite writer wrote, “Against daily insignificance art recalls to us possible sublimity. It cannot do this if it is merely a reflection of actual life. Our real lives are elsewhere. Art finds them.” The motivation of my work in general and the purpose of this exhibition are about finding the sublimity in our unstable state of existence and the exploration of interior landscapes. The concept of monumental that June refers to is not about actual scale but more in terms of the grandiose of mind and spirit. And if there is any limitation, it’d be the limits of my skills and the limits of inherited thoughts, certainly not the limitation of mediums. "EVEREST" by Ang SooKoon in collaboration with Sorcha O'Raghallaigh Silk, Tulle, Plexiglass, Metal, Plexiglass, Lights / 2016 / 3 x 1.5 x 1.5m / 118.1" x 59" x 59" / 1st Edition / Price on Request The highlight of this exhibition is the fabric construction that you and Sorcha O’Raghallaigh worked on. Tell us more about how this collaboration came about and why you chose the medium of fabric of express this piece. I’m an avid Tumblr reader and I came upon an image from a random Tumblr of Sorcha’s dress from her Central St. Martin graduation show a few years ago. I save that Tumblr photo because the dress was beautiful is an ethereal way. In late 2014, early 2015, I started to push for the realisation of EVEREST, an installation I had first developed during my residency at the Rijkaakademie almost 10 years ago. And about the same time, I was offered a solo show by Objectifs who with good faith gave me carte blanche and let me do what I want for the show. I love them for this, for allowing me to realise this work that’s dormant for 10 years. I initially reached out to local bridal and gown designers but to no avail. So I thought I’ll do a cold call to Sorcha to see if she is interested. Even though, she was my last call, she is definitely my first choice. I just wasn’t sure if I am able to get her to come to Singapore. The romantic and grandeur sensibility of her work fits perfectly to this installation. Wonderfully, Sorcha was interested. Her practice is not commercially driven ready-to-wears and are not steered by the fashion trends. Her clothing are often labour intensive, one-off pieces that true to her visions. I believe it’s the nature of her practice that very easily made her interested in a fine art collaboration. Using fabric to convey the form of mountain, Everest references to stereotypical representation of ghost; it is a white hoovering apparition that is both fragile and bold. The fabric part of the installation needs to be beautifully made to be awe-inspiring. It can’t be the raggedy thing I made in Amsterdam. I am thrilled to bring Sorcha’s dress to my snow mountain form. "Real Emotions" by Ang SooKoon Inkjet Print on Aluminium / 2014 / 80 x 8 x 170 cm / 39.8″ x 22.8″ x 3.1″ / Edition of 3 + AP / USD $5,720 Although you do not have a specific focus in your general body of work, you seem to have interest in natural forms such as in the Your Love is Like a Chunk of Gold series and Higher Love (2014). Again in EVEREST, natural landforms are central to your show – is there a reason that you seem to gravitate towards these visual structures? I’m glad you point this out. Although my work do not have an apparent visual resemblance to one another, it focuses on evocative reconsiderations of the everyday. I address the unstable dimension of existence through presenting variable perceptions of reality as well as suggesting or creating alternative universes. Underpinning my work is existential anxiety and the desire to represent the fragile and ephemeral. Hence my work is produced in response to the transient and imperfect nature of things, emotions and ideas. Via multiple mediums, I stage nonlinear narratives that engage in layers of perceptions and plasticity of interpretations. Artwork is not a branding and artists are not obliged to be fixed to a certain style for quick references and fast consumerism. I want to make sculptural forms that are uncontrived, forms that are organic and have their say in how they would exist outside of my popular-culture-corrupted mind. I have to look hard and sharp to find them but they would only come unexpectedly. I apply the philosophy of Wabi Sabi to my work: nothing is complete, nothing is perfect, nothing lasts forever. "Walk" by Ang SooKoon Pencil and Pen on Paper / 2015 / 35 x 27 cm / 10.6″ x 13.8″ / Unique / USD $1,600 Finally, what is the one thing that you hope viewers will take away from their experience of Everest? Viewers are asked to traverse the boundary between physical phenomena and metaphysical projections. Everest is the experience of the ordinary with the sublime that is inextricably entwined.     Discover more works by Ang SooKoon here. 'EVEREST' a solo exhibition by Ang SooKoon is on show at Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film from 20 January till 21 February 2016, 155 Middle Road, Singapore 188977. Opening hours are Tue - Sat 12-7pm; Sun 12-4pm. There will also be a talk by the artist on 30 January at 2pm.   The Artling is the official Online Partner for EVEREST by Ang SooKoon.    

January 14, 2016

'Imaginary Homeland' by Boedi Widjaja

Art meets tech through Indonesian artist, Boedi Widjaja's, drawings in 'Imaginary Homeland'

January 13, 2016

Everything You Need to Know About Getting Into Art Week Parties

Singapore Art Week is just around the corner and this year’s edition promises to be even bigger than the last! This means more exhibitions, more events and… more parties! Here's our guide on how to get invited to one this year.

January 13, 2016

Singapore Art Week 2016 Survival Guide

Singapore Art Week (16 - 24 January) is once again upon us, which means art lovers will be sent flying across the island in a bid to squeeze in as many art events as possible. With over sixty exhibitions happening during this nine-day art extravaganza (this does not even include the parties, concerts, workshops, fairs or artist talks), it may seem rather overwhelming. The Artling has navigated the deluge of events and happenings to bring a selection of highlights and must-see exhibitions, so you can make the most of everything on offer!   16 January, Saturday "View From Ulu Tirum - From the series Singapore 1925-2025" by Robert Zhao Image courtesy of Prudential Eye Awards Prudential Eye Awards Exhibition ArtScience Museum 16 January till 27 March 2016   The Art Week Conversations: SINGAPORE - Dressing For A New Stage ION Art, ION Orchard (L4) 16 January 2016, 7.30-9pm   17 January, Sunday Death by a Thousand Cuts, Installation Reference Image Image courtesy of Chan Hampe Galleries Death by a Thousand Cuts SHOPHOUSE 5 14 January till 14 February 2016 Vertical Submarine (Joshua Yang, Fiona Koh & Justin Loke)   "Just A Moment I,I" by Jane Lee Image courtesy of the artist & STPI Freely, Freely  Singapore Tyler Print Institue (STPI) 17 January till 5 March 2016 Jane Lee   18 January, Monday artspace@HELUTRANS Image courtesy of Ikkan Art Gallery SURF and SURFACES Ikkan Art Gallery 18 January till 27 February 2016 n + n Corsino (Nicole & Norbert Corsino)   Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art Arc of Uncertainties Richard Koh Fine Art 18 January till 30 January 2016 Melissa Tan   "Untitled, 12/2009" (from the ongoing series 'Ten Thousand Things That Breathe') by Renato Orara Image courtesy of Silverlens Galleries Renato Orara Silverlens Galleries 18 January till 30 January 2016 Renato Orara   19 January, Tuesday Image courtesy of Singapore Art Week The Garden in Eden Gajah Gallery 19 January till 7 February 2016 Yunizar   20 January, Wednesday Image courtesy of Objectifs Everest Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film 20 January till 21 February 2016 Ang SooKoon   21 January, Thursday Singapore Art Week at SAM Singapore Art Museum 15 January till 24 January 2016   ArtStage Singapore 2016 Marina Bay Sands 21 January till 24 January   22 January, Friday "Gully Curtains" by Tang Da Wu Image courtesy of the artist Earth Work 1979 National Gallery Singapore 22 January till 19 June 2016 Tang Da Wu   ART AFTER DARK X SINGAPORE ART WEEK 2016 "We Are Getting Highly Overrated Because You've Never Known Us #01" by Christine Ay Tjoe Image courtesy of Ota Fine Arts Our Nature: Ay Tjoe Christine + Zai Kuning OTA Fine Arts 12 December till 30 January 2016 Ay Tjoe Christine & Zai Kuning   Image courtesy of FOST Gallery My Forest has No Name FOST Gallery 16 January till 28 February 2016 Donna Ong   "Ibu Pertiwi (Motherland) #10" by Nasirun Image courtesy of Mizuma Gallery From Koyasan to Borobudur Mizuma Gallery 16 January till 28 February 2016 Tanada Koji and Nasirun   Image courtesy of the artist Long Journey Yeo Workshop 19 January till 28 February 2016 Quynh Dong   Planned location for SCOUT, Carpark B, Gillman Barracks SCOUT Singapore: Emerging Art Practices Gillman Barracks 20 January till 24 February 2016   "Girl Balancing Knowledge" by Yinka Shonibare Image courtesy of the artist & Pearl Lam Galleries Childhood Memories Pearl Lam Galleries 21 January till 13 March 2016 Yinka Shonibare   "Start" by Christopher Le Brun Image courtesy of ARNDT Christopher Le Brun ARNDT Fine Art 22 January – 27 March 2016 Christopher Le Brun   23 January, Saturday Image courtesy of Singapore Art Week Singapore Arts Club Arnoldii Arts Club & Gillman Barracks 22 January till 22 February 2016   The Art Week Conversations: THAILAND - The Price of Selling Local ION Art, ION Orcchard (L4) 23 January 2016, 7.30-9pm   25 January, Monday   The Art Week Conversations: INDONESIA - Strongman Moves Forward ION Art, ION Orchard (L4) 25 January 2016, 7.30-9pm     The Artling is an official Online Media Partner of The Art Week Conversations.   Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.

January 12, 2016

Artist of the Month: Raintree Chan

Artist of the month, Raintree Chan, likens himself to Victor Frankenstein, which seems perfectly apt given his chosen technique of collage. Chan painstakingly hand-cuts various images from print sources such as magazines and flyers, and sorts them into stacks of trays brimming with cut-outs. This facilitates the instinctive, almost automatic compositions that characterise his collages, which are scanned and printed. It is thus unsurprising that Chan cites Surrealist painter René Magritte as one of his influences. Surrealism was a movement that embraced the uncanny in the everyday through unusual visual juxtapositions, and to “resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality.” Similarly, Chan’s collages evoke an alternate universe, comprised of objects and figures familiar to us, but in new and unexpected ways. "Encounter 24" by Raintree Chan Digital Print / 30cm x 30cm x 2cm / 11.8" x 11.8" x 0.8" / Edition of 6 / US$ 600 The worlds that Chan creates seem immediately absurd, but on further observation is based on the idea of memories hidden deep within our subconscious. His works seem to inhabit a world of contraditions, with a child-like sense of innocence to his work that is tempered by a dark and alternative undertone; he presents an environment that we only see in our dreams, in our conscious reality. "2 Cuts/ 3" by Raintree Chan Digital print / 23.5cm x 30cm x 2cm / 9.3" x 11.3" x 0.8" / Edition of 6 / US$ 600 Chan has a powerful command of colour relationships as well as composition, which give his works a strong presence and imbue the flat cut-outs with a sense of dimensionality. The visual effect of collage and photomontage - used extensively by the Berlin Dadaists such as Raoul Hausmann and Hannah Höch - is given a light-hearted treatment in Chan's pop cultural references to David Bowie, Liev Schreiber films and The Wizard of OZ, just to name a few. Image: Courtesy of the artist    A self-taught artist, Chan spends most of his time at his studio in Taipei. He has worked on projects in New York and Hong Kong, as well as had his works exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions in Taiwan.     See Raintree Chan's works here   Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.

January 07, 2016