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10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong / 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok / 1301PE, Los Angeles / acb Gallery, Budapest / Acquavella Galleries, New York / Arario Gallery, Seoul / Beijing / Cheonan / New York / ARATANIURANO, Tokyo / Ark Galerie, Jakarta / ARNDT, Berlin / Art Beatus Gallery, Hong Kong / Vancouver / aye gallery, Beijing / aye • eastation gallery, Beijing / Beijing Art Now Gallery, Beijing / Beijing Commune, Beijing / Bernier/Eliades Gallery, Athens / Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, St Moritz / Zurich / BISCHOFF/WEISS, London / bitforms gallery, New York / Blum & Poe, Los Angeles / Boers-Li Gallery, Beijing / Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York / Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong / London / Gavin Brown's enterprise, New York / Buchmann Galerie, Berlin / Lugano / CAIS Gallery, Hong Kong / Seoul / Galleria Massimo De Carlo, London / Milan / Leo Castelli Gallery, New York / The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong / Charest-Weinberg Gallery, Miami / Cheim & Read, New York / Chi-Wen Gallery, Taipei / James Cohan Gallery, New York / Shanghai / Sadie Coles HQ, London / Contemporary by Angela Li, Hong Kong / CONTEMPORARY FINE ARTS, Berlin / Galleria Continua, Beijing / Paris / San Gimignano / Corkin Gallery, Toronto / Pilar Corrias, London / Alan Cristea Gallery, London / Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris / DNA, Berlin / The Drawing Room, Manila / Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin / Leipzig / Eslite Gallery, Taipei / Gallery EXIT, Hong Kong / F2 Gallery, Beijing / Los Angeles / Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki / Stephen Friedman Gallery, London / Gagosian Gallery, Athens / Geneva / Hong Kong / London / Los Angeles / New York / Paris / Rome / Galerist, Istanbul / Gana Art, Busan / New York / Seoul / Gandhara-art, Hong Kong / Karachi / Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Inc, New York / gdm, Paris / Gering & López Gallery, New York / Gladstone Gallery, Brussels / New York / Galerie Gmurzynska, St Moritz / Zurich / Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris / Goodman Gallery, Cape Town / Johannesburg / Marian Goodman Gallery, New York / Paris / Galerie Grand Siècle, Taipei / GRANTPIRRIE, Sydney / Green Cardamom, London / Greenberg van Doren Gallery, New York / greengrassi, London / Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong / Hakgojae, Seoul / Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong / Hauser & Wirth, London / New York / Zurich / Hopkins Custot Gallery, London / Paris / Michael Hoppen Contemporary, London / HORRACH MOYA, Palma de Mallorca / Gallery HYUNDAI, Seoul / I/O (Input/Output), Hong Kong / IBID PROJECTS, London / Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh / Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin / Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong / Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York / gbk | Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney / Sean Kelly Gallery, New York / Kerlin Gallery, Dublin / Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo / Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna / Kukje Gallery, Seoul / Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong / L & M Arts, Los Angeles / New York / Pearl Lam Fine Art, Shanghai / Yvon Lambert, New York / Paris / Langgeng Gallery, Magelang / Simon Lee Gallery, London / LEHMANN MAUPIN, New York / Galerie Lelong, New York / Paris / Lisson Gallery, London / Lombard-Freid Projects, New York / Long March Space, Beijing / Lumen Travo, Amsterdam / Kate MacGarry, London / McCaffrey Fine Art, New York / Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing / Lucerne / Kamel Mennour, Paris / Galerie Mezzanin, Vienna / Yossi Milo Gallery, New York / Victoria Miro Gallery, London / Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo / The Modern Institute, Glasgow / Mummery + Schnelle, London / Nadi Gallery, Jakarta / NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo / Nature Morte, Berlin / New Delhi / neugerriemschneider, Berlin / Anna Ning Fine Art, Hong Kong / Noire Contemporary Art, Turin / Galerie Jerome de Noirmont, Paris / ONE AND J. Gallery, Seoul / Osage Gallery, Hong Kong / Beijing / Singapore / Shanghai / Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Other Criteria, London / Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney / Pace Beijing, Beijing / Pace Prints, New York / The Paragon Press, London / Pékin Fine Arts, Beijing / Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Miami / Paris / PKM Gallery, Beijing / Seoul / Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong / Polígrafa Obra Gráfica, Barcelona / THE POOL NYC, New York / Project 88, Mumbai / Galerie Quynh, Ho Chi Minh City / ALMINE RECH GALLERY, Brussels / Paris / ROKEBY, London / Röntgenwerke AG, Tokyo / Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris / Salzburg / Galerie Stefan Röpke, Cologne / Rossi & Rossi, London / Lia Rumma Gallery, Milan / Naples / SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo / Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong / Schuebbe Projects, Dusseldorf / Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne / Sydney / ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai / ShugoArts, Tokyo / Gallery Side 2, Tokyo / Sikkema Jenkins & Co, New York / silverlens gallery, Manila / Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore / Skarstedt Gallery, New York / Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam / Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami / Soka Art Centre, Beijing / Tainan / Taipei / Sperone Westwater, New York / Sprüth Magers Berlin London, Berlin / London / Starkwhite, Auckland / Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok / Beijing / Hong Kong / Timothy Taylor Gallery, London / Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne / Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York / Vilma Gold, London / Vitamin Creative Space, Beijing / Guangzhou / White Cube, London / Max Wigram Gallery, London / Wilkinson Gallery, London / x-ist, Istanbul / YAMAMOTO GENDAI, Tokyo / ZieherSmith, New York / David Zwirner, New York

PARTICIPATING GALLERIES

PARTICIPATING GALLERIES

55, Shanghai / AKI Gallery, Taipei / Annandale Galleries, Sydney / Apparao Galleries, Bangalore / Chennai / New Delhi / ARTCOURT Gallery, Osaka / ARTMIA, Beijing / CDA Projects, Istanbul / Gallery Cellar, Tokyo / Chambers Fine Art, Beijing / New York / Chan Hampe Galleries, Singapore / Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo / China Art Projects, Beijing / C-Space, Beijing / Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney / Cologne / Edwin's Gallery, Jakarta / Gallery Espace, New Delhi / The Guild, Mumbai / New York / Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery, Osaka / Kaikai Kiki Gallery Taipei, Taipei / Kodama Gallery, Kyoto / Tokyo / Lin & Lin Gallery, Beijing / Taipei / m97 Gallery, Shanghai / MEM, Tokyo / Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney / Number1gallery, Bangkok / ALEXANDER OCHS GALLERIES BERLIN | BEIJING, Beijing / Berlin / Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney / Other Gallery, Beijing / Shanghai / Wenzhou / Galerie Paris-Beijing, Beijing / Paris / Platform China, Beijing / Primo Marella Gallery, Beijing / Milan / Rampa, Istanbul / Red Gate Gallery, Beijing / Alon Segev Gallery, Tel Aviv / Shanghai Gallery of Art, Shanghai / Galerie Sho Projects, Tokyo / SIGIarts, Jakarta / Sin Sin Fine Art, Hong Kong / Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney / Sutton Gallery, Melbourne / TKG+, Beijing / Taipei / Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, Tokyo / Umahseni, Jakarta / Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai / vivi yip art room, Jakarta / Y++ Wada Fine Arts, Beijing / Tokyo / XVA Gallery, Dubai

18Gallery, Shanghai / Aando Fine Art, Berlin / Art+ Shanghai, Shanghai / Beijing 9 Art Space, Beijing / Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong / Brennan & Griffin, New York / GALERÍA MARTA CERVERA, Madrid / Charim Ungar Berlin | CUC, Berlin / Vienna / Cole Contemporary, London / | EDS | GALERIA, Mexico City / Gallery em, Seoul / Exhibit 320, New Delhi / FQ Projects, Shanghai / Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London / Galerie Christian Hosp, Berlin / island JAPAN, Tokyo / Tristian Koenig, Melbourne / Kudlek van der Grinten Galerie, Cologne / GALERIE CHRISTIAN LETHERT, Cologne / Ignacio Liprandi Arte Contemporáneo, Buenos Aires / Josh Lilley Gallery, London / Madder139, London / Magician Space, Beijing / Man&Eve, London / Mendes Wood, Sao Paulo / Meulensteen, New York / Francesca Minini, Milan / Mother’s Tankstation, Dublin / NON, Istanbul / Ooi Botos Gallery, Hong Kong / Martha Otero Gallery, Los Angeles / PLATFORM3, Bandung / Rotwand, Zurich / Scaramouche, New York / Seven Art Limited, New Delhi / Sultana, Paris / Take Ninagawa, Tokyo / Gallery Terra Tokyo, Tokyo / TORRI, Paris / Traffic, Dubai / Galleri Maria Veie, Oslo / Skogn / WEINGRÜLL, Karlsruhe / WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing / WILDE GALLERY, Berlin / Zidoun Gallery, Luxembourg / Paris

PARTICIPATING GALLERIES

Sponsored by

Correct at time of going to press

Official Fair Partners Education Partner Official Hotel Partner Official International Media Partner

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The Pocket Art Guide (May) LHS.pdf 1 11年4月20日 下午2:05

24 IN THE FRAME

44 ART LANDS

53 PERSPECTIVES32 FEATURE

40 STORY

36 GLIMPSE

48 MARkET VOICES

16 ART WIRE

CONTENTS

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Masato Shigemori: Floating Worlds

Heri Dono: Escaping from the Herd

IT’S NOW OR NEVER II: When the materials transcend the work 55

Visual Palindromes: Never Odd Never Even

Comic Belief - Digger T. Mesch

Between Heaven and Hell

White Cube - Out of the Box

Art HK 11: Why Asia? Why now? 51

SINGAPORE: The Reconnaissance City

64 DIRECTORY & LISTINGSSingapore Art GuideTourist SpotsMalaysia Art GuideHong Kong Art GuideLondon Art GuideEurope Art GuideUnited States Art Guide

Sarong Kebaya: Peranakan Fashion and its International Sources 16

MICHAEL CRAIG-MARTIN DRAWINGS: 1967 – 2002 16

Timeless Tagore - Rabindranath Tagore’s Poetry in Visual Art by Sudakshina Ghosh 17

Samadhi 17

Ingenuity — A solo exhibition by Tay Bak Chiang 18

Mother 18

Henry Butcher Auction of Malaysian Art 19

Mark Leckey 19

‘INTER_PLAY’ 20

Cole Contemporary at Art HK 11 20

KORA - NEW WORK BY MEXICAN ARTIST RICARDO MAZAL 21

Patrick Heide Contemporary at Art HK 11 21

Lisson Gallery at Art HK 11 22

Nathaniel Mellors: Ourhouse 22

MAY 2011 / 9

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On the Cover Masato Shigemori: Light Composite 2011, Acrylic on Canvas, 116.7 x 72.7cm

THE POCKET ARTS GUIDE PTE LTD (TPAG)215 Henderson Road, #03-03, Henderson Industrial Park Singapore 048545

All editorial, design requests, advertising bookings and materials for May issue of TPAG should be received by 10th May 2011.

Printed in Singapore by International Press Softcom Limited.

Copyright of all editorial content in Singapore and abroad is held by the publishers, THE POCKET ARTS GUIDE MAGAZINE. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers. THE POCKET ARTS GUIDE (TPAG) cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to unsolicited material. TPAG, ISSN 2010-9739, is published 12 times a year by THE POCKET ARTS GUIDE MAGAZINE.

Every effort has been made to contact the copyrights holder. If we have been unsuccessful in some instances, please contact us and we will credit accordingly. Even greater effort has been taken to ensure that all information provided in TPAG is correct. However, we strongly advise to confirm or verify information with the relevant galleries/venues. TPAG cannot be held responsible or liable for any inaccuracies, omissions, alterations or errors that may occur as a result of any last minute changes or production technical glitches.

The views expressed in TPAG are not necessarily those of the publisher. The advertisements in this publication should also not be interpreted as endorsed by or recommendations by TPAG The products and services offered in the advertisements are provided under the terms and conditions as determined by the Advertisers. TPAG also cannot be held accountable or liable for any of the claims made or information presented in the advertisements.

Issue #19 | May 2011ISSN 2010-4375 / MICA (P) 252/09/2010www.thepocketartsguide.com

Editor-in-Chief Remo Notarianni / remo@thepocketartsguide.com

Art DirectorAmalina MN / ama@thepocketartsguide.com

Contributors Gladys Teo, Daniela Beltrani, Bharti Lalwani, Richard Chua

Advertising Salessales@thepocketartsguide.com General enquiries and feedbackmktg@thepocketartsguide.com Submission of press releasespr@thepocketartsguide.com

MAY 2011 / 11

Dear Readers,

The May 2011 issue of the Pocket Arts Guide (TPAG) coincides with the Hong Kong International Art Fair (Art HK 11). The event, which kicks off on May 28, has become emblematic of the region’s bustling art world. Hong Kong’s significance is growing as talent in the region finds global recognition. Art HK 11 may not be considered as important as Art Basel or Frieze, but just a few years back it was unimaginable that so many world class galleries could converge on the city. But Hong Kong has always been a city of surprises. Its energy and optimism deserves the great art that is arriving in its galleries and exhibition centres.

This issue is not solely devoted to the event, but by acknowledging it and appreciating the gallerists and artists present we are celebrating a scene that has diversified as it has become global. In this issue, we have an interview with Tim Marlow, Director of Exhibitions at London’s White Cube gallery and Magnus Renfrew, the director of Art HK.

And true to form, we have covered ground between cities. This issue includes Indonesian artist Heri Dono, one of the artists mentioned in the issue who have physically become the centre of their work; and we have Japanese artist Masato Shigemori who has found an individual style from a cultural patchwork.

The diversity in this issue gives you an inkling of the creative excellence on offer at a fair like Art HK. The event is an exciting reminder of the immense changes that cities are engulfed in at the moment. They are creating opportunities for artists to get recognised globally. TPAG wishes you an exciting read with some great discoveries along the way.

Remo Notarianni Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR’S LETTER

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Recycle.Pass THE POCKET ARTS GUIDE forward.

LOVE THE FUTURE

Published monthly, complimentary copies of TPAG are available at several places in Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Singapore: Includes the National Library, Singapore Tourism Board’s Singapore Visitors Centre at Orchard (junction of Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road), MICA Building on Hill Street, leading art galleries (Opera Gallery at ION Orchard, Galerie Joaquin at The Regent and Sunjin Galleries in Holland Village), art groups and venues (The Luxe Museum on Handy Road and Sculpture Square on Middle Road), museums and lifestyle shops (STYLE: NORDIC on Ann Siang Road and Lai Chan at Raffles Hotel).

Hong Kong: TPAG is widely distributed in Hong Kong and can be found in popular restaurants, bars, cafes and major art venues. Among other places, complimentary copies are available at the Fringe Club, Post-97, Club 71, the Dharma Den and the Bookshop at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. It is also distributed in a wide range of galleries. Browsing copies are available at branches of Uncle Russ Coffee.

The United Kingdom: TPAG is available at select cafes and art venues around the UK and complimentary copies can be found in major galleries, including the Alan Cristea Gallery, in London.

For the environmentally-conscious, the PDF format of TPAG can be downloaded from www.thepocketartsguide.com every month or simply flip through the magazine on the website using the online reader.

Subscription price is SGD48 within Singapore and USD40 internationally. For subscriptions, renewals and address changes, please email mktg@thepocketartsguide.com.

MAY 2011 / 13

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ART WIRE

MAY 2011 / 15

The Peranakan Museum unveils its latest major exhibition, Sa-rong Kebaya: Peranakan Fashion and its International Sourc-es. This exhibition traces the evolution of the sarong kebaya from its roots in 16th-century Islamic garments through the many cultures that contributed to its development in South-east Asia.

Rare and beautiful works show how Peranakan fashion devel-oped its unique character to become an international fashion phenomenon and the paramount expression of identity for Peranakan women.

“This exhibition breaks new ground by carefully considering the historical sources of the sarong kebaya. Like Peranakan culture generally, its costume is a complex fusion of sever-al cultures, with sources in India, the Islamic world, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe,” said Dr Alan Chong, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Sarong Kebaya: Peranakan Fashion and its International Sources

1.04.11 - 26.02.12The Peranakan Museumwww.peranakanmuseum.sgSingapore

The Alan Cristea Gallery will present the first ever exhibition of drawings by the conceptual artist Michael Craig-Martin. To be staged in the year that Craig-Martin celebrates his 70th birthday, the show spans four decades of his career.

None of the 60 unique drawings, including studies for major works and commissions, have ever been seen in the pub-lic domain and this exhibition represents the first time that this aspect of his work has been brought together and docu-mented.

All the works are hand-drawn, with the majority pre-dating his use of the computer – but will also include wall drawings which he will prepare in situ in the Alan Cristea Gallery ahead of the opening of the show, using his traditional technique of black masking tape.

MICHAEL CRAIG-MARTIN DRAWINGS: 1967 – 2002

05.05.11- 04.06.11The Alan Cristea Gallerywww.alancristea.comLondon

ART WIRE

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The exhibition features a captivating collection of paintings by Kolkata-born Sudakshina Ghosh that portrays the narrative essence of selected poems by the celebrated Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), who was the first non-European to win the Noble Prize for Literature (1913); and who wrote the na-tional anthem of two nations (India and Bangladesh).

This significant showcase, which symbolically opens on Tag-ore’s birthday, will be Singapore-based Sudakshina Ghosh’s first-ever solo art exhibition. Also, the exhibition marks 150 years after Tagore’s birth.

The exhibition is a demonstration of images that are as poetic as the words they are inspired by and with the same poetic essence. Although it speaks a different language, it conveys the spirit and essence of Tagore with almost the same sub-lime quality as his work did.

Timeless Tagore - Rabindranath Tagore’s Poetry in Visual Art by Sudakshina Ghosh

07.05.11 – 17.05.11The Gallery of Gnani Artswww.gnaniarts.comSingapore

Indigo Blue Art presents an exhibition in celebration of Vesak Day and In Commemoration of Spiritual Teacher Sohan Qadri (1932-2011). International artist Sohan Qadri, a Vajrayana Tantric teacher, was initiated by a Sufi master and a Vajrayana Tantric guru as a young boy.

Sohan’s art, characterised by his use of the ‘dot or the moola beeja’, re-interprets an ancient tantric philosophy of medita-tion. In his meticulously dyed-infused paintings on serrated paper, Sohan has abandoned representation in a search for transcendence. To date, Sohan has had more than 80 one-man exhibitions all over the world.

There will be a talk on “Images and Mudras of Nirvana” by Dr Nina Raghunath on 28 May from 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm. The talk also covers an introduction to Buddhist thought.

Samadhi

12.05.11- 28.05.11Indigo Blue Artwww.indigoblueart.comSingapore

ART WIRE

MAY 2011 / 17

Galerie Sogan & Art will present a group exhibition featuring five female Singapore artists: Alecia Neo, Guo Yi Xiu, Sarah Choo, Ye Ruoshi and Xin Xiaochang. Through various media that include photography, sculptures, paintings and installations, each artist will share her experience and understanding of human relations.

Generally, a mother is referred to as a woman who has conceived, given birth to and raised a child. However, the complexities and differences of a mother’s social, cultural and religious roles make it challenging to find a universally accepted definition of motherhood.

In this exhibition, the artists showcase ideas in diverse ways. While Ye Ruoshi chooses to portray her stories in a theatrical manner, photographer Alecia Neo takes on an investigative approach to the works.

Mother18.05.11 – 11.06.11Galerie Sogan & Artwww.soganart.comSingapore

Cham Hampe is presenting the work of Tay Bak Chiang, whose artistic career has taken him across Asia to countries including Korea, Japan, Singapore and his native China.

Nature, through its many forms, served as Tay Bak Chiang’s chief inspiration for his third solo exhibition, aptly titled Ingenu-ity. The artist’s deep found awe in the harmony, balance andperfection in nature is made clear through these sumptuous Chinese ink paintings

Both the stone series and the Lotus Pond series in Ingenuity portray its subjects in their barest forms, with Tak Bak Chiang returning to the essence of his subjects by abandoned motifs that would bear his feelings, points of view and intentions. In doing so the viewer is invited to imagine and ultimately dis-cover first--hand nature’s ingenuity.

Ingenuity — A solo exhibition by Tay Bak Chiang

16.05.11- 03.06.11Chan Hampe Galleries @ Tanjong Pagarwww.chanhampegalleries.comSingapore

ART WIRE

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The Serpentine Gallery presents a new exhibition conceived by Mark Leckey, who was born in 1964. In a multi-disciplinary practice that encompasses sculpture, sound, film and performance, Leckey explores the potential of the human imagination to appropriate and to animate a concept, an object or an environment.

Leckey’s fascination with the affective power of images is another recurring theme. Meticulously sourced and reconfigured archival footage is a predominant feature of some of his best-known works. Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore (1999) is a seminal exploration of the history of underground dance culture in the UK from the mid- 1970s to the early 1990s.

In the recent performance piece GreenScreenRefrigeratorAc-tion (2010), Leckey sought to communicate the inner life of a ‘smart’ fridge – one that keeps an electronic tally of its con-tents.

Mark Leckey

19.05.11-26.06.11The Serpentine Gallerywww.serpentinegallery.orgLondon

This year, one of artist-poet-writer Latiff Mohidin’s major paint-ings from his iconic Pago-Pago series will headline the Henry Butcher Auction of Malaysian Art. An exciting collection will go under the hammer. It will also, for the first time, showcase the works of famed Nanyang pioneers Cheong Soo-Pieng (1917-83), Georgette Chen (1906-93), Liu Kang (1911-2004) and Chen Wen Hsi (1906-91). Another gem is Rise Above It, an acrylic on canvas from the late Datuk Ibrahim Hussein. The Singapore Preview will be held at The Luxe Art Museum from 19 - 22 May. The Penang Preview at a2 Gallery from 12 - 15 May and the full viewing of 105 artworks will be held at White Box, MAP @ Publika, Kuala Lumpur from 28 May - 18 June.

Henry Butcher Auction of Malaysian Art 19.05.11— 22.05.11MAP@Publika in Solaris Dutamaswww.hbart.com.myMalaysia

ART WIRE

MAY 2011 / 19

London’s Cole Contemporary is presenting Eve Ackroyd’s paintings at Art HK 11. Ackroyd’s images are sourced from news pictures of significant events, including plane crashes, protest marches and religious ceremonies. These are then transformed into sparse, abstract vistas, indeterminable from their original source, yet suggestive of dystopian societies en-gaged in communal or ritualistic activity.

The works consider the place of the individual in these societ-ies and interrogate the nature of human relationships; while the works often portray a range of different characters.

In stripping down images from news footage, Ackroyd ques-tions the value and currency of the prevalent nature of such im-ages. While Ackroyd’s work has recognisable elements within it they also hold back the viewer at an uneasy distance.

Cole Contemporary at Art HK 11

26.05.11- 29.05.11Hong Kong International Art Fair www.colecontemporary.com Hong Kong

A unique showcase of one-off and limited edition pieces by leading Australian and Singaporean practitioners whose indi-vidual practices challenge the notions of art and design. This collaborative exhibition by Chan Hampe Galleries (Singapore) and Spiro Grace Art Rooms (Australia) presents a unique op-portunity for international cultural exchange and is a playful exploration of cultural identity.

Reflecting on the convergence of art and design disciplines, ‘Inter_ Play’ brings to light the intricacies of inter-disciplinary practice within contemporary cultural production in the Asia Pacific region. It also shows the sophistication of the artwork that the region is producing.

With the collaboration, the interweaving of Singapore and Australia is a testament to the potential of Singapore’s grow-ing intercultural significance as a place where the fusion of ideas can create new combinations. From that, the Lion City’s artists can explore new possibilities.

‘INTER_PLAY’

21.05. 11 – 04.06.11Chan Hampe Galleries@ Raffles Hotel Arcadewww.chanhampegalleries.comSingapore

ART WIRE

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London’s Patrick Heide Gallery will present the work of Kate Terry at Art HK 11. Terry’s work often reveals itself slowly and forms a system that cannot be seen all at once, a very pres-ent, but tenuous structure that plays with the viewer’s percep-tions.

Employed with economy and restraint, disrupting the viewers’ depth perception, and perceptions of shapes and structures in space. The mainstay of Terry’s practice is site-specific in-stallations that utilise ordinary thread and pins to transform and delineate spaces. Responding to architectural features and spatial idiosyncra-sies as the starting point, Terry subtly manipulates the viewers’ perception of space, creating a new experiential architectural space with each installation. She constructs the installations by meticulously pinning threads to opposing surfaces and then guiding them as they twist and turn.

Patrick Heide Contemporary at Art HK 11

26.05.11-29.05.11Hong Kong International Art Fair www.patrickheide.comHong Kong

Ricardo Mazal, one of Mexico’s most prominent contempo-rary artists, shows a series of abstract paintings inspired by his journey to Tibet’s holiest summit, Mount Kailash, for his first solo show in Hong Kong. Using a multidisciplinary pro-cess. Mazal moves between photography, digital technology, and painting.

In each of his investigations, photographs have been the im-petus. For Mazal, photography is a bridge that links reality to abstraction. At regular intervals, Mazal photographs his paint-ing in progress.

This newest series of his work is inspired by the sky burials of Mount Kailash. During his 21-day journey, Mazal documented the striated façade of Mount Kailash, the wood-frame boxes of pigments in the frontier town Darchen, and the streams of prayer flags quivering in the wind.

KORA - NEW WORK BY MEXICAN ARTIST RICARDO MAZAL

14.04.11 – 20.05.11Sundaram Tagore Gallerywww.sundaramtagore.comHong Kong

ART WIRE

MAY 2011 / 21

London’s ICA presents the first major solo exhibition in a UK public institution by Nathaniel Mellors. Mellors has produced a distinctive body of work that combines video, sculpture and writing.

Mellors installs Episodes 1, 2 and 4 from his new video series Ourhouse (2010-) alongside the animatronic sculpture, Hippy Dialectics (Ourhouse). Mellors also programmes a series of events in association with Mark Pilkington’s Strange Attractor and Junior Aspirin Records.

Ourhouse is set in a manor house in the English countryside and it portrays the Maddox-Wilson family, an eccentric group-ing whose roles and relationships shift after the arrival of ‘The Object’ (an imposing male figure that the family fail to identify as a human being). The object begins to consume and ex-crete their books to control language in the house.

Nathaniel Mellors: Ourhouse

09.03. 11 – 15.5.11 The Institute of Contemporary Artswww.ica.org.ukLondon

At London’s Lisson Gallery will present among other artists, Anish Kapoor, Julian Opie, Richard Deacon, Tony Cragg, Ryan Gander, Cory Arcangel, Haroon Mirza, Tatsuo Miyajima, Lawrence Weiner, Richard Wentworth, Jonathan Monk, Tim Lee, lee Ufan, Sean Snyder and Marina Abramovic.

The collection on offer typifies the generational embrace of talent that Lisson has made since it was founded in 1967. The gallery has nurtured artists who have exploited artistic pos-sibilities and it has made itself into a platform for creators who break the mould to define the generations they belong to.

The gallery’s exhibit at Art HK 11 conveys its long and innova-tive history and with such an immense collection to draw on, it can add to the exciting mix at the fair.

Lisson Gallery at Art HK 11

26.05.11 – 29.05.11Hong Kong International Art Fair www.lissongallery.comHong Kong

ART WIRE

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ART WIRE

MAY 2011 / 23

Spotsign, 2011 Acrylic on Canvas, 180 x 80.3 cm

IN THE FRAME

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Text: Remo Notarianni

MASATO SHIGEMORI FLoATInG WoRLDS

The subjects of Japanese artist Masato Shigemori peer out of landscapes that belong to fantasy art

but the details are oddly familiar – a Samurai sword, a sakura flower, and in the distance, a 20th century cruise ship. These little things provide anchors in a place that seems hard to describe. To Shigemori, its very confusion mirrors reality.

MASATO SHIGEMORI

MAY 2011 / 25

“In Europe, people are trying to preserve classic architecture,” said Shigemori, who hails from the city of Hiroshima in western Japan. “But in Japan, we had to make new houses because we lost so many during World War II and most of them were made of wood. At the same time we import foreign culture and religions such as Bud-dhism and Christianity. Then we end up mixing them. We celebrate wedding parties at a church, and funerals at a Buddhist temple. We have Christmas and Halloween. We don’t even under-stand English, but there is often an American hit song in the charts.”

Born in 1979, Shigemori seems to eulogise a world that some would say is vanishing, but he also celebrates its paradox. He mentions a landscape fragmented by war but sees some-thing similar in the ironic jumble of modern life. This intermingling may create confusion, but it is also redefining the way we live.

“Androgyny abounds in today’s society,” said Shigemori. “Boundaries between the masculine and feminine are blurred in fashion and gender identity. We use expressions that are increasingly anachronistic. The Internet has changed our per-ceptions of distance.”

Artistic clues are found in Shigemori’s range of influences. Citing Vincent Van Gogh, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso and Tsuguharu Fujita as inspirations, alongside Ukiyo-e and manga artists, Shigemori’s personal embrace of diver-sity is reminiscent of Japan’s artistic history and the cultural influx that followed the ‘open door’ approach of the Meiji era. His images are imbued with the ethereal elegance of classical Japanese art and this brings out their modern influences.

“To date, countries have exported and im-ported cultures to and from each other,” said Shigemori, “as illustrated by Japonism in the 19th century, which eventually gave birth to wayo-secchu, or a hybrid of ‘Western’ and Japa-nese art. My works are also influenced by such traditional arts as ukiyo-e (floating world), bijinga, and kachoga (paintings of the ether world, beau-tiful women, birds and flowers) that eventually met their decline in 19th century Japan, and the cultural movement of Taisho Roman, which re-flected the fashion and the era of Taisho on such traditional arts. From a historical point of view,

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Revival 2011, Acrylic on Canvas, 145.5 x 112cm

MASATO SHIGEMORI

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1. Untitled I 2008, Oil on canvas, 40.9 x 31.8 cm2. Untitled II 2008, Oil on canvas, 40.9 x 31.8 cm3. Untitled III 2008, Oil on canvas, 40.9 x 31.8 cm

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MASATO SHIGEMORI

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Blue Base 2011, Acrylic on Canvas, 72.7 x 50cm

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a unique ‘self’ as a combination of diverse expressions and styles, rather than conform-ing to the absolute idea of individuality. This is the approach I take with my art.”

Light Composite 2011, Acrylic on Canvas, 116.7 x 72.7cm

my works can be described as an offshoot of the Japonism of Western impressionist artists and are thus characterised by styles evocative of retro-futurism.”

In the cultural patchwork of post-1945 Japan, the self-taught Shigemori found an art education from observation, reading Eu-ropean art books, and exploring a personal artistic sense. It was perhaps through this self-discovery that he found a technical un-derstanding. Shigemori, who once had an ambition to be a manga artist, believes in an intuitive discovery of artwork.

“My biggest theme for the art is not to describe in detail the object in front of me,” said Shigemori. “My priority is to draw the beauty of the object. I think this is a similar idea to Katsushika Hokusai’s idea of drawing beautifully whatever he thinks of. I have dif-ferent styles that include ‘modern’, ‘pop’ and ‘fashion’ but these all come from within.

“I did not believe that I needed to go to art school because art is not something that should be studied. For me, art is more about feelings and sense. I started to paint with oils when I was five years old and I went to some art classes. I also did drawing and handicrafts. I sometimes stood beside artists for hours to copy painting techniques. I usu-ally focused on the details, so I sometimes play with art as I want to balance the basic techniques with the creativity. I also did col-lage and free painting and I was definitely influenced by Japanese cartoons. I can see how these were influenced by Hokusai and Jakuchu Ito. My roots conceptually began with Western art and that’s where I learned so many different things hands on.”

History has enriched the palette of Japa-nese artists. And in the post-modern scram-ble of ideas, cultural motifs and creative tradi-tions, painters such as Shigemori have found an individual style. It is perhaps in the para-doxical embrace of opposites that unique styles and combinations are found.

“All views or ideas, despite their con-trasting nature, reach out to unite with one another,” said Shigemori. “What we find beyond this process is our modern society characterised by an individual’s desire to find

Masato Shigemori was born in Japan in 1979. His work is included in the exhibition Reminiscence that runs at Singapore’s Sunjin Galleries from 5th May to 22nd May 2011.

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VISUAL PALINDROMES:NEVER ODD NEVER EVEN

Text: Bharti Lalwani

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“ Whether it is the Orphic Egg described by Aristophanes – Brahmagestating in the Egg of the Universe- or the Christian Easter Egg of resurrection and transformation, the egg with its mysterious creative life force has been a sacred sign with symbollic significance for all people on earth.

”- Jill Pickering

“Whether it is the Orphic Egg described by Aristophanes- Brahma gestating in the Egg of the Universe- or the Christian Easter Egg of resurrec-tion and transformation, the egg with its mysteri-ous creative life force has been a sacred sign with symbolic significance for all people on earth.”- Jill Pickering

Australian-American artist Jill Pickering has lived in Singapore for ten years and presents her first exhibition of artworks at Evil Empire on Niven Road. In this selection of paper works, vibrant amorphic shapes, undulating on paper, welcome the viewer into a world of Rorschach-esque pos-sibilities.

Jill began experimenting with an age-old paste recipe originally used in the art of book mak-ing. Literally a ‘hands on’ technique, this method combined with an organic medium to enable her to shape patterns and images in an immediate and tangible way. Over time, she developed the technique to suit her creative modus operandi, where the level of control and chance evidence themselves in the pieces. Working from the back of the paper folded on its central axis, these visual “palindromes” are created by intuitive and reflexive responses to the paper and medium.

“I work blind, so to speak, trusting in the process and cannot see the final result until it’s done.”

When the works reveal themselves in their entirety, the paper works demonstrate the mul-tifariously layered pigments, tones and textures. Experimenting with several laborious processes with different mediums and inks, the final artwork bears intricate forms, designed by elements of chance and control and coincidentally or even sub-consciously resembling microbial organisms and primitive life forms of the micro-cosmic world, not unlike the biological illustrations of marine creatures documented by 19th century German zoologist Ernst Haeckel. Indeed many of her artworks bear referential titles such as ‘Gorgonida’, ‘Aspidonea’ and ‘Diatomea’.

Born in the United States and brought up in Australia, Pickering formally studied dance and drama but moved through a number of corporate jobs in a number of cities before returning back to her creative field to specialise in painted effects and finishes for commercial and residential interiors. In 2000, she moved to Singapore and worked for a

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while as a docent at the Asian Civilizations Museum while simultaneously attending various workshops to hone her skills. These included mask making in Yale, experimental silk screening at STPI, fresco making with Pepe Candeloro, a paper marbling course in Istanbul and so on. Abstract painters from recent history have also been among her influenc-es- She attempts to emulate the meditative quality of artists such as Agnes Martin, Sohan Qadri and Mark Rothko; the sense of colour and composition of artists Barnett Newman, Philip Taafe and the psy-chedelic visual experience of Fred Tomacelli’s art.

Each painting displayed at the exhibition is an experiment- either in scale, size, form, medium or technique, some pieces work well and others quite not so but the artist’s seriousness in involving her-self with her materials with a willingness to succeed or fail at every attempt should be encouraged. Curi-ous about how her work is received by diverse au-diences and whether her expressions can indeed resonate with viewers, Pickering’s first exhibition has provided her with a forum of supportive feed-back. The challenge for her now for is to evolve her practice and grow as an artist.

The artist can be contacted at www.jillpickering.com

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TPAG: Describe your preoccupations as an artist and the subjects that fascinate you. GC: I’m fascinated by the way the inventive visual language of contemporary art reflects humanity in the modern world. I began using the stock listings from the Financial Times newspaper in 1994. It was a period in which affordable mobile phone technol-ogy and the internet were creating the digital and communications revolution that has reconfigured our perceptions of the world. The newspaper stock listing collages I was making provided a di-rect means of capturing a sense of this globalised space. This developed into depicting spaces that oscillate between Utopia and Dystopia, fused with images from classical mythology and science-fic-tion. Philip K Dick and JG Ballard had a huge influ-ence on my work with their multiplication of realities and they reflected the fragility of the human mind and society. From a wider perspective, I am try-ing to visually manifest some of the meta-systems which we exist in to raise questions about them.

TPAG: Prior to your formal education as an artist, what were your inspirations?GC: My early influences were cartoons, computer games (I was part of the first generation of home computer users), TV, fantasy books and geeky miniature ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ models that I painted.

TPAG: Explain the process and the mediums you use in your artwork.GC: I work on the computer, collecting images from the internet to create a ‘virtual palette’ from which I

Contemporary British artist Gordon Ch-eung was born in 1975. His multi-media art intersects two seemingly disparate re-alities. He creates a window into a world between ‘Dystopia’ and ‘Utopia’ which he believes is the ambiguity of 21st century. In his work, spray paint, oils, acrylics, pas-tels and ink collide against his signature ‘stock listing’ backgrounds. His work is being presented at the Hong Kong Inter-national Art Fair (2011) by London’s Alan Cristea Gallery.

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELLText: Remo Notarianni

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create a digital collage and compose a painting. This is gridded up and enlarged onto pre-prepared stock listing sheets where all the logos have been removed to create a pure space of information. These sheets are then jig-sawed back together on the canvas from where I spray-paint impasto paint and use other me-diums to complete the work.

I also make sculptures and videos and for my solo show at the Alan Cristea Gallery, I have looked into using lenticulars and the latest 3D TVs. I am always interested in using any medium that fascinates me and absorb it into my art, as all of these processes and techniques have layers of meaning and they are records of our times.

TPAG: How does your style reflect your aesthetic intentions?GC: I try to find the balance between flattening the pictorial space and maintaining visual depth. Flat-ness in painting has been important in both Europe and Asia for different reasons. In classical Chinese ink landscape painting the ‘empty’ space is ‘filled’ with contemplation and in Modernist Western painting, flatness is one of the ‘pure’ philosophical essentials of painting itself. I draw from both histo-ries of painting and add my own visual interpreta-tions of living in this era. So spray painted voids suggesting digital or virtual spaces, scorched black and white landscapes made of collaged stock list-ings to compress traditional with science-fictional spaces made with the materials of the everyday.

I do not exclusively position myself in one or the other and see myself as in between cultures, draw-ing inspiration from both, which is probably why it has led me to being interested in the idea of a global space where in many ways we are all ‘in-between’. For example, this can be ‘teleporting’ electronically via messages on phones or the Inter-net across the globe in a virtual reality space.

The interest in an ‘in between’ space has meant that I seek to invent ways of visualising places that are multi-dimensional so that first appearances un-fold to reveal other spaces for contemplation by juxtapositioning both Asian and Western subjects, techniques, material, colour, perspectives and compositions.

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about being human, it needs to transmit a meaning-ful, emotional or poetic message that can last into the future and give a sense of who we are. If that can be converged with the political, social, cultural and historical experiences of our times, then they are all the more potent as a ‘voice’ in history.

TPAG: What is your opinion of the art scene glob-ally?GC: It’s obvious to say that the art scene globally is evolving with the rise of the ‘Eastern’ contempo-rary art. I think that in the East, and I am thinking mostly of China, that artists are working under a police state that readily censors artworks that they deem critical of the government or if it transgress-es taboos by removal or even imprisonment of the artist. This makes for a far more intense situation that in my mind means a creative expression in this context is very powerful. The artists that I admire in Europe and America are those that deal with multi-mythological themes that are both classical and modern and that search for a human expression to outline the shape of the civilisation they belong to.

TPAG: How do you think artists are evolving in Asia?GC: In China, I think that there has been a shift between focusing on artists who visualise their ex-periences of Communist China to younger artists who are born into an era where China has imple-mented capitalist policies and the generational of the ideological divide between their parents. The artists I am really interested in are those who are making work that ‘remember’ some of the impor-tant events such as the Sichuan earthquake where badly built schools collapsed. What hope is there for preventing these events from re-occurring un-less they become etched into the culture?

TPAG: What do you think of the present art scene in the UK? GC: The UK art scene seemed to be thriving but our current government has decided to slash 30 percent of funding to Arts Council of England and it will clearly be a tough time for culture and artists.

TPAG: What do you think of technology in art?GC: Regardless of increasing new technologies, the task of an artist is surely to find a voice with whatever medium can capture a sense of a human experience of the world. Whether that means using a stick of charcoal on paper or the latest hi-defini-tion camera to produce a record of our experiences

Alan Cristea GalleryBooth No: 1D10

Image credits:1.Pg 36-37 - Gorden Cheung studio2. Trophy 6 series - Deer, Boar, Bull3. Still Life with Tulips on Purple

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COMIC BELIEF Text: Remo Notarianni | Image: Digger T. Mesch

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COMIC BELIEF A gun, made from high-end resin, waits for a script

that could put it in a hero’s hand – one that could decide a zombie’s quirky fate. The sculpture, recently on display at the Petra Gallerie in Los Angeles, is co-designed by American artist Digger T. Mesch. Digger, whose oeuvre includes sculpture, animation and film, was trained as a comic artist. A thread of storytelling runs through his work that, while making him a visual artist, affirms him as a writer.

“Studying comic art is quite literally studying story-telling,” said Digger who has focused on film directing in recent years. “After school, I was known as a sculp-tor of comic books, film and fantasy related things, as was my company but we were doing a lot of things that people did not see along the way such as developing intellectual property”.

In the 1990s, Digger attended New York’s school of Visual Arts in Manhattan and though he didn’t stay in one department for long, and was exposed to so many things that he “lost his way”, he could put his work in a fine art context giving an artistic ‘foundation’, which included travelling in a magic act, a new perspective. In 1992, Digger’s work was exhibited as part of a Whitney Museum of American Art group show, which included the first retrospective of American graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat since he died in 1987.

“The freedom in Basquiat’s work is still one of my main influences,” said Digger. “I still learn from it when I look at it. I was drawing and studying comic art at a young age. By the time I was eight or nine, I had already met a lot of my heroes like Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. and Jr. But I have learned from fine artists in different ways. I love Andy Warhol for his branding skills. I love everything really from French cave paintings to Japa-nese Urban Art. You’ve got to be progressive while not

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falling prey to being a ‘trend whore. It’s about not being so wrapped up in your own world that you forget to hear what sound the world is making.”

That sense of branding blurred the lines of business and art when Digger was com-missioned to sculpt high-end toys and plastic figures of film characters in the mid-1990s. He founded a company called Art Asylum, and began making special effects products as well as action figures for major motion picture companies. Expanding the company to Asia in the late ’90s, these figures became part of a prelude to a new story in which narrative was the main art form.

Digger, who settled in Hong Kong, made a foray into screen acting and found parts in the internationally released Ultraviolet (2006) and Largo Winch (2008). He formed a company called Dig Deep Productions and began work-ing on music videos and animations. With film passions re-ignited, he wrote, produced and acted in A little Less Conversation in 2009. The short film, about an incident in an Ameri-can ‘diner’, was an important part of his new artistic momentum.

“We shot 95 percent of A Little Less Con-versation in Hong Kong (substituted for down-town Los Angeles – not an easy match) for about US$5,000 of borrowed equipment, a free revolving crew and begged or stolen food and locations,” said Digger. “A Little Less Con-versation was very personal in many ways and it’s very raw. The script was a 90-page first draft I restructured in five days into a 30-min-ute short. The actors, crew and equipment were coming and going left and right. In es-sence I shot the whole film homeless.”

This ‘homelessness’ grew into a creative odyssey when Digger returned to the United States to establish cinematic ground from comic art roots. He chose to adapt the work of comic writer Kevin Eastman (creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and publisher of Heavy Metal magazine), for whom he had

Digger T. Mesch.

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previously done some artwork. He started with his re-imagining of A Fistful of Blood, a graphic novel that Eastman produced with world-renowned fantasy artist Simon Bisley.

“I went back to the USA in 2008 feeling that it was time for me to get a semi-known property or some of my more talented, fa-mous friends to work with because I’m starting again here in a new field (film) and while I’m up for paying my dues,” said Dig-ger. “I asked Kevin if he had a graphic nov-el that I could adapt and he had one. The truth is that along the way it has changed so much that we’re changing the name. It’s not the graphic novel in any way anymore. I’m proud to finally have Kevin Grevioux on board writing the script. Kevin is the creator of Underworld (among other things) and has finally cleared up his project list to start writ-ing. He’s brought in so many new concepts to the table that I’m letting him run in his own direction with it. The new film is titled Sundown.”

Sundown (Constantine meets The Mag-nificent Seven) remains a freewheeling horror romp about demons and cowboys clashing in the ‘Old West’, and with America’s Old West Chinese immigrants playing a critical part of the story, obvious connections have been made to his time in Asia. Beyond any metaphors, the story has tested the percep-tual misunderstandings of East and West.

“The tone of the film is exactly the same as what we initially intended with Fistful of Blood but the premise has changed sig-nificantly,” said Digger. “After being over-run by demons, a small mining town in the Old West, is visited by a nameless stranger who just may or may not be a heaven-sent angel of death.”

With some of the prototype props Dig-ger designed for Sundown recently exhibited at LA’s Petra Gallerie, his talents as a visual artist have enriched his storytelling as a film-maker. With his movement into film, Digger,

who has also been asked to direct the su-pernatural thriller Compound Fracture, has made his visual creations an important part of the stories.

“Dark comedy is what attracts me the most,” said Digger. “Films like Scorsese’s After Hours or the The Big Lebowski by the Cohen Brothers. But I feel like I will never have a style or be known for any one genre. I hope not anyway. The last thing I want to be is pigeonholed. I just want to keep work-ing in film, and having the occasional fine art show. I have so much left to do. My mojo’s back and I’m going to give it my all until it’s checkout time”.

Story is a column that looks at the connection between visual art and narrative.

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SINGAPORE: THE RECONNAISSANCE CITYText: Gladys Teo

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SINGAPORE

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In 1993, when American writer William Gibson famously described Singapore as “Disneyland with the death penalty”, he lamented the city-state’s obsession with consumerism as a by-product of its creative deficit and inauthenticity. Behind the comment was the opinion that Singapore shared similarities with a US mega-corporation fixated on conformity and designer happiness.

Nearly two decades down the road, Sin-gapore’s white-shirted management has made flagship efforts to move the Lion City towards ‘authenticity’, including the decision to develop it into a global arts city. However, the intention was ultimately corporatist in nature: the hungry desire to develop the arts was based on bolstering the city-state’s economic attractiveness.

In the 2000s, dollars were pumped into the construction of the Esplanade, a waterfront area in the north, followed by months of expensive interna-tionally credible performances in a bid to make the country a desirable place to live for expats. Incen-tives were offered for creative businesses like art galleries and auction houses. Funding for local arts groups increased exponentially, and public muse-ums sprouted everywhere. Attempts to stage inter-national art events have since abounded, but many have commented on how the inaugural Singapore Biennale in 2006 linked with the timely hosting of the IMF and World Bank meetings.

Can the Lion City truly become a global arts hub? The roles of censorship and funding lie at the crux of this debate. There have been criticisms that the state rewards artists who obediently stay away from taboo subjects like politics and (ironically) cul-ture with Cultural Medallions and chances to exhib-it at high-profile art events. Conversely, artists who have shown resistance towards the dictated path have been penalised by sheer neglect, threats, withdrawal of funds, and censorship.

Perhaps too many remember the events that took place in 1994 among which Josef Ng was fined for his ‘vulgar act’ which criticised the state’s view on homosexual men. Other members of The Artists’ Village and 5th Passage Artists Ltd. were publicly censured and had funds withdrawn, forcing many of them including Tang Da Wu and Amanda Heng to flee the country and practise abroad. A blanket ban on performance art in Singapore was imposed for almost ten years.

The ban on performance art was subsequent-ly lifted in 2003 but the state has not divorced itself

Ho Tzu Nyen - Earth

T. Venkanna - Frida Kahlo phototaking

Simon Fujiwara - Welcome to the Hotel Munber

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from the arts, continually asserting itself through censorship. Indian artist T. Venkanna was hauled away by security guards at the inaugural Art Stage when he sat on a bench nude and took pictures with visitors. At the recent Singapore Biennale 2011, the Singapore Art Museum infuriated Brit-ish artist Simon Fujiwara when they removed the gay pornographic magazines in his installation Welcome to Hotel Munber without consulting him. These seem obvious examples but there are oth-er works that have been censored by authorities through semantic guises such as ‘rejection’, ‘dis-couragement’, and ‘shyness from the public eye’ because of their ‘unpublished’ status.

Censorship creates an artistically restrictive environment where ideas and expression are not truly free, but some have argued that artists can develop independent ideas and bring them to frui-tion without the need to challenge authority. Pro-ponents of that argument point to Vincent Leow, who became part of the 1994 controversy when he drank his own urine in public, who subsequently “grew up”, worked within the limits and continued to “create and just make art”.

But why should artists not have the freedom to explore and develop any idea at all? When key values of contemporary art such as resistance, disagreement, and pluralism get subsumed by a dominant, monolithic theme, that in itself breeds intolerance of deviance, it ironically encourages radical art. But homogeneity, the real enemy of the arts, is propagated. Homogeneity is exactly what Gibson criticised nearly two decades ago.

In a related manner, homogeneity and confor-mity are propagated by how the state funds and recognises its artists. Veteran artist Teo Eng Seng laments that the National Arts Council, responsible for the distribution of funding and selection of art-ists for the various local accolades, is run by “a bunch of administrators concerned with national education and balancing the accounts rather than evaluating artists with merits”. Instead of being experienced practitioners who recognise true art, they are open-minded and have the ability to de-termine real potential.

Teo asserts that the inexperienced NAC inad-equately follows commercial art trends in picking artists and the result is a large amount of taxpayers’ money being wasted on “mediocre, repetitive art”. He points to the recent Singapore Biennale 2011 as an example, where he was not at all impressed

with the quality of the works of the exhibited inter-national and local artists. Teo deemed them similar, unoriginal, and repetitive. “Look at that German barn (installation by Elmgreen & Dragset),” he said. “There are a lot of ideas in that installation but noth-ing is original, and that Merlion Hotel, is ridiculous, ugly and says nothing about anything!”

And as the state spent millions of dollars on the Biennale, efforts by artists seem fruitless. Local artist Zai Kuning proposed closing Timbre, a food and beverage outlet that currently sits in the iconic Substation garden where members of the local art community used to gather, for the period during the event— in a bid to return the garden to the art community. His proposal was rejected on the grounds of being too expensive.

Teo cautions that when funding sources fol-low commercial trends, the danger is that local artists follow suit, copying ideas without truly un-derstanding them. Thereafter, they produce repeti-tive, non-intriguing works which can never push the boundaries nor be considered true art. Verti-cal Submarine, a trio of young artists who were awarded the President’s Young Talents Award in 2009, created the much-publicised installation The Garden of Forking Paths for their first solo show in 2010. However, the installation was a mere physi-cal representation of a short story, with the same name, written by Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges in 1941. It has been argued that neither a whiff of originality nor deeper understanding of Borges’ ideas were present.

True art, according to Teo, lies not just in the idea itself, but in the development of the idea. He feels that local artists are neither taught how to, nor given the chance to fully develop their ideas from different angles but are instead replicating ideas.

If the double-edged sword of state control and capitalism holds sway, the cultural-political edge of contemporary artists in Singapore that existed in the 1990s will be thoroughly blunted. The socio-cultural imperative of the 1980s and 1990s has been replaced with normalised attitudes, and with that comes inauthenticity and conformity all over again. Will Singapore ever be a true ‘Renaissance City’ or a ‘Reconnaissance City’ as Singaporean writer Alfian Sa’at perceives, “where artists work with increasing cynicism and disillusionment under the steady, unflinching eye of the state”?

SINGAPORE

MAY 2011 / 47

OUT OF THE BOx

With the likes of Damien Hirst, Gilbert and George, Doris Salcedo, and Antony Gormley fill-ing its halls, White Cube has become synonymous with creatively groundbreaking artists who are cul-turally resonant. Art historian and writer Tim Marlow

At art fairs talent can reach new au-diences. According to Tim Marlow, Director of Exhibitions at London’s White Cube gallery, excellence strikes a chord that internationally resonates.

joined the gallery in 2003 as Director of Exhibitions. He states that its indefinable quality has made it a canvas for a broad range of talent.

“Choosing the name White Cube was smart because it was culturally and critically enduring,” said Marlow who points out that the gallery’s founder Jay Jopling named it after the 1976 book Inside the White Cube by Brian O’ Doherty. “Most commercial galleries name themselves after the people who set them up, but by not doing that it has focused more on the artists than the individual running it. So from the beginning it had that kind of resonance.”

The gallery, which opened in 1993, staged solo exhibitions in a square, white room at its ad-dress on Duke Street before moving to Hoxton Square. Jopling initially worked with 70 artists and its space mirrored the city’s evolving art scene as talent gravitated towards London with its strong art school system. While it has been associated with helping to establish the Young Generation of Brit-ish (YBA) artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin in the early 1990s, a majority of the talents have been born overseas, and they underscored the cosmopolitanism of the city’s art scene at the time.

“In the early 1990s, a certain momentum was building globally but London was nowhere near the creative capital it has become,” said Marlow. “The Tate modern is more a symptom than a cause of the city’s changing fortunes and what artists have done there. White Cube has very much been a part of that momentum. As a result of this, If you become strong in London, by definition, if you are showing the right kind of art, you stand a chance of becoming strong internationally.”

White Cube’s presence at international art fairs has often been preceded by its internation-ally famous billing. While artists such as Damien Hirst—whose The Inescapable Truth, the first form-aldehyde art piece to be sold in Asia, raked in a staggering 1.75 million pounds at last year’s Art HK 2010—have an obvious collector value, Marlow recognises an international language encoded in the artistry. It is one that speaks to an amorphous crowd, which is also part of an appeal that breaks down barriers on the global art scene.

“Hirst is among the most significant of con-temporary artists practising anywhere and can be

Text: Remo Notarianni

Tim Marlow

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LONDON

Gilbert & George Times of Day 2009

Gilbert & George Bridge Flagsky 2009

MAY 2011 / 49

seen as part of a lineage that includes Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons,” said Marlow. “He has a profound understanding of the culture within which he oper-ates. In the work of all these artists is a kind of cri-tique of late free market capitalism. Hirst fits beauti-fully into a global perspective. His work deals with, as it has always done, the big themes: lifecycle, death, belief, religion and medical science. He is one of those rare artists who does seem to strike a chord with a much broader public. So he can oper-ate on a number of different levels.”

Marlow refers to artists such as Gilbert and George, an artist couple represented by White Cube, who describe themselves as “two people one artist”. The artists, who have been creating since the 1960s, have trademarked a style based around photomontage, that often involves them-selves as the subjects, and luminous colours within a gridline frame. Marlow sees Gilbert and George as evidence of how art inspired by local subjects, can also relate internationally.

“Gilbert and George struck a chord in Asia,” said Marlow. “They were among the first British contemporary artists to show in China and behind the iron curtain in Moscow in 1980s. They abso-lutely have that resonance. Gilbert and George might be seen as very British. But of all the artists of that generation, theirs is the broadest CV with their work in the most collections. They are humanitar-ian and they say it’s about the perennial subjects— life, death, money fear and religion. They have this incredibly well-evolved visual language.

“They are physically at the centre of their own work and they have proclaimed themselves to be living sculptures since 1969 onwards. Much of their subject emanates from that particular part of Lon-don where they live in the East End around Brick Lane and Fournier Street. The area is incredibly diverse and there have been waves of different im-migrants that have historically moved in there and in a sense they offer the local and the microscopic as a way of making sense of the macroscopic and the international and it is very successful.”

While broadly speaking but not advocating the position that interesting art is somehow able to speak a nebulous international language, Marlow also acknowledges how artists can showcase the cultures they come from. But he stresses that ulti-mately artistic excellence speaks for itself.

“There’s a range of artists we work with,” said Marlow. “We’ve done a show in London with Zhang Huan. He’s a majorly important performance artist who is now making some very interesting painting and sculptures. His work has appealed to west-ern audiences and it is strongly engaged with the Chinese culture from which he came. We are only interested in bringing in the most interesting and significant work but in the end it seems to be art-ists who seem to strike a chord with us -that’s how it works.”

White CubeBooth No: 1K01

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HONG kONG

ART Hk 11: WHY ASIA? WHY NOW?In April, Magnus Renfrew, Fair Director of the Hong Kong International Art Fair, was in Singapore to talk about Art HK 11. He revealed his thoughts on its significance, why its popularity has grown, and how its success proves that Asia is a world-class art destination.

Text: Bharti Lalwani

TPAG: With what intention was the HK Art Fair initiated?It has been our intention from the outset to create an international art fair for Asia with three core val-ues, and the first is policy. If one is trying to attract major international galleries it is important to have international standards.

The second core value that we wanted to build on was geographic diversity- I think there is a sense of art fair fatigue in the West. There is an art fair in most capital cities worldwide and we want to differ-entiate ourselves from those. Many of the art fairs in the West have a very western-centric view of the world, much of the work is from Europe or America with a western culture and aesthetic background and we wanted an art fair which was more reflec-tive of a wider world view. We have 10 new coun-tries being represented this year.

And the third core value is accessibility. Different people need to be able to engage with art. The best art fairs in the world are those which are more than just about the trade. But it can also be a plat-

form for networking, a place of exchange. In our first year we had 19,000 visitors, galleries from 38 different countries and last May we had 40,000 visitors.

TPAG: So, how is Art HK different this year?The most exciting new development for us this year is the introduction of a new section called Asia One - this section is dedicated only to galleries from Asia. These galleries are selected on the basis of their proposal to showcase an artist of Asian origin. When one walks around the fair it must be rather confusing to see a whole variety of works put to-gether so we’ve created this new section which will have a much more curated feel and one can see an artist’s works in context. You can see five or ten works by a single artist and it makes more sense knowing where the artist is coming from.

We also have the Art Futures section—which is a section which showcases galleries which have been in operation for the last two years. It’s de-signed to showcase younger galleries who have been operating for less than five years. This also means we will have younger and newer artists at the fair. Also, the artists have to be younger than 35 years of age at the time of participation.

Alongside the art fair, we have Parasite Art space conducting guided tours through the fair in Eng-lish, Cantonese and Mandarin for the general pub-lic and we also have initiatives for schoolchildren and young kids as well. To conclude we have really established ourselves as a leading international art fair of global significance. We provide both curators and collectors an incredible event a new place to explore rather than going off to New York or Lon-don.

TPAG: What do you attribute this global success to?Well, it’s very clear that things are moving east-wards anyway. It’s been quite an interesting pro-cess to put the fair together when we first started – galleries were very skeptical partly because they didn’t know us but also because they didn’t under-stand Asia particularly well. Over the last few years

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MARkET VOICES

people were asking, “why Asia?” What they didn’t ask was, “why Asia now?” It didn’t make sense to them in terms of their long-term strategy. We saw that there was great opportunity here very early on but I do think that the economic downturn in the West has accelerated things somehow. And as the traditional art centres – New York and London have been less buoyant in recent years and everyone is looking to expand to newer markets for the growth of their businesses.

TPAG: So was it a challenge to convince most of these galleries to participate in the first HK art fair?Absolutely! Yes, very much so! I was on 40 flights in six months speaking to various galleries and per-suading them to come. We had a very respectable line-up the first time: 101 galleries. We had a stron-ger line up of Asian galleries than the western ones and it was quite a challenge to convince galleries from the west to come as it’s a huge expense for them and therefore a risk.

TPAG: And now you have a string of galleries that are usually seen in Basel, such as the Gagosian, Almine Reich, White Cube and Emmanuel Perro-tin among others; what expectations are they coming to HK with?One of my key roles is to manage the expectations of such galleries. It would be very easy for us to sell them the idea that Hong Kong is where they are going to make blockbuster sales but no, these things take time- time to build the audiences, time to build the market and I think that galleries see the importance of being part of that very process. It’s really important to engage collectors and im-portant buyers in conversations which will educate them. And in terms of reducing the intimidation fac-tor- what you would find in Basel - we prime the participants ahead of time and give them some in-formation about our experience of doing business in Asia and what aspects they should emphasise.

TPAG: Do you see these fairs as competing against each other or as places that help art in Asia build its audiences?Well, I think the more opportunities there are for people to see art and learn about it the better, but I think it is too early to comment as the market here is still developing. Of course I am at the very begin-ning of learning about art in Asia and many galler-ies have been generous with their time in helping me understand the subtleties and character of their art. We believe we should emphasise those galler-ies who promote art practice, I think with most of these galleries there is a huge emphasis on their curatorial program and presenting the context of their art works.

People talk very much about art as investment in Asia, I think it’s very important that the buying of art in Asia is underpinned by its critical and cu-ratorial acclaim, and I think it’s very important that we try and build a cultural ecology if you like, which can sustain artists’ creativity in the long term rather than subjecting them to the whims of the market. It’s very early days for us to point out the trends in buying as it were. In the first year, at the height of the market, people were very much buying with their eyes- many collectors bought works which they genuinely liked. In year two we established a reputation in Asia where the buying happened more at the top end of the price bracket.

TPAG: So do you reach out to local schools?We are working with a Hong Kong non-profit or-ganisation called 1a Space. They are putting to-gether a program called TLC – Travel to Learn in the City. This is a program to educate the educa-tors. Participating teachers will be provided with education packs and a tour of the Fair and encour-aged to return with their school group. 1a Space will be working with around 50 schools and we have given 60 tickets for teachers and 300 for pu-pils free of charge.

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HERI DONO:ESCAPING FROM THE HERDTEXT & IMAGE: DANIELA BELTRANI

In the courtyard of the Galeri Nasional in Ja-karta, there appeared to be a surreal, politically-charged hallucination. At first glance, it could have been anywhere in the world; an expectant mob lined up under the portico, locked in gaping awe at the man on the stage, 51-year-old Indonesian artist Heri Dono.

The artist, hair tied in a ponytail, unusually dressed in jeans, jacket and tie, preached from a lec-tern with subservient microphones. Behind him was a flag of the United Nations, flanked by two over-powering images of men with ovine heads in suits.

Immediately facing him, a herd of goats, cov-ered in sandy-coloured coats, each emblazoned with a red star, seemed to be the real audience. Their occasional bleating sounded like a conscious

response to the speech in Bahasa Indonesia. The live painting that unfolded in front of me was remi-niscent of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

The familiarity of the image of a political speaker turned the artist into an archetype; a philosophical wildcard who demonstrates that the seat of power looks the same, whoever might be in it. Perhaps this was the visual statement that Heri Dono was making by putting himself at the centre of the work.

I asked Bambang Asrini Widjanarko, the cura-tor of the group exhibition Sin City, which will fea-ture a 10-minute video of what unfolded in front of me, its meaning.

The art of Heri Dono is imbued with a seem-ingly nonsensical yet satirical language, but the

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message finds a voice in his distinctive imprints. When put in an Indonesian context, the message hits home. This one is aimed at raising awareness amongst the kelas kambing (literally, the goat class, the lower class) about the situation the upper echelons in Indonesia, backed by the interests of world powers, has forced them to live in.

Injustice, victimisation, and half-implemented laws are just a few of the general topics he raised from issues such as transportation system problems in Ja-karta or the government’s plan to build a nuclear power plant near the base of Mount Muria, Central Java.

The ubiquitous presence of seemingly reassuring symbols, such as the U.N. flag, serves the cohorts of the Indonesian ruling class. Whilst the lower classes stay the same, the world of the privileged few expands through greed and hubris at international levels.

The presentation of the artist as a politician cre-ated a rather schizophrenic stratagem, because the content (the resounding truth in his words) and form (the persona of the politician) did not complement each other. But ingeniously, it is the artistic context Heri Dono provides that makes the content real and reconciles the discrepancy.

Since the beginning of his artistic career in 1977, Heri Dono has been conscious of the prophetic role of the artist in creating awareness amongst the masses. His art therefore puts the necessary element of creative aesthetics in a socio-political context.

Consequently, Heri Dono was an understandable inclusion in Bambang’s curatorial efforts. Inspired by Documenta XI, in the German city of Kassel, directed by the brilliant Okwui Enwezor, it offered a provocative Indonesian platform, where global socio-political issues are discussed at an urban level, in a place called Sin City.

But the city referred to has nothing directly to do with ethics, as the title may imply; rather it refers to Frank Miller’s neo-noir comics of the 1980s, in which a dark, imaginary urban environment is roamed freely by criminals, who think they are above the law. And per-haps, the title may become an omen, if we collectively stand in the midst of our own mental and factual inertia and sit back as a moral disease eats into our society and makes it decay.

Sin City, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, 8th -17th April 2011.

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IT’S NOW OR NEVER II:WHEN THE MATERIALS TRANSCEND THE WORKTEXT: RICHARD CHUA

When a museum asks the question: “What is installation art in the Southeast Asian context?” – it probes into the make-up of highly creative struc-tures that find a context in Indian and Buddhist influences that have traditionally permeated the cultural landscape. With the exhibition It’s Now or Never II; New Contemporary Art Acquisitions from Southeast Asia, the Singapore Art Museum show-cased interesting contemporary artists who prac-tise installation art in the region and it emphasised the artistic significance of the materials used.

This second instalment of the two-part show-case of SAM’s latest acquisitions of contemporary art presented mainly two-dimensional works by Singaporean and Singapore-based artists, where

the focus of the exhibition is on artists from the wider Southeast Asian region working with instal-lation art. The exhibition presents works by South-east Asian artists such as Chun Kaifeng (Singa-pore), Geraldine Javier (The Philippines), Shahrul Jamili Miskon (Malaysia), Wit Pimkanchanapong (Thailand) and Jompet Kuswidananto (Indonesia).

In its media release, the museum states that the exhibition will examine the specificity and diver-sity of the material in the artworks. The museum’s objective has largely been met, for the materials were successfully transformed into an artistic ex-perience that is predicated on a subdued subver-siveness – if that experience can be understood by the materials themselves.

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Chun Kaifeng’s works He is Satisfied, shown from Monday to Friday, and He Loves to Cry successfully constructed a space that reflects the contemporary living conditions of young urbanites, where the pursuit of aesthetics and social fads have rid them of their sense of purpose and belonging— a result of extreme capitalistic consumption, and a Sisyphean attempt at archiving a utopian state of self-actualisation.

On the other hand, Malaysian artist Chia Yoong Chia seems to have made the material—a normal Chinese kitchen soup spoon— transcend its usual function. A series of paintings based on the story of a mother’s lament of her son’s departure, only to rea-lise right at the end that her son was there all along. The spoon – traditionally a Chinese symbol of bond-ing when it comes to family dinners – seems to have acquired another meaning, one that is more profound than many others.

Perhaps the most impressive piece was Indone-sian artist Jompet Kuswidananto’s Java’s Machine: Phantasmagoria; an installation that reconstructed phantom Javanese royal army troops, clad in Dutch military headgear, in a ceremonial procession and Ja-vanese warrior costumes. Theatricality underscores the piece with the phantom army soldiers playing drum beats in well co-ordinated intervals, sending chills down the spectators’ spines in the process.

As much as the other artists have also exhib-ited dexterity in transforming the materials into an unforgettable viewing experience, a special mention to Kamin Lertchaiprasert’s (Thailand) Lord Buddha Said If You See Dhamma You See Me, 2003; in which old bank notes were used to sculpt images of Lord Buddha. There may be no-one better than the three artists above to create works that spectators will re-member for a long time to come. But, most important of all, the experience is not fully predicated on aes-thetics alone, but on an artistic experience.

PERSPECTIVES

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MAY 2011 / 57

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Art Trove

Operation hours: Wed - Sun: 11am to 6:30pm, All other times by appointment Call for private viewing, Tel: +65 6336 0915, Fax: +65 6336 9975, enquiry@art-trove.com

ww.art-trove.com

51, Waterloo Street, #02-01/02/03, Singapore 187969

Montage III - Zu Garbriele Mistral”, mixed-technique on paper & cardboard, 107 x 83 cm, 1960s

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Art Trove

Operation hours: Wed - Sun: 11am to 6:30pm, All other times by appointment Call for private viewing, Tel: +65 6336 0915, Fax: +65 6336 9975, enquiry@art-trove.com

ww.art-trove.com

51, Waterloo Street, #02-01/02/03, Singapore 187969

Montage III - Zu Garbriele Mistral”, mixed-technique on paper & cardboard, 107 x 83 cm, 1960s

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- Pop and Contemporary Fine Art

- Gallery Reis Artspace @ The Royal on Scotts

- Heng Artland- Jasmine Fine Art- Sin Hua Gallery- Drawing Gallery

Opera Gallery

Third Floor Hermes

Vue Privée

- Art Forum- The Tolman Collection

LarasatiArt GoGo

Chan Hampe Galleries

Art Trove, The Private Museum, M Gallery,Yavuz FA

Forest Rain Gallery

OVAS Art Gallery

The Picturehouse

Foundation Oil Painting

Eagle’s Eye Art Gallery

M.A.D (Museum of Art & Design)

Impress Galleries

DBS Arts Centre Singapore Repertory Theatre

FOST Gallery

Night & Day

YOUR Mother Gallery

Singapore Philatelic Museum

The EsplanadeThe National

Art Gallery, Singapore

72-13

Peranakan Museum

The Substation

National Museum of Singapore

Action Theatre Singapore Art Museum

8Q SAM

Young Musicians’ Society

Singapore Calligraphy Centre

Fort CanningPark

SINGAPORE’S ART & HERITAGE DISTRICT

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Artcommune Gallery,Ken Crystals

iPRECIATIONThe Fullerton Heritage

Barrosa Studio, D’Art, Geeleinan Art Gallery & Studio, Kelly Reedy Studio Arts, Marisa Keller, Sealey Brandt Photography Studio,

Singapore Botanical Garden

NAPIER ROAD

Echo Art Gallerie Ha Karen Art Gallery Hogarth Art LondonKwan Hua Art GalleryLi Fine ArtMulan GalleryPeter’s FrameSun CraftYang Gallery

The Peach Tree

Boon’s Pottery, Bruno Gallery

The Gallery of Gnani Arts, GJ Asian Art

Source Contemporary African Fine Art

MERLIONDreamSpace Art Studio

Fortune Cookie Projects, Galerie Waterton, Light Editions Gallery, L2 SPACE, ReDot Gallery, Valentine Willie Fine Art

Red Dot TrafficIndigo Blue Fine Art

Sotheby’s Institute of Art

Utterly Art

Collectors Contemporary,Mercedes-Benz Center,Volvo Art Loft

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Chan Hampe / Fill-your-wallsLiving Portrait

Galerie Belvedere

Jeremy Ramsey Fine Art

Give Art

Momentous Ats

Outram Station

Tanjong Pagar Station

Marina Bay Station

TANJONG PAGAR, CHINATOWN & RAFFLES

DEMPSEY, HOLLAND, TANGLIN & WESSEX

MARCH 2011 / 63

LEGEND

GALLERY SPOTTED

MAIN ROAD

SMALL ROAD

EXPRESSWAY

ART GALLERY

PUBLIC PLACES

SCHOOLS

MRT

Art Trove Gallery 51 Waterloo Street #02-01/2/3Singapore 187969

T: +65 6336 0915 F: +65 6336 9975E: enquiry@art-trove.com W: www.art-trove.com

Opening Hours

Wed- Sun: 11am to 6.30pmCall for private viewing

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Dd’Art 5 Westbourne Road #02-03D’Peak Art Space Kaki Bukit Road 1 #01-07DaTang Fine Arts Singapore 177 River Valley Road #02-09ADLR Gallery 22 Marshall RoadDynasties Antique & Art Gallery 18 Boon Lay Way #01-136

EEagle’s Eye 39 Stamford Road #01-01Echo Art Galerie 19 Tanglin Road #02-59Evil Empire 48 Niven Road

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FOST 65 Kim Yam Road

GGalerie Belvedere 168 Robinson Road #36-01Galerie Waterton 39 Keppel Road #02-01GJ Asian Art 1 Cuscaden Road #01-03The Gallery of Gnani Arts 1 Cuscaden Road #01-05Gallery Reis 390 Orchard Road #03-01/02

HHaKaren 19 Tanglin Road #02-43Heng Artland 290 Orchard Road #04-08

SINGAPORE GALLERIES

AAndrewShire Gallery 5 Swiss Cottage EstateAratong Galleries 26 Mount Pleasant DriveArt Facet 10 Anson Road #19-08Art Forum 82 Cairnhill RoadArt Glass Solutions 30 Kuo Chuan AvenueArt Seasons 7 Kaki Bukit Road 1 #02-12Art Tree Gallery 333A Orchard Road #04-11

Art-2 Gallery 140 Hill Street #01-03artcommune 133 New Bridge Road #02-77Artfolio 328 North Bridge Road #02-25ArtGoGo 402 Orchard Road #02-08ARTINNO 391B Orchard Road #23-01

Arty Art Gallery 686A Woodlands Drive 73 #15-52

BBartha & Senarclens 75 Emerald Hill Road

CCape of Good Hope 140 Hill Street #01-06CdeM ART & DESIGN Blk 5 Westbourne Road #01-02Collectors Contemporary 5 Jalan Kilang Barat #01-03COMBINART 27 Woodlands Industrial Park E1 #01-08

Boon’s Pottery91 Tanglin Road #01-02A Tanglin Place Singapore 247918T: +65 6836 3978www.boonspottery.com

ARTXCHANGE Gallery6 Eu Tong Sen Street#02-65 The CentralSingapore 059817T: +65 9027 3997 (Benny)www.artxchangegallery.com

Bruno Gallery91 Tanglin Road#01-03 Tanglin Place Singapore 247918T: +65 6733 0283www.brunoartgroup.com

fill your walls21 Tanjong Pagar Road #04-02Singapore 088444T: +65 6222 1667www.fill-your-walls.com

Forest Rain Gallery261 Waterloo Street #02-43/44 Singapore 180261T: +65 6336 0926www.forestraingallery.com

Art Trove51 Waterloo Street #02-01 to 03Singapore 187969T: +65 6336 0915www.art-trove.com

Chan Hampe Galleries @ Raffles Hotel328 North Bridge Road#01-04 Raffles Hotel ArcadeSingapore 188719T: +65 6338 1962

@ Tanjong Pagar21 Tanjong Pagar Road#04-02Singapore 088444T: +65 6222 1667www.chanhampegalleries.com

DIRECTORIES

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IImpress Galleries 1 Kim Seng Promenade #02-07/08Indigo Blue Art 33 Neil Road INSTINC 12 Eu Tong Sen StreetiPRECIATION 1 Fullerton Square #01-08

KKARTESTUDIO 181 Orchard Road #B2-23/29

Kwan Hua 19 Tanglin Road #02-09

LL2 Space 39 Keppel Road #02-02ALarasati www.larasati.comLinda Gallery 15 Dempsey Road #01-08

Light Editions Gallery 39 Keppel Road #02-02BLiving Portraits 31 Tanjong Pagar Lukisan Art Gallery 110 Faber Drive

MM Gallery 51 Waterloo Street #03-03B/04Metakaos 1 Kaki Bukit Road 1 #03-22Mulan Gallery 36 Armenian Street #01-07

OOde to Art 252 North Bridge Road #01-36E/FOoi Botos Gallery 11 One Tree HillOpera Gallery 2 Orchard Turn #03-05

Li Fine Art19 Tanglin Road#03-32 Tanglin Shopping CentreSingapore 247909T: +65 6235 3306www.lifineart.com

Ken Crystals133 New Bridge Road#01-45 Chinatown PointSingapore 059413T: +65 6339 0008 E: kencrystals@yahoo.com.sg

Muse The Art Gallery268 Upper Bukit Timah Rd #03-09 @ The Old Fire StationSingapore 588210T: +65-8388 0044www.musetheartgallery.com

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RReDot 39 Keppel Road #02-06Red Sea 9 Dempsey Road #01-10

SS.Bin Art Plus 140 Hill Street #01-10/11/12

Sun Craft 19 Tanglin Road #02-08

TTasa Gallery 89 Short StreetTembusu 140 Hill Street #01-05The Gallery of Gnani Arts One Cuscaden Road #01-05The Peach Tree 129 Tanglin RoadThe Tolman Collect 82 Cairnhill Road

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Pop and Contemporary Fine Art390 Orchard Road#03-12 Palais Renaissance Singapore 238871T: +65 6735 0959www.popandcontemporaryart.com

Sunjin Galleries 43 Jalan Merah Saga#03-62 Work Loft @ Chip Bee Singapore 278115T: +65 6738 2317www.sunjingalleries.com.sg

Galerie Sogan & Art33B Mosque StreetSingapore 059511T: +65 6225 7686www.soganart.com

OVAS Art Gallery9 Penang Road#02-21 Park MallSingapore 238459T: +65 6337 3932 www.ovas-home.com

Utterly Art LLP229A South Bridge RoadSingapore 058778T: +65 9487 2006 +65 6226 2605www.utterlyart.com.sg

DIRECTORIES

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Singapore Art Museum 71 Bras Basah RoadSAM at 8Q 8 Queen StreetSingapore Coins and Notes Museum 2 Trengganu Street Level 3Singapore Navy Museum 32 Admiralty Road WestSingapore Philatelic Museum 23B Coleman Stree

VENUES / ASSOCIATIONS / GROUPS

Alliance Française de Singapour 1 Sarkies RoadArt Retreat (Wu Guanzhong Gallery) 10 Ubi Crescent #01-45/47ARTSingapore www.artsingapore.netArtSpace at Royal Plaza Hotel 25 Scotts RoadCOMBINART 27 Woodlands Industrial Park E1 #01-08Esplanade 1 Esplanade DriveEmily Hill 11 Upper Wilkie RoadGive Art 65 Spottiswoode Park RoadGnani Arts Space 190 Middle Road #02-03/31Jalan Bahar Clay Studios 97L Lorong TawasJENDELA (Visual Arts Space) 1 Esplanade Drive Level 2La Libreria 50 Kent Ridge Crescent Level 3Little Red Shop www.littleredshop.org

Ngee Ann Cultural Centre 97 Tank RoadNight & Day 139 A/C Selegie RoadOsage 11B Mount Sophia #01-12Post-Museum 107+109 Rowell RoadPublic Art Space (Pan Pacific) 7 Raffles BoulevardSculpture Square 155 Middle RoadSinema 11B Mount Sophia #B1-12 Singapore Art Society 10 Kampong EunosSingapore Contemporary Young Artists www.contemporaryart.sgThe Art Gallery 1 Nanyang WalkThe Arts House 1 Old Parliament LaneThe Gallery (SMU) 90 Stamford RoadThe Picturehouse 2 Handy RoadThe Substation 45 Armenian StreetThird Floor – Hermès 541 Orchard RoadVictoria Theatre & Concert Hall 11 Empress PlaceVolvo Art Loft 249 Alexandra Road72-13/TheatreWorks 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road

ART SERVICES

VValentine Willie Fine Art 39 Keppel Road #02-04VITRIA 17 Chee Hoon AvenueVue Privee 20 Cairnhill Road

WWai’s Art Gallery 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #02-64Wetterling Teo Gallery 3 Kim Yam RoadWhite Canvas Gallery 78 Guan Chuan Street

XXuanhua Art Gallery 70 Bussorah Street

YYang Gallery 19 Tanglin Road #02-41 YAVUZ Fine Art 51 Waterloo Stree #03-01

Your MOTHER gallery 91A Hindoo Road

#2902 Gallery 11 Mount Sophia Block B #B2-09

ART AUCTIONEERS / DEALERSBlack Earth Auction 367 Joo Chiat RoadBorobudur www.borobudurauction.comMasterpiece www.masterpiece-auction.comY2ARTS 140 Hill Street #01-0233 Auction www.33auction.com

MUSEUMS

Asian Civilisations Museum www.acm.org.sgChangi Museum 1000 Upper Changi Road North

MAD Museum of Art & Design 333A Orchard Road #03-01MINT Museum of Toys 26 Seah StreetNational Museum of Singapore 93 Stamford RoadPeranakan Museum 39 Armenian StreetPost Museum 107/109 Rowell RoadThe Private Museum 51 Waterloo Street #02-06Red Dot Design Museum 28 Maxwell RoadRSAF Museum 400 Airport Road

m’a ARTSTransportation & Installation of Art Works Other art related services.+65 8611 5280alfred@maarts.com.sg

Yisulang Art Gallery6 Handy Road#01-01 The Luxe Singapore 229234T: +65 63376810www.yisulang.com

Mercedes-Benz Center301 Alexandra RoadSingapore 159968T: +65 6866 1888www.mercedes-benz.com.sg

The Luxe Art Museum6 Handy Road#02-01 The LuxeSingapore 229234T: +65 6338 2234www.thelam.sg

DIRECTORIES

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FRAMERS

Ace Framing Gallery 226 River Valley RoadFrame Hub Gallery 46A Lorong MambongPeter’s Frames 19 Tanglin Road

CONSERVATION / RESTORATION

ART SCHOOLS

Bhaskar’s Art Academy 19/21 Kerbau RoadLASALLE 1 McNally StreetNanyang Academy of Fine Arts 38/80/151 Bencoolen StNTU (School of Art, Design & Media) 81 Nanyang DriveNUS Museum 50 Kent Ridge CrescentSchool of the Arts (SOTA) 1 Zubir Said DriveSotheby’s Institute of Art 82 Telok Ayer StreetThe Republic Cultural Centre 9 Woodlands Avenue 9The Singapore Tyler Print Institute 41 Robertson Quay

Benaka Art Conservation Private Ltd64 Taman WarnaSingapore 276386T: +65 9105 4377 / +65 6100 2707www.benakaartconservation.com

ARTIST STUDIOSBarrosa Studio 4 Woking Road #01-02

Geeleinan Art Gallery & Studio 1 Whitchurch Road #02-03Jeremy Ramsey Fine Art 16 Bukit Pasoh RoadKelly Reedy - Studio Arts 27 Woking Road #01-01Ketna Patel 35 Jalan Puteh Jerneh

Marisa Keller 28 Woking Road #03-05Sealey Brandt Photography Studio 1 Westbourne Road #01-02 Telok Kurau Studios 91 Telok Kurau Lorong J

TOURIST SPOT

Armenian Church 60 Hill StreetBattle Box 51 Canning RiseBotanic Gardens 1 Cluny Road +65 6471 7361Buddha Tooth Relic Temple 288 South Bridge RoadBukit Timah Saddle Club 51 Fairways Drive +65 6466 2782CHIJMES 30 Victoria Street +6336 1818Chinatown Heritage Centre 48 Pagoda Street +65 6221 9556Chinese Garden 1 Chinese Garden +65 6261 3632Crocodilarium 730 East Coast Parkway +65 447 3722Escape Theme Park 1 Pasir Ris Close +65 6581 9112Fort Canning Park 51 Canning Rise +65 6332 1302Goethe-Institut Singapur 163 Penang Road #05-01Johore Battery Cosford Road +65 6546 9897Jurong Bird Park 2 Jurong Hill +65 6265 0022Kranji War Memorial 9 Woodlands RoadLim Bo Seng Memorial Esplanade ParkMalay Heritage Centre 85 Sultan Gate +65 6391 0450

Foundation Oil Painting(conducted by Mr Wee Shoo Leong)155 Waterloo Street#01-04 Stam ford Arts CentreSingapore 187962+65 9726 2028www.foundationoilpaintingclass.com

Chieu Sheuy Fook Studio Studio 102 91 Lorong J Telok Kurau Road Singapore 425985+65 96690589email: chieusf@gmail.com

DreamSpace Art Studio艺术创作，专业绘画教育。19 China Street#03-04/05 Far East SquareSingapore 049561+65 9168 7785www.hill-ad.com.sg

Ray’s Transport & ServicesArtwork Installation & Delivery ServicesAll other Art related services+65 91522511artswithray@gmail.com

Koeh Sia Yong 许锡勇10 Kampong Eunos Singapore 417774 +65 9671 2940e: koehsy@singnet.com.sgwww.yessy.com/koehsiayongwww.koehsiayong.artfederations.com

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Malay Village 39 Geylang Serai +65 6748 4700Mandai Orchid Garden 200 Mandai Lake Road +65 6269 1036Marina Barrage 8 Marina Gardens Drive +65 6514 5959Marina Bay Sands 10 Bayfront Avenue +65 6688 8868Masjid Sultan Kampong GlamMerlion Park Fullerton Mount Faber +65 6270 8855National Archives of Singapore 1 Canning Rise +65 6332 7909National Library Singapore 100 Victoria Street +65 6332 3255National Parks Board 1800 471 7300Night Safari 80 Mandai Lake Road +65 6269 3411Parliament House 1 Parliament Place +65 6336 8811Raffles’ Landing Site North bank of the Singapore RiverReflections at Bukit Chandra 31K Pepys Road +65 6375 2510Resorts World Sentosa 39 Artillery Avenue +65 6577 8888St. Andrew’s Cathedral 11 Saint Andrew’s RoadScience Centre Singapore / Omni Theatre 15 Science Centre Road +65 6425 2500Sentosa 1800 736 8672SIA Hop-on +65 9457 2896Singapore Botanic Gardens 1 Cluny Road +65 6471 7361Singapore Cable Car +65 6270 8855Singapore City Gallery 45 Maxwell Road +65 6321 8321Singapore Discovery Centre 510 Upper Jurong Road +65 6792 6188Singapore Expo 1 Expo Drive +65 6403 2160 Singapore Flyer 30 Raffles Avenue +65 6734 8829Singapore Turf Club 1 Turf Club Avenue +65 6879 1000Singapore Zoo 80 Mandai Lake Road +65 6269 3411SKI360° 1206A East Coast Parkway +65 6442 7318Snow City 21 Jurong Town Hall Road +65 6560 2306Sri Mariamman Temple 244 South Bridge RoadSun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall 12 Tai Gin Road +65 6256 7377Supreme Court 1 Supreme Court Lane +65 6336 0644Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve 301 Neo Tiew Crescent +65 6794 1401Taxis - Comfort/YellowTop +65 6552 1111- CityCab +65 6552 2222- Premier +65 732 2516- Smart +65 6485 7777- Tibs +65 6555 8888- Transcab +65 6555 3333Thian Hock Keng Temple 158 Telok Ayer StreetTouristline 1800 736 2000 Underwater World 80 Siloso Road +65 6275 0030Universal Studios 8 Sentosa Gateway +65 6577 8888War Memorial Park Bras Basah Road & Beach Road intersection

MALAYSIA ART GUIDE+Wondermilk Art Gallery www.theclickproject.com12 (Art Space Gallery) www.12as12.comA2 Gallery www.a2artgallery.comAnnexe Gallery www.annexegallery.comArt Case Galleries www.artcase.com.myArt Expo Malaysia www.artexpomalaysia.comArt House Gallery www.arthousegallery.bizArt Loft www.artloftgallery.netArt Salon @ Seni www.theartgallerypg.comArtseni Gallery www.artseni.com CHAI (Instant Cafe House of Arts and Idea) www.instantcafetheatre.com

City Art Gallery Edi.A Art Gallery www.ediarts.blogspot.comGaleri Chandan www.galerichandan.comGALERI PETRONAS www.galeripetronas.com.myGaleri Shah Alam www.galerisa.comgalleriiizu @ Shangri-La Hotel www.galleriiizu.comHenry Butcher Art Auctioneers www.hbart.com.myHouse of Matahati (HOM) www.matahati.com.myIslamic Arts Museum www.iamm.org.myLookiss www.lookissgallery.comLost Generation Space www.lostgenerationspace.blogspot.comMalaysia National Art Gallery www.artgallery.gov.myMERAH: Mansion for Experimentation, Research, Arts and Horticulture www.facebook.com/pages/MERAH/148050170487Metro Fine Art www.metro3gallery.comNN Gallery www.nngallery.com.myPace Gallery www.pacegallery.netPelita Hati www.pelitahati.com.myPinkguy Gallery www.pinkguymalaysia.comRichard Koh Fine Art www.rkfineart.comRimbun Dahan www.rimbundahan.orgRougeArt www.rogueart.asiaShalini Ganendra Fine Art www.shaliniganendra.comThe Gallery @ Star Hill www.starhillgallery.comValentine Willie Fine Art www.vwfa.netWei-Ling Gallery www.weiling-gallery.comY 2 S Art Space www.y2sart.com.myZINC www.zinc.com.my

HONG KONG ART GUIDEAmelia Johnson Gallery www.ajc-art.comI/O Input Output www.inputoutput.tvKarin Webber Gallery www.karinwebbergallery.comMADHOUSE Contemporary www.madhouse.com.hk

LONDON ART GUIDEJealous Gallery 27 Park Road N8 8TE Crouch End LondonAICON GALLERY London 8 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BU The Air Gallery 32 Dover Street, London W1S 4NEKings Place Gallery 90 York Way, London N1 9AG Serpentine Gallery Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XAWalton Fine Arts154 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2JJChinese Contemporary The Studio House, 7/9 Edith Grove ,London, SW 10 0JZRichard Green147 New Bond Street, London, W1S 2TSLisson Gallery 52-54 Bell Street, London, NW1 5DASouth London Gallery 65 Peckham Road, London SE5 8UHThe Brick Lane Gallery 196 BRICK LANE, E1 6SA LondonThe Hart Gallery 113 Upper Street, Islington London N1 1QNDanielle Arnaud contemporary art 123 Kennington Road, London SE11 6SF Hai Gallery 46a Harrowby Street, Marble Arch, London W1H 5HTHalcyon Gallery 24 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QQ

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EUROPE ART GUIDE

UNITED STATES ART GUIDE

PETRA GALLERIE1151 S. Robertson Blvd.Soro, LA, CA. USA 90035Tel: (310) 247

ART FAIRSArt Fair Tokyo www.artfairtokyo.comChina International Gallery Exposition (CIGE) www.cige-bj.comArt Beijing www.artbeijing.netArt Revolution Taipei www.arts.org.twArt Melbourne www.artmelbourne10.com.auYoung Art Taipei www.youngarttaipei.comHong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK) www.hongkongartfair.comArt Indonesia www.artindonesia.netArt Daegu www.artdaegu.comMelbourne Art Fair www.artfair.com.au/fairAuckland Art Fair www.aucklandartfair.co.nzAsia Top Gallery Hotel Art Fair Seoul (AHAF) www.hotelartfair.krArt Taipei www.art-taipei.comSH Contemporary www.shcontemporary.infoShanghai Art Fair www.sartfair.comARTSingapore www.artsingapore.netFine Art Asia www.fineartasia.comArt Canton (Canton International Art & Collection Fair) www.artcanton.comArt Expo Malaysia www.artexpomalaysia.comAffordable Art Fair (Singapore) www.affordableartfair.sg

FLO PETERS GALLERYChilehaus CPumpen 820095 Hamburg, Germany+49 40 3037 4686www.flopetersgallery.com

© Elliott Erwitt/MAGNUM Photos

L & M ARTS45 East 78 StreetNew York 10075+1 212 861 0020www.lmgallery.com

GALERIE CHRISTIAN LETHERT Antwerpener Strasse 4D - 50672 Köln (Cologne) Germany+49 (0)22 1356 0590 www.christianlethert.com

Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair www.contemporaryistanbul.comArt Stage Singapore www.artstagesingapore.comIndia Art Summit www.indiaartsummit.comArt Dubai www.artdubai.aeContemporary Istanbul Art Fair www.contemporaryistanbul.com

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