The trials and tribulations of a humble apple ...... Pacific and Singapore Country CEO; Mr Tatzu Nishi, Singapore Bienna
Cover image: Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Two Planets, Manet's Luncheon on the Grass and the Thai farmers (detail), 2008, video 16 minutes, Singapore Art Museum collection Photography on pages 6, 15, 41, and 46 (bottom image) are courtesy of Werkz Photography.
All information is correct at the time of print. Please refer to www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for the latest updates. The Museum reserves the right to make changes and modifications to the programmes without prior notice. The views and opinions expressed by speakers, facilitators or artists in the talks, workshops and performances do not represent the position of Singapore Art Museum. The Quarterly is published by the Marketing and Corporate Communications Unit of the Singapore Art Museum. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in part or in whole without written consent of the Museum, the publisher. © Copyright 2011.
Contents About SAM
Page 2
Director’s Message
Page 3
Calendar
Page 4
Exhibitions
Page 6
Public Programmes
Page 16
School Programmes
Page 28
Recent Acquisitions
Page 31
SAM Publications
Page 34
SAM Collectibles
Page 37
Dining
Page 39
Support SAM
Page 40
SAM Moments
Page 42
About SAM The mission of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is to preserve and promote contemporary art practices of Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. Opened in January 1996 as a museum under the National Heritage Board of Singapore, SAM has amassed one of the world’s largest public collections of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian artworks, with a growing component in international contemporary art. Since 2009, SAM has focused its programming and collections development initiatives around contemporary Southeast Asian art and art practices. Through strategic alliances with arts and cultural institutions and community organisations, SAM facilitates visual arts education, exchange, research and development within the region and internationally. SAM is also the organiser of the Singapore Biennale 2011.
SAM Board (until 30 July 2011) Chair Ms. Jane Ittogi | Partner, Shook Lin & Bok LLP Members Ms. Audrey Wong | Programme Leader, MA Arts & Cultural Management School of Integrated Studies, LASALLE College of the Arts Dr. George Quek | Chairman, BreadTalk Group Limited Mr. Kenneth Choe | Executive Director, Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Dr. Kwok Kian Woon | Associate Professor, Associate Chair (Academic) and Head, Division of Sociology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Mr. Qi Yu Wu | MediaCorp Artist, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures Mr. Quek Tse Kwang | Partner, RT & Q Architects Mr. Ronny C T Tan | Chief Country Officer and General Manger, Deutsche Bank AG Mr. Suhaimi Sukiyar | Chairman, APAD Youth Development & Programmes, Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya (Association of Artists of Various Resources) Mr. Wee Teng Wen | Founder and Principle Partner, The Lo & Behold Group Pte Ltd Dr. Winston Ang Wee Kern | Assistant Professor, Visual and Performing Arts Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
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Director's Message We bade a fond farewell to Singapore Biennale 2011: Open House and SAM flagship exhibition Negotiating Home, History and Nation as they drew to a close in the last quarter. These two high profile events had set the stage for the kind of contemporary art that SAM seeks to present - cutting-edge, thoughtprovoking, yet centred on the here and now, firmly rooted and rooting for the contemporary art of the Southeast Asian region. Many people in Singapore remain curious about contemporary art and with the rising tide of Asian artists, there are also those who want to know more about Southeast Asia's unique approach to the genre. Works from this part of the world reflect the social conditions and current realities that people in this region face and are also influenced by its traditional cultural practices and artisan skills. Hence Southeast Asian contemporary art posesses a unique aesthetic that also tells compelling stories about circumstances visitors can relate to. So we continue to inject a regional flavour into the shows we present at SAM. For instance, visitors can contrast the more technologically-driven approach of Western video artists such as Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, Tony Oursler and Peter Campus, with the moving or stirring narrative styles of Southeast Asian artists such as Lee Wen, Dinh Q. Lê, Jun Nguyen Hatsushiba and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook at the exhibition Video, an Art, a History 1965-2010. We have also observed that children perceive and take to contemporary art differently from adults: they do not try to categorise or assess what they see as an artwork. The open-ended nature of contemporary art and its ability to draw varied reactions from people thus make it an ideal tool to stimulate creative thinking and open one’s mind and awareness of the environment. So at Art Garden this year, besides presenting more interactive installations, we also commissioned four Singaporean artists to create works for children. As Art Garden stimulate learning through play and give children many hours of fun with installations, we also hope the exhibition will endear young visitors to SAM and those artists whose works they have encountered. As they grow up with the museum and come to know who the artists of their time are, we look forward to welcoming them regularly in our galleries. This quarter, SAM will present a special visual feast for night owls. Night Lights is a nine-evening outdoor light installation showcase that is part of Night Festival 2011. Do join us to see the precinct, literally in a new light, and get ready to be dazzled! Tan Boon Hui Director Singapore Art Museum 3
Calendar EXHIBITIONS
PROGRAMMES
Notable Acquisitions Exhibition 2011: Featuring works by Tan Oe Pang Runs through 21 August SAM
July Fri, 1 Jul | 7pm – 8:30pm Photography Talk Sessions
Art Around SAM: DystoUtopia by ZERO Runs through 26 August SAM at 8Q Art Garden at SAM Runs through 30 August SAM Video, An Art, A History 1965 – 2010 A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections Runs through 18 September SAM & SAM at 8Q Art Around Singapore: Life after Death by Justin Lee Runs through 16 October Asian Civilisations Museum Liu Kang: A Centennial Celebration 29 July to 16 October SAM Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition 9 to 25 September SAM Seeing the Kites Again 又见风筝：吴冠中捐赠作品展 Runs through 12 November SAM Learning Gallery On-going till November SAM at 8Q
Fridays, 1 & 8 Jul | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Artist Films: Women Without Men by Shirin Neshat Fri, 8 Jul | 7pm – 9pm | SAM at 8Q Originals Only Open Mike Fri, 8 Jul | 7pm – 9pm | Level 2, SAM Open Studio: Imagery and Mindfulness A Self-discovery Art Workshop Sun, 17 Jul | 1pm – 5pm | SAM & SAM at 8Q Art Garden at SAM Family Sunday Fri, 22 Jul | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Home Movies: Intimate Stranger and Nobody’s Business Sat & Sun, 23 & 24 Jul | 2pm – 5:30pm | SAM Singapore HeritageFest 2011 Recreational Community Drumming Circle & Quilt Craft Fri, 29 Jul | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Home Movies: The Danube Exodus and Free Fall – Private Hungary 10 August Fri, 5 Aug | 7pm – 8:30pm Photography Talk Sessions Fri, 5 Aug | 7pm – 9pm | SAM at 8Q Originals Only Open Mike
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Fri, 5 Aug | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q
Fri, 9 Sep | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q
Artist Films / Home Movies: Walden – Diaries, Notes and Sketches by Jonas Mekas
Home Movies: Oxhide II
Sun, 7 Aug | 8am – 5pm | Istana Grounds Istana Art Event Tue, 9 Aug | 10am – 7pm | SAM & SAM at 8Q National Day Open House Fri, 12 Aug | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Home Movies: Mother and Tarnation Fri, 19 Aug | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Home Movies: Bare and I for India Fri – Sat, 26 Aug – 3 Sep | 7:30pm – 2am | SAM & various locations along Bras Basah Road and vicinity Night Lights (Part of Night Festival 2011)
Fri, 16 Sep | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Artist Films: Films by Amar Kanwar Fri, 16 Sep | 7:30pm – 9pm | Glass Hall, SAM Modern Sounds Sun, 18 Sep | 1pm – 5pm | SAM at 8Q Video, An Art, A History 1965 - 2010 Family Sunday Sat, 24 Sep | 1pm – 5pm | Glass Hall, SAM Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition Programme
SCHOOL PROGRAMMES Every Thu & Fri, 10am – 11:30am or 2:30pm – 4pm | SAM Art Trail
Tue, 30 Aug | 10am – 7pm | SAM & SAM at 8Q Hari Raya Puasa Open House
Every Thu & Fri, 10am – 11:30am or 2:30pm – 4pm | SAM Art Talk
September Fri, 2 Sep | 7pm – 8:30pm Photography Talk Sessions
Every Mon & Tue, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM Everyday Life
Fri, 2 Sep | 7pm – 9pm | SAM at 8Q Originals Only Open Mike
Every Mon & Tue, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM Everyday Food
Fri, 2 Sep | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q Home Movies: Oxhide
Every Mon & Tue, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM Everyday Objects
Thu, 8 Sep | 4pm | SAM Tours and Talks for Teachers
Every Wed, 10am – 12pm | SAM Get Smart with Art Series: Auction Time Weekdays | 10:30am – 12pm | SAM Deutsche Bank Art Bus Programme 5
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Credit Suisse: Innovation In Art Series
Video, An Art, A History 1965 - 2010 A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections Runs through 18 September 2011 SAM & SAM at 8Q Video, an Art, a History 1965-2010. A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections presents Centre Pompidou’s well-received new media travelling exhibition with an added Southeast Asian touch. Its Singapore and Southeast Asia debut will feature an expanded exhibition, showcasing SAM’s own collection of video works and installations by Southeast Asian artists, such as Lee Wen, Dinh Q. Lê, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, alongside Centre Pompidou’s collection by internationally renowned artists such as Nam June Paik, Bill Viola, Bruce Nauman, Jean-Luc Godard, Pierre Huyghe and Isaac Julien. Based on the video and multimedia installations of the Centre Pompidou and SAM, the exhibition recounts the history of this very contemporary field punctuating the main phases of contemporary art from 1965 to 2010. The exhibition is curated by Centre Pompidou chief curator of New Media Christine Van Assche and co-curated by SAM assistant curator Patricia Levasseur de la Motte. The exhibition materialised from a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Governments of Singapore and France to enhance cultural cooperation. Co-organiser
Presenting Sponsor
With support from
A series of Home Movies programmed in conjunction with the exhibition will be presented at the Moving Image Gallery at SAM at 8Q. Please refer to pages 21 to 23 for details.
Facing page: (top) Installation of The Farmers and the Helicopters (2006) by Dinh Q. Lê. (bottom) Artist Lee Wen (extreme right) discussing his video installation, World Class Society (1999).
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Art Garden
at the Singapore Art Museum Interactive contemporary art for children Runs through 30 August 2011 SAM
Mummy Dearest by Justin Lee
Walter by Dawn Ng
Go by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng
Building on the success of its inaugural edition in 2010, the well-loved Art Garden at the Singapore Art Museum: Interactive contemporary art for children returned this June with a total of ten creative works. The only exhibition in Singapore that showcases engaging art works suitable for children, this year’s Art Garden features more works than last year and runs for a longer duration of almost three months. SAM has also used this opportunity to commission four Singapore artists to create works for its next generation of art audiences. Contemporary art appeals to children as the artworks often address issues that are topical and open ended. The interactive nature of contemporary art makes Art Garden an inviting and engaging exhibition for the young to explore and see the world in new and different ways. In conjunction with
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Sponsored by
Featured Artists & Artworks Walter by Dawn Ng Discover the extraordinary in our everyday lives with Walter, a curious colossal bunny that pops up in various places in Singapore, bringing surprise and delight to the people he meets. Paramodelic-Graffiti by Paramodel Explore the intricate urban geography and topography of this dream-like universe - built entirely of modular toy train tracks that create spontaneous, whimsical colour patterns covering the gallery space. Tree of Love by Ben Puah Papier-mâché animal dolls, created by children and particpants from non-profit organisations with the artist, decorate the Tree of Love to inspire social harmony. Visitors are invited to add on to the work by penning their hopes, thoughts and feelings on the trees. Fruits by Wit Pimkanchanapong Step into this colourful fruit market and create your favourite paper fruit! Choose from six fruits common in Southeast Asia and learn the name of the fruit in different languages. When you have completed fruit, keep it as a souvenir or exchange it for a real fruit. Dancing Solar Flowers by Alexandre Dang This lively installation of solar-powered mechanical flowers nod, or rock gently, in response to indoor lighting conditions in the gallery environment. Elephant Sitting and Elephant at Rest by Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 Come up-close to two baby art elephants and decorate them with colourful stickers. The baby elephants are part of Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 which is dedicated to saving the Asian elephant.
Tree of Love by Ben Puah
Mummy Dearest by Justin Lee It is Mummy's day off in this fantasy candycoloured world of giant dolls, complete with a wardrobe of clothes, shoes and an enormous three-tiered cake. Boys and girls can help dress up the dolls and decorate a cake for Mummy in this playroom inspired by old-fashioned cut-out paper dolls. Go by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng Climb onto this giant installation and work together with fellow visitors to form a huge picture using large coloured discs. Inspired by the ancient Chinese game of Go or weiqi, and the idea of motion and activity conveyed by the word 'go', you can photograph your completed picture and pin up a printout of it in the gallery. SUPERHIGH by Dawn Ng / Hello Sunshine Play with colours and shapes in this toddlers' playroom installation, inspired by the magical and mystical qualities of the rainbow that reflect hope and happiness. Lightning Action by Bertrand Planes Is this a child's playroom, or a bare, white installation? Let game technology and a special video mapping process change your perception as everyday objects and spaces are given new life.
A series of Animated Shorts programmed in conjunction with the exhibition is also presented at the Chapel. Please refer to pages 16 to 17 for details.
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Art Around SAM DystoUtopia by ZERO
Runs through 26 August 2011 SAM at 8Q
ZERO, DystoUtopia, 2011, mixed media, variable dimensions
Are we using material goods and wealth in higher pursuit of emotional and intellectual development and happiness? Commenting on the consumerist society, DystoUtopia is the manifestation of Zero’s idea of a dysfunctional utopia in which consumerism has been mistaken as the answer to all our worries, needs and desires. His installation integrates elements and bastions of consumerism such as the Louis Vuitton brand inspired logos and monogram, as well as silhouettes of shopping malls. Artefacts such as old photographs lie forlornly in the discarded shelves and crates littering the installation, cracked and forgotten in the light of shiny new consumerism. A skilled graphic artist, Zero's artistic practice investigates societal issues on several levels, integrating the function of design and advertising within the framework of conceptual and fine arts.
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Learning Gallery Ongoing till November 2011 Programme Space, SAM at 8Q
Students from Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) at the Learning Gallery.
The Learning Gallery is dedicated to presenting artworks from SAM’s collection for the young visitor. Besides nurturing an appreciation for art, the works are specially selected to encourage lively discussions and develop creative and analytical thinking among our young visitors. The current show, Everyday Objects, invites you to take a second look at the familiar things around you through the eyes of artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia, where everyday things we know and sometimes take for granted are portrayed in a different light, making us think twice about their function and their relation to other objects. Education programmes inspired by the artworks on display have also been specially developed for schools to offer students a multi-disciplinary and holistic contemporary art experience at the Learning Gallery. These programmes range from learning specific art techniques to speech-anddrama puppet shows that encourage originality and the development of language skills and selfconfidence. Learning Gallery Education Programmes are for school bookings only. Please see page 29 for details.
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Liu Kang: A Centennial Celebration 29 July to 16 October 2011 SAM
Liu Kang, Life by the River, 1975, oil on canvas, 126 x 203 cm, National Heritage Board collection
Liu Kang (1911–2004) is widely regarded as one of Singapore’s most important artists, and a guiding figure in the development of Singapore’s art scene. Liu was actively involved in various areas of the visual arts field, from the creation of artworks to playing a central role in education and criticism. Liu also played a leading role in the Society of Chinese Artists and the Singapore Art Society for many years. In recognition of the artist’s lifetime accomplishments and contributions to Singapore’s visual art community, he was conferred the Public Service Star in 1970, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1996. This exhibition is held in commemoration of the artist's centennial year of birth. Featuring 100 works by Liu, this exhibition invites visitors on a journey of exploration into the life and mind of the artist. The Liu Kang: A Centennial Celebration is a special research exhibition organised by the National Art Gallery, Singapore, supported by the National Heritage Board and held on the premises of SAM.
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Notable Acquisitions Exhibition 2011: Featuring works by Tan Oe Pang Runs through to 21 August 2011 SAM The Notable Acquisitions Exhibition is an ongoing exhibition featuring recent acquisitions and donations. Featuring a selection of Tan Oe Pang works, drawn from a donation collection received by the museum, this exhibition showcases a variety of Tan’s works in the ink and oil media. Singapore artist Tan is one of Singapore’s established ink artists. His daring use of ink and vivid composition in art pushes the boundaries of Chinese ink practice, and marks him as one of the most innovative practitioners in the medium today. Tan was a participant in the prestigious International Biennial of Arts Valparaiso and the International Biennial of Arts Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Seeing the Kites Again II Runs through 12 November 2012 SAM This exhibition, entitled Seeing the Kite Again, is inspired by the late master Wu Guanzhong’s metaphor of a kite and how it expresses the connection between an artist, his life and the people around him. By bridging Chinese and Western aesthetics, Wu blazed the trail for the modernisation of Chinese art. In 2008, the internationally acclaimed artist donated his largest gift of 113 important Wu Guanzhong, A Lotus Flower Island, 2003, oil on canvas, 41 x 60 cm, National works to the National Heritage Heritage Board collection Board. Selected paintings from the donation has been presented since 2009 by the National Art Gallery, Singapore. The current exhibition showcases some of Wu’s most outstanding works produced from 1960s to 2000s in the oil and ink medium. These are special research exhibitions by the National Art Gallery, Singapore, held on the premises of SAM. 13
Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition 9 to 25 September 2011 SAM
Winning entry from Yellow Ribbon Art Competition 2010 (detail)
The Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition is an annual event organised by the Yellow Ribbon Project to showcase original artworks by inmates and ex-offenders to the community. This year's exhibition theme is Tomorrow is My Reality. The winning entries from the Yellow Ribbon Art Competition and the finest selections of art from the Singapore Prisons will be featured. There will be an array of free and engaging hands-on activities for families on 24 September from 1pm to 5pm in the Glass Hall. Free admission to this exhibition. Visit www.yellowribbon.org.sg for more information.
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Art Around Singapore Life After Death by Justin Lee Runs through 16 October 2011 Asian Civilisations Museum Placed at the entrance to the galleries of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Life After Death by Justin Lee transports visitors into a dream-like night scene. Based on the artist’s previous installation East & West, which was acquired by SAM in 2010, the dramatic new setting sees Lee’s stylish terracotta army flanked by graceful fairy-like maidens armed with modern technologies. Graphic symbols of contemporary Singapore emblazon flags that rise above the quirky army. Each flag is bordered with Lee’s signature motif, the Chinese character for Double Happiness: this too represents the successful marriage of East and West.
Justin Lee, Life After Death, 2011, dimensions variable, mixed media installation
Life After Death blends Western pop art with traditional Eastern imagery, giving rise to a new reading of a work that is a mix of many cultures, and thus decidedly Singaporean. Although the terracotta warriors are tomb figures, Lee’s playful use of colour and light suggests that life after death might not be so bad after all.
This contemporary installation accompanies the special exhibition, Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor & His Legacy from Xi’an, China, and is organised by SAM and Asian Civilisations Museum.
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Moving Image Screenings Animated Shorts This special selection of animated films presented in conjunction with the exhibition Art Garden draws viewers into gorgeously rendered magical universes populated by mysterious penguins, confused dogs, slippery lizards, forlorn machines and cities made of Rubik’s cubes. Suitable for all ages, this line-up includes films by young directors as well as BAFTA and Academy Award-winning works. Until 30 Aug | Daily, from 10:30am | Chapel, SAM Included in museum admission. Each set of film screening is approximately 30 minutes. Visit www. singaporeartmuseum.sg for more information including directors’ biographies.
Lost and Found
Flats
Set 1 – Recommended for Ages 2 and up. Daily at 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm & 4:30pm. Additional screening at 6:30pm on Fridays. Laughing Moon Kiyoshi Nishimoto, 2002, Japan, 6 minutes Twelve geometric pieces of a tangram puzzle combine to form different shapes and figures, and act out elegantly simple scenes.
The Swedish Meatballs Johan Hagelbäck, 2010, Sweden, 5 minutes A young meatball, with the loving support of his family, learns more about the wider world around him.
Magic Cube and Ping-Pong Ray Lei, 2009, China, 4 minutes In a city of Magic Cubes, a Cube boy goes in search of a lost ping pong ball. He meets and falls in love with a Cube girl.
Nulbür Sylvain Gignac, 2007, Canada, 3 minutes A cute and friendly robot goes on a journey to seek enlightenment. This animation is inspired by the aesthetics of Super Mario.
Hu Lulu Hong Longlong Hua Lala Ray Lei, 2010, China, 6 minutes A storm overtakes a small village, interrupting the people's peaceful lives. A brave child swims into the universe to save the world.
The Seed Johnny Kelly, 2008, Ireland, 2 minutes The trials and tribulations of a humble apple seed are depicted in this animated voyage through nature’s life cycle.
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Set 2 – Recommended for Ages 4 and up. Daily at 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm. Additional screening at 7pm on Fridays. Thought of You Ryan Woodward, 2010, USA, 3 minutes
Lost and Found Philip Hunt, 2009, UK, 24 minutes
This beautiful contemporary dance animation is drawn in a style of conte on newsprint, and portrays a relationship between a pair of dancers.
A little boy finds a penguin on his doorstep. At first he is unsure what to do, but becomes determined to help the penguin find his way back home. This magical tale of friendship and loneliness is based on the best-selling picture book by Oliver Jeffers.
Set 3 – Recommended for Ages 6 and up. Daily at 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm & 5:30pm. Additional screening at 7:30pm on Fridays. The Fish and the Ring Ervinna Cahyadi, 2010, Singapore, 4 minutes A hungry fish devours the ring of an old man sitting by the jetty reminiscing. Meanwhile, an old lady marooned by a shipwreck is reflecting on her life. What can the fish do to help?
The Dog Who Was a Cat Inside Siri Melchior, 2005, UK, 3 minutes In this parable about inner conflict, a dog struggles with his "inner cat." This short is delightfully animated in a style inspired by Cubism.
Slip Scrawl Studios, 2009, Singapore, 4 minutes Slip is a common house lizard with a problem: his feet are not sticky! Forced to wear special shoes in order to walk like a lizard does, Slip is ridiculed by everyone. Will something happen to make Slip overcome his fears about being different?
The Lost Thing Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan, Australia/ UK, 2010, 15 minutes A young man finds a strange creature on a beach, and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to.
Set 4 – Recommended for Ages 8 and up. Daily at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm & 6pm. Additional screening at 8pm on Fridays. My Father is a Washerman Srinivas Bhakta, 2009, Singapore, 8 minutes A washerman struggles with a dirty scarecrow who tries to snatch a kite from his son in this moving animation about familial love and change. Dear Fatty Hsin-I Tseng, 2008, USA, 7 minutes In this beguiling tale, a little girl writes a tender letter to her lost hamster. Procrastination Johnny Kelly, 2007, Ireland, 4 minutes Why do we put things off? Sometimes the only way to get something done is to do two dozen other things first!
Flats Scrawl Studios, 2010, Singapore, 2 minutes Two siblings embark on an adventure through their HDB estate after school. This film is a paean to our living Singapore landscape. My Way Svjetlan Junaković and Veljko Popović, 2010, Croatia, 7 minutes In this charming parable about growing up, a child learns to live with an invisible pebble in his shoe. The discomfort it creates brings awareness and meaning to his existence.
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Artist Films SAM presents a series of exceptional film and video works by artists that explore the relationship between art and the moving image and promote dialogue and exchange on contemporary practices in visual culture. Fridays, 1 & 8 Jul, 5 Aug and 16 Sep | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q $10 for each film screening day. $5 concession for students with valid ID, senior citizens and full-time NS men. Limited seating. Tickets can be purchased from SAM and SISTIC (from 11 July onwards). For ticket purchase at the door, please call 6332 3200 ahead for ticket availability. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for full synopses and ratings.
Film still from Women Without Men (2009) directed by Shirin Neshat
1 & 8 Jul Women Without Men Shirin Neshat, 2009, Germany/Austria/France/Iran, 99 minutes, M18 (Sexual scenes and nudity) In her feature film debut, artist Shirin Neshat chronicles the intertwining lives of four Iranian women during the 1953 coup d'état of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, and reinstalled the Shah to power. Adapted from Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipur's magical realist novel of the same name, this film won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 66th Venice Film Festival in 2009. Shirin Neshat is known for her hauntingly beautiful explorations of Islam, political violence, gender relations and the human form. She is well known for her award-winning photographic series Women of Allah (1993–97), the video installation Turbulent (1998), Rapture (1999), and Fervor (2000). Neshat’s work has been exhibited at the Tate Gallery, Guggenheim Museum, Serpentine Gallery, London, the Kunsthalle Wien and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Hiroshima.
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Film stills from Walden - Diaries, Notes and Sketches (1969) directed by Jonas Mekas
5 Aug Walden – Diaries, Notes and Sketches Jonas Mekas, 1969, USA, 180 minutes Lithuanian-born New York artist Jonas Mekas was an integral part of the underground film movement and the avant-garde intelligentsia of mid to late sixties New York. Made between 1964 to 1968, this film features his life in New York and encounters with icons like Stan Brakhage, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer and Andy Warhol, and events such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 Montreal bed-in for peace, and the Velvet Underground’s first public performance. The soundtrack features poetical spoken word musings by Mekas, musical excerpts by Chopin and sounds from the street and countryside. Mekas is considered by many to be the godfather of American avant-garde cinema. Credited for developing the diary form of filmmaking, he is known for films such as The Brig (1964), Lost Lost Lost (1975) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000).
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© Amar Kanwar
16 Sep A Season Outside Amar Kanwar, 1997-8, India, 30 minutes A Night of Prophecy Amar Kanwar, 2002, India, 77 minutes To Remember Amar Kanwar, 2003, India, 8 minutes Amar Kanwar’s films are a mix of documentary, poetic travelogue and visual essay. A Season Outside (1998) is a poignant meditation on the source of violence—inspired by events surrounding India’s northern border with Pakistan. A Night of Prophecy (2002) features the poetry of tragedy and protest, and gives a stunning glimpse of the diversity of India’s ethnic groups and landscapes. To Remember (2003) is a meditative and ambivalent portrait of Birla House, the site of Gandhi’s assassination in 1948. Amar Kanwar lives and works in New Delhi. His richly contemplative films and installations connect intimate personal histories with the wider politics of power, violence, sexuality, and justice. He has exhibited at the Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and the Haus der Kunst, Munich and participated in Documenta 11 (2002) and Documenta 12 (2007) in Kassel, Germany. Screening rights courtesy of Amar Kanwar and Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris and New York.
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Home Movies
Film still from I for India (2005) directed by Sandhya Suri
With the emergence of portable film and video cameras, and smaller film formats such as 16mm and Super 8, video art emerged as a distinct medium in the 1960s as conceptual and performance artists expanded their explorations with experimental film. Independent filmmaking saw a fresh resurgence in the 1990s with the advent of consumer-friendly digital video formats. The history of video art and independent film thus has an important parallel story: a great many ordinary people used these new video and projection technologies to film droll, trivial or unlikely aspects of their lives, creating home movies to share with their family and friends and even making serious forays into amateur cinema. The films in this series, presented in conjunction with the exhibition Video, an Art, a History 19652010. A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections, are notable for their unique takes on the themes of home movies, amateur film, and found footage. In these 11 films, questions of identity and self-representation, family and kindred, and the individual in society emerge again and again. Private histories unfold amidst inconceivable historical backdrops, old feuds are excavated and new relationships documented. These are all captured by the intrepid individual wielding his or her camera to create compelling and often emotional personal cinema that is impossible to look away from. Fridays, 22 Jul – 9 Sep | 7:30pm | Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q $10 for each film screening day. $5 concession for students with valid ID, senior citizens and full-time NS men. Limited seating. Tickets can be purchased from SAM and SISTIC (from 11 July onwards). For ticket purchase at the door, please call 6332 3200 ahead for ticket availability. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for full synopses and ratings. 21
22 Jul Intimate Stranger, Alan Berliner, 1991, USA, 60 minutes Alan Berliner’s grandfather, Joseph Cassuto, was a Palestinian Jew who worked in Egypt as a cotton buyer for the Japanese before WW2. Despite reuniting with his family in the US, a restless Cassuto moves to Japan to pursue his business and his lifelong affair with the culture. Examining his curious legacy, the film juxtaposes the love and admiration of his Japanese associates with his family’s resentment. Nobody's Business, Alan Berliner, 1996, USA, 60 minutes Determined to discover the mythic dimension to his reclusive and cantankerous father Oscar Berliner’s seemingly ordinary life, Alan Berliner investigates family stories and connections, creating an inventive and witty tapestry of interviews, live action sequences and archival material. This essayistic film defies conventional definitions of the documentary feature. 29 Jul The Danube Exodus, Péter Forgács, 1998, Hungary, 60 minutes In this travelogue, Péter Forgacs uses footage from the amateur films of a ship captain documenting the Jewish exodus just before WW2 as Slovak and Austrian Jews tried to reach Palestine via the river Danube. At the end of this journey, a reverse exodus takes place as Bessarabian Germans fled to the Third Reich. The film is a moving meditation on the displacement of and connections between ethnic minorities. Free Fall – Private Hungary 10, Péter Forgács, 1996, Hungary, 75 minutes Artist Péter Forgács reworks and assembles footage from the archive of musician, photographer and businessman, György Petö, who made many 8mm films from 1938 onward. Against the backdrop of Fascist Europe and the impending Holocaust, this film frames the happy moments of the Petö family against the cruel Hungarian Jewish laws. 5 Aug Walden – Diaries, Notes and Sketches, Jonas Mekas, 1969, USA, 180 minutes Artist Jonas Mekas was an integral part of the underground film movement and the avant-garde intelligentsia of mid- to late sixties New York. This film is also screened as part of the Artist Films series (see page 19 for details). 12 Aug Mother, Royston Tan, 2002, Singapore, 6 minutes After ten years, a son returns home to reconcile his relationship with his mother. Using Super-8 found footage, this film explores the love/hate relationship between mother and son with an ironic mix of nostalgic sentimentality and contempt. Tarnation, Jonathan Caouette, 2003, USA, 88 minutes Created by Caouette from over 20 years and hundreds of hours’ worth of Super-8 and VHS home movies, found footage, photographs, and audio recordings, this film tells the story of his life, transition into young adulthood, and his relationship with his mother Renee. This film delves into what it means to grow up queer with a schizophrenic mother.
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Film still from Oxhide II (2009) directed by Liu Jiayin
19 Aug Bare, Santana Issar, 2006, India, 11 minutes Over the backdrop of 20-year old home movie footage of a blissful family unit, phone conversations play. We realise that the family that we see enjoying themselves is not as happy as it seems. In this poignant short film, Santana Issar seeks to understand the impact of her father’s choices on her mother’s, her sister’s and her own life. I for India, Sandhya Suri, 2005, India, 70 minutes This film documents Sandhya Suri’s immediate and extended families’ lives since their move from India to England in 1965. Shot over 40 years, the Super-8 footage filmed by Suri’s father in Darlington as well as the family back in India unravels as a deeply emotional story of separation and loss. A time capsule of alienation, discovery, racism and belonging, this film is a chronicle of immigration in 1960s Britain and beyond. 2 Sep Oxhide, Liu Jiayin, 2005, China, 110 minutes, PG Oxhide’s subject is the director’s immediate family—her father, mother and herself. Shot entirely in their tiny Beijng apartment, this film is made of 23 tightly focused, precisely arranged scenes, each shot in one continuous take from a stationary camera. The family discusses their leather bag business, their financial issues, their daughter’s height and other matters, and their interactions reveal much deeper concerns about self-respect, artistry, modernisation, and existential fears in a changing world. 9 Sep Oxhide II, Liu Jiayin, 2009, China, 132 minutes, PG Liu Jiayin once again casts herself and her parents in scripted versions of their life in their tiny Beijing residence. All the action is set around the family dinner table, which is also her father’s leather-making station. The family prepares and consumes a dinner of dumplings as the camera catches every meticulous detail of the action in real time, cutting only eight times and pivoting 45 degrees in an intimate circle with each cut. Small moments between family members reveal deep insights into the mysteries of family relations and the art of everyday living. 23
Night Lights
Night Festival 2011
Facade projection by Electric Canvas at Night Festival 2008.
Night Festival goers can indulge in an outdoor extravaganza of live music, film and dance, and experience the new and delightful Night Lights, a nine-evening outdoor showcase of light installations created in and around the Bras Basah-Bugis cultural precinct. Fri – Sat, 26 Aug – 3 Sep | 7:30pm – 2am | SAM & various locations along Bras Basah Road and vicinity Night Festival 2011 is set to dazzle with two weekends of spectacular performances, open air cinema and contemporary art exhibitions. Fri & Sat, 26 & 27 Aug and 2 & 3 Sep | 7pm – 2am and 7:30pm – 2am | National Museum of Singapore, SAM, Peranakan Museum, Singapore Management University Campus Green and The Substation Night Lights is held in conjunction with Nuit Blanche Paris and supported by:
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Fridays at SAM
Singer-songwriter Gabriel Lynch
Photography Talk Sessions
Open Studio
Open to all photography enthusiasts, the Photography Talk Sessions is a platform where participants can discuss reviews and share tips on the use of digital cameras and camera accessories.
Imagery and Mindfulness: A Self-discovery Art Workshop Take a break from your hectic lifestyle and embark on a unique and relaxing experience in visual expression. The workshop is a joint collaboration between the Art Therapists' Association, Singapore, and SAM.
1 Jul, 5 Aug & 2 Sep | 7pm – 8:30pm Registration required.
Originals Only Open Mike (OOOM@SAM) Enjoy contemporary expression through music at SAM. Catch Singapore’s very own budding singer-songwriters in action as they showcase their original compositions at the Originals Only Open Mike sessions (OOOM@SAM), a joint collaboration between SAM and Singapore Art Cafe. 8 Jul, 5 Aug & 2 Sep | 7pm – 9pm SAM at 8Q Registration required for interested performers.
8 Jul | 7pm – 9pm | Level 2, SAM Limited to 25 participants. Registration required.
Modern Sounds Explore exciting new worlds of sound and music with Ang Mo Faux, an ensemble specialising in improvised and experimental music using acoustic and computer-processed sounds. 16 Sep | 7:30pm – 9pm | Glass Hall, SAM Admission to Fridays at SAM events is free. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for event updates and more information. For registration and other enquiries, please email
[email protected]. 25
Istana Art Event
The Istana Art Event is an annual outreach event organised by the National Heritage Board and led by SAM. The event seeks to cultivate a greater appreciation of the arts and our national heritage during the nation’s birthday, through an On-The-Spot Art Competition, Arts and Heritage Village, and an installation of art birthday cards contributed by students nation-wide. The Arts and Heritage Village will feature art and craft-making activities by all National Heritage Board Museums and some Museum Roundtable members. Sun, 7 Aug | 8am – 5pm (Arts and Heritage Village activities start from 10am) | Istana Grounds Free admission to the Istana grounds for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, and $1 for others. Entrance to grounds is via the main gate at Orchard Road. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for more information.
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Open House at SAM National Day, 9 Aug Hari Raya Puasa, 30 Aug Join us to celebrate special occasions and the public holidays with free entry to all SAM galleries and a series of fun, hands-on activities for everyone in the family. Activities will be held from 1pm to 5pm. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for more information.
Family Sunday Spend a Sunday afternoon with your family at SAM! Explore an exhibition through an engaging tour and create a craft inspired by the artworks. 17 Jul Explore Art Garden. 18 Sep Explore Video, an Art, a History 1965-2010. Family Sunday activities start from 1pm to 5pm. They are complimentary with purchase of admission ticket. Each session is limited to 20 participants on a first-come-first served basis and children should be aged 4 and above. Visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg for more details.
Singapore HeritageFest at SAM Sat & Sun, 23 & 24 Jul | 10am – 7pm | SAM & SAM at 8Q Free admission and activities. Recreational Community Drumming Circle at SAM highlights synchrony through playing different instruments and tunes—an analogy of how our multi-racial society ticks. 2pm – 3:30pm & 4pm – 5:30pm Each session is limited to 50 participants. Quilt Craft teaches your kids to combine different shapes and colourful pieces of cloth into a patchwork masterpiece! 2pm – 3:30pm & 4pm – 5:30pm Each session is limited to 30 participants. Singapore HeritageFest (15 – 31 Jul) is a fun, educational and interactive annual celebration of Singapore’s diverse, unique and untold stories and aspects of our heritage and shared culture. Visit www.heritagefest.sg for more information.
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School Programmes
Tours and Talks for Teachers Tours and preview talks are held to give educators an overview of SAM’s exhibitions. SAM curators and exhibition managers will explain key concepts and highlight selected works on either tours of the galleries or preview talks on upcoming exhibitions. Recommended for teachers preparing to bring students for a visit. Preview Talk for Teachers on upcoming exhibitions: • Amanda Heng (7 Oct 2011 – 1 Jan 2012) • Hyung Koo Kang (14 Oct – 25 Dec 2011) Thu, 8 Sep | 4pm For teachers only. Free admission. Registration required. Please email your name, school, contact number, the subject you teach and the age of your students to
[email protected].
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Learning Gallery Art Trail This workshop engages students in active art discussions through creative story-telling. Participants will learn more about artists and their artworks and create their own craft works inspired by the artworks in the gallery. Every Thu and Fri, 10am – 11:30am or 2:30pm – 4pm | SAM For 4 to 12 years old $18 per student, per lesson Art Talk This workshop aims to stimulate the students’ creativity through interactive puppet shows and speech and drama activities. Using the artworks as inspiration, students will be guided to develop their own narratives and perform their own puppet shows. Every Thu and Fri, 10am – 11:30am or 2:30pm – 4pm | SAM For 7 to 12 years old $28 per student, per lesson Everyday Life With discussion and quick sketching, students will turn everyday tasks and objects into interesting artworks by working with shapes and forms, and learn oil pastel and watercolour techniques like blending and bricking. Every Mon and Tues, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM For 7 to 8 years old $18 per student, per lesson Everyday Food Drawing inspiration from artworks that showcase food as the main subject matter, this workshop encourages students to explore the forms and shapes of food and to learn about the role of textures in their own art-making. Every Mon and Tues, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM For 9 to 10 years old $18 per student, per lesson
Everyday Objects Through active art discussions, students will share their initial thoughts and ideas of selected artworks and learn to generate ideas about objectifying personality traits through the use of quick rough sketching. Students will then create drawings based on concepts of cubism and abstract art using acrylic painting techniques. Every Mon and Tue, 10am – 12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm | SAM For 11 to 12 years old $28 per student, per lesson Get Smart with Art Series: Auction Time In this interactive, hands-on workshop, students will be introduced to selected artists and their artworks through the process of roleplaying and engaging in discussions set in the context of an auction house. Students will have the opportunity to work in teams and learn skills such as negotiation, presentation, and strategy formulation. Every Wed, 10am – 12pm | SAM For 13 to 17 years old $18 per student, per lesson Selected programmes are eligible for the Tote Board Arts Grant subsidy. For enquiries, please email
[email protected]. Learning Gallery programmes are for school bookings only. Pre-school and Primary school: min. 20 – max. 40 students per session Secondary school: min. 30 – max. 40 students per session Please download and fill up the booking form at www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/programmes/ learning_gallery.php and email it to nhb_sam_
[email protected].
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Deutsche Bank Art Bus Programme
The Singapore Art Museum presents the Deutsche Bank Art Bus programme, a platform for introducing art to schoolchildren. With content tailor-made for the age range of its audience, each session lasts for one and a half hours and incorporates multi-disciplinary learning through contemporary art. Complimentary bus transportation will be provided to and from the museum. Weekdays* | 10:30am – 12pm* | SAM For 7 to 12 years old 20 - 40 children per session *Alternative day and time can be requested, subject to availability. $10 per student for school bookings only. Limited to one session per school. Free for charity / non-profit organisations. Please email
[email protected] for more information.
Sponsor
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Recent Acquisitions
Cloud Nine, 2005, dimensions variable, ceramic dogs, features, table, plates and plastic fruits, Singapore Art Museum collection
Cloud Nine by Sakarin Krue-On Stray dogs are a common sight in the streets of Thailand, and artist Sakarin Krue-On employs them as a potent visual metaphor in this installation. By modelling these unwanted dogs into exquisitelooking porcelain figurines, poised in a kitschy nouveau-riche home setting, the artist alludes to the social inequalities embedded in Thai society, as well as its class divides. Cloud Nine illustrates the notion of “empty hope”, where Sakarin’s street dogs can only dream of an alternative life of a more elevated status. By portraying the common stray as winged, angel-like entities, yet bound by their instinctive nature, the artist presents a tragic and yet farcical parody of Thai social realities. The work also reflects Sakarin’s Buddhist beliefs of the limitations and inherent emptiness of dreams and self-delusion. Sakarin's past solo exhibitions include Cloud Nine at 100 Tonson Gallery in Bangkok (2004) and Yellow Simple at Open Arts Space in Bangkok (2001); other notable exhibitions in the international arena includes his participation in the Venice Biennale in 2002 and 2009, as well as Documenta 12 in 2007.
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DisCONNEXION, ed. 8/15, 2002-2003, 76 x 62 cm each, 15 prints, C-print, Singapore Art Museum collection
DisCONNEXION by Xing Danwen DisCONNEXION features electronic waste, from tangled wires, circuit boards and broken cell phone casings that have been sorted and separated by hand in China's Guangdong province. Xing’s photographs of the technological rubbish of the world contain an abstract quality of beauty to them even in their discarded state. But they belie an environmental and social nightmare to the Chinese people who live in those areas and those who work directly with these materials, some of which are hazardous to their health. Xing is an accomplished Chinese artist originally trained in painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. A self-taught photographer, she uses photography as an observation tool to challenge issues that touch on identity in a global context. Her photographs, through an abstract beauty, reveal the dark reality of the twenty-first century and the economic reality of technology.
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Electricity, 2010, 300 x 830 cm, mixed media, Singapore Art Museum collection
Electricity by :phunk Studio Electricity pays homage to the contemporary city, and :phunk studio’s longstanding fascination with the architecture and energy that pulses through modern metropolises such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. A collage of various urban motifs and distinctive architectural elements drawn from cities all over the world, Electricity celebrates the global, cosmopolitan city as it details its diversity, lit up and brought to life by the power of electricity—a reminder of how dependent we are on this essential power source that fuels our contemporary urban lifestyles. :phunk Studio is known for their design industry credentials, which heavily influence their aesthetics in art-making. Their work draws on myriad aspects of popular and youth culture, from Japanese manga and anime to British indie music.
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SAM Publications
Video, an Art, a History 1965 – 2010 A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections
Negotiating Home History and Nation: two decades of contemporary art in Southeast Asia 1991 - 2011
Hardcover, 272 pages Retail Price: $80 ISBN: 978-981-08-8493-2
Paperback, 275 pages Retail Price: $80 ISBN: 978-981-08-6692-1
This accompanying publication to the exhibition Video, an Art, a History 1965–2010. A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections brings together studies on video art from Western Europe, the Americas and East Asia. It also introduces recent investigations into video as an emerging artistic practice in Southeast Asia. Ten essays in this publication comprise critical studies alongside country surveys. The fifty-three entries in this publication, of which 41 are from the Centre Pompidou and 12 from SAM includes the selection of video projections and installations featured in the exhibition. Extensively illustrated, this rare gathering of some of the most definitive works in video art is designed to address a wide audience, ranging from specialists to the general public.
Negotiating Home, History and Nation: Two decades of contemporary art in Southeast Asia, 1991-2011 is supported by an extensive and academically slanted research catalogue that forms a variety of viewpoints and investigates key themes in Southeast Asian art history today. Curators and academics contributing to the catalogue are predominantly Asianbased, offering new ideas about visual art from a part of Asia that is not well known beyond its own borders. This catalogue will include, amongst others, original essays by Dr Apinan Poshyananda, Dr Nora Taylor, Dr Susie Lingham, Agung Hujatnikajennong, Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez, Tash Aw, Tan Boon Hui, Khairuddin Hori and Iola Lenzi.
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Singapore Biennale 2011: Open House Special Bind with Slipcase, 306 pages Retail Price: $60 ISBN: 978-981-08-8050-7 Open House invites you on a journey through the exhibition's collective unconscious. It includes curatorial notes and essays on the artists and the works presented at the Biennale. Glimpses of artists' studios, sketches and notebooks jostle with works of art, source images and text. Images relating to public display are intermingled with those of a more personal nature, providing insight into artists' inspirations, motivations and processes. All artists were invited, but not obliged, to submit material for consideration. The intention of these pages is not to be representative, but to offer a range of evocative source materials which are suggestive of the cultural force-field within which the artists of Open House are working.
Natee Utarit: After Painting Hardcover, 171 pages Retail Price: $60 ISBN: 978-981-08-6692-1 An exceptional painter whose career spans over two decades, Thai contemporary artist Natee Utarit’s stunningly vivid paintings have for a long time been a series of dialogues and debates with elements of established Western painting traditions - his ultimate aim to develop new possibilities for painting. The artist’s recent work, however, has increasingly been commentaries on Thai society and identity, and helps place him among his fellow Southeast Asian artists who continue to use visual art to reflect the changing socio-political situations of the region. This book offers a comprehensive survey of Natee Utarit’s practice from 1992 to 2009, and is the first to trace the significant developments and changes in the artist’s career. With more than 70 beautiful full-colour plates accompanied by detailed commentaries, essays and an artist interview, readers can gain an intimate insight into the artist’s practice as well as new perspectives on the tradition of painting in Southeast Asia today. Natee Utarit: After Painting is also an ideal reference tool for both researchers and art lovers and for exploring the art of the region. 35
Manit Sriwanichpoom: Phenomena and Prophecies
Singapore Contemporary Artists: Vincent Leow
Paperback, 139 pages Retail Price: $20 ISBN: 978-981-08-6693-8
Paperback, 139 pages Retail Price: $49.90 ISBN: 978-981-08-6693-8
As one of Thailand’s foremost contemporary artists whose works deal with the social and political issues of Thailand, Manit Sriwanichpoom has exhibited prolifically around the world, including presentations at the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial (2010), the 6th Gwangju Biennale (2006), the 1st Pocheon Asian Art Festival (2005), and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003).
The Singapore Contemporary Artists Series documents and provides critical commentary on the practice of significant contemporary artists from Singapore. Enlarging discourse and scholarship on contemporary art, it introduces the vibrant contemporary art scene in Singapore. Vincent Leow is the first book in this series, documenting and charting the artist’s career through essays and personal responses from artists, curators and art historians on his key works.
This book features essays from prominent contemporary Thai thinkers and commentators such as curator Ark Fongsmut and filmmaker Ing K, and a critical selection of more than 100 photographs from his vast oeuvre from 1997 to 2007. Comprising both black-and-white documentary photographs of social realities and vibrant full-coloured images from his iconic ongoing Pink Man series of work, Phenomena and Prophecies traces Manit’s unique practice of artistic strategies that are both photojournalistic and highly conceptual, and signature to his practice of the past decade.
All publications are available for sale at the Museum Shop at SAM. Please visit www. singaporeartmuseum.sg for more details on the Museum Shop. 36
SAM Collectibles Dawn Ng: Walter A series of collectibles inspired by Walter, a pet project by Singaporean artist Dawn Ng for SAM - a celebration of Singapore's ordinary by where we see our city anew as children again. This Children’s Season, look out for Walter in Art Garden at SAM and bring home the special edition huggable Walter!
Grab your very own Walter Colouring Storybook that tells of his curious adventures. Also available are the limited edition Walter pencil case, tissue holder and pouch set, inflatable toy and postcards. You will get a chance to participate in the colouring contest when you purchase the Colouring Storybook, and stand to win the complete set of Walter collectibles! The Walter collectibles are available at SAM, National Museum of Singapore and Asian Civilisations Museum.
Justin Lee: Terracotta Warriors
An exclusive collection of merchandise, inspired by Justin Lee’s artwork of a small army of terracotta warriors and graceful fairy-like maidens from the SAM collection. Preview from 24 June 2011 at the Asian Civilisations Museum in conjunction with the Terracotta Warriors. The First Emperor and His Legacy exhibition. Also available at SAM and National Museum of Singapore.
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MADE FOR SAM Forty artists and designers were each given a brief with the task of reinventing an everyday object. The result: An exclusive collection MADE FOR SAM, available at SAM. For online purchases, visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/visitus/store.php. Spotlight: MADE FOR SAM Piggy Banks
A Bag of Gold Yong Jieyu, J.Yu Studio
Piggybank B.A.L.L.S
Hungry Happy Basam Jabry, Chemistry
Made deliberately without a release plug and with the words “If I sold my soul for a bag of gold”, it questions immediately if one should break an object of accumulated coins (and memory) for something to buy.
The piggy bank is traditionally named after the Pygg earthenware clay. For this piggy bank design, it is presented in its most natural form rather than the cartoon-like depiction that people are used to seeing.
When the piggy bank is empty, it sits on its hind legs and as it gets fed with coins, the weight will eventually make it roll forward, turning it from a hungry pig to a happy pig, a tongue-incheek reflection of the joys of eating in Asia.
Pigxel Randy Chan, Zarch Collaboratives
Piggyback Wong Mun Summ, Richard Hassell & Woha
The design is conceived from A desk organiser for pens, pencils and loose change, the idea the idea of using a computer for the design came when the designers decided to combine the software media as a tool to briefs for the piggy bank and pencil case. construct and manipulate.
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Dining DÔME 10% off regular menu price* | Sun - Thu & PH, 8:30am - 10:30pm | Fri, Sat & Eve of PH, 8:30am 11pm | 6339 0792 | www.olio.sg A rustic coffee haven for the executives on the go. Browse and select. Indulge in the relaxing style with al fresco dining. Or choose a speedy take away. Dôme offers a comprehensive range of freshly baked breads, pastries, cakes and, pizzas which complement Dôme’s range of gourmet coffees. Its signature items include Focaccia Gourmet Sandwiches, Dôme Gourmet Pie, Caesar Salad and Chocolates Brownies. Food for Thought Daily, 9am 10pm | 6338 9887 | www.foodforthought.com.sg It is all about serving up Good food for a Good cause. You could just come to nosh on their take on comfort food: root beer, braised pork, homestyle marmalade cake and fresh baked goods. Or do some ethical shopping in the merchandise section for homemade jams, funky tee-shirts, reloved books and other beautiful things from all over the world. Discovering how to do ‘Good’ has never been easier - or tastier. Standing Sushi Bar Daily, Lunch, 11:30am - 2:30pm, Dinner 6pm - 9:30pm | www.standingsushibar.com Beautifully-sliced, perfectlyformed, deliciously-made…every sushi at Standing Sushi Bar is a piece of art. Indulge in sake, enjoy a few sticks of robatayaki, and enjoy the sushi selections. Fresh fish, everyday. Trattoria Lafiandra 5% off all drinks* | Daily, Lunch, 11:30am - 3pm, Dinner, 6pm - 11pm | 6884 4035 | www.lafiandra.com.sg Owned by Chef Cataldo and Brenda Lafiandra, the 42-seater Trattoria Lafiandra al Museo has an extensive selection of antipasti, homemade pasta, risotto and main courses, offering a wide selection of typically Italian fare Via Mar @ SAM 10% off regular menu price* | Mon - Thu & Sun, 11:30am - 10:30pm | Fri & Sat, 11:30am - 11pm | 6423 0900 Be enticed by the signature paella dishes and delectable tapas menu, boasting a wonderful variety of succulent appetizers, with delightful mains, tempting desserts and a fine range of wines. With its elegant indoor seating and alfresco dining area, Via Mar @ SAM serves as the perfect place for business meetings, dinner dates or simply catch up with loved ones and good friends. * Present the SAM Admission Ticket to enjoy these promotions.
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Support SAM
Business Circle Partnership
A Singapore Art Museum Business Circle Partnership goes a long way to help us deliver quality exhibitions and educational programmes to people in Singapore. Membership also promises exclusive art experiences and branding opportunities for your company, staff and the people you wish to reach out to. With a donation of at least S$50,000, be rewarded with: - One complimentary use of the Museum Glass Hall and Courtyard facilities for your event, complemented by a customisable after-hours museum tour or art programme. - Personal invitations to 2011 Exhibition Opening Receptions for up to 10 pre-identified executives or guests. - Up to 200 complimentary museum passes OR complimentary admission for your staff and their accompanying guests. - Up to 50 complimentary exhibition catalogues. - Corporate tax deductions up to 2.5 times the cash amount donated. To contribute Please make your donation cheque (minimum S$50,000) payable to “Singapore Art Museum” and mail it with your business card to The Development Office, Singapore Art Museum Administrative Office, 61 Stamford Road, #02-02 Stamford Court, Singapore 178892. For enquiries, please contact our Development Office at 6332 6854 or email
[email protected].
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Credit Suisse Supports SAM
From left to right: Mr Giovanni Viterale, The Fullerton Heritage General Manager; Mr Lito Camacho, Credit Suisse Vice Chairman Asia Pacific and Singapore Country CEO; Mr Tatzu Nishi, Singapore Biennale artist; Ms Jane Ittogi, SAM Chair; Mr Beat Streuli, Singapore Biennale artist; Mr Tan Boon Hui, SAM Director; Mr Trevor Smith, Singapore Biennale 2011 Curator and Mr Matthew Ngui, Singapore Biennale 2011 Artistic Director.
Credit Suisse AG announced the renewal of its 3-year partnership with SAM, effective from 9 March 2011 until 31 December 2013. Established in 2007, the partnership introduced Credit Suisse: Innovation In Art Series (CSIIAS) to feature emerging talents and outstanding practices in contemporary art. In addition to being the presenting sponsor for SAM exhibitions under this series, the Bank also has the distinction of being the first long-term corporate sponsor of the Museum. Singapore Biennale 2011 commissions, The Merlion Hotel by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi and Story Lines (New York, Singapore October November 2010) by Swiss artist Beat Strueli, were the first to be supported under the renewal. This year, Credit Suisse AG also supports Video, an Art, a History 1965-2010, a Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections for 2011. More CSIIAS exhibitions are to come in the following years.
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SAM Moments
Singapore Biennale 2011 Official Opening
(From left to right) Mr Russell Storer, Singapore Biennale 2011 Curator; Mr Tan Boon Hui , SAM Director; Mr Michael Koh, National Heritage Board CEO; Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong, former Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Information, Communications and the Arts; Mr Lui Tuck Yew, former Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts; Ms Jane Ittogi, SAM Chair; Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts; Mr Benson Phua, National Arts Council Singapore CEO; Mr Matthew Ngui, Singapore Biennale 2011 Artistic Director and Mr Trevor Smith, Singapore Biennale 2011 Curator.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew, then Minister for Information, Communications, and the Arts opened the third Singapore Biennale on 12 March at Old Kallang Airport. Guests stepped into an Open House of 63 leading contemporary artists from all over the world. The Opening Weekend bustled with an exciting line up of artist talks, discussions and performances, where participants met the artists and curators, and learnt more about the artistic processes behind the artworks. For the first time in 50 years, Old Kallang Airport opened its doors to the public, this time to celebrate contemporary art amidst live music, good food and great company.
Guests interacting at Martha Rosler's Proposed Helsinki Garden (left) and viewing Ming Wong's video installation.
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Prime Minister Visits The Merlion Hotel
Prime Minister Mr. Lee Hsien Loong (second from right) visited The Merlion Hotel – one of the comissioned works – on 11 March. Accompanying him were (from left to right) Mr. Giovanni Viterale, The Fullerton Heritage General Manager; Mr. Tan Boon Hui, SAM Director and Mr. Matthew Ngui, Singapore Biennale 2011 Artistic Director. Prime Minister Lee also became the first person to sign in the Hotel's guest book with a note saying – "A novel and refreshing experience – and for the Merlion too!"
The Merlion Hotel Official Opening The Singapore Biennale 2011 Vernissage kicked off on 11 March with a Welcome Reception at the Merlion Park, that saw the Official Opening of The Merlion Hotel by Guest-ofHonour Professor Edwin Thumboo. Singapore's literary laureate and first recipient of the Cultural Medallion (Literature) Professor Thumboo was also the first person in Singapore to write a poem about the Merlion. It was thus fitting and meaningful for him, to launch the Hotel with a stirring recital of his seminal poem Ulysses by the Merlion (left), to the delight of some 800 guests at the reception that night. 43
Visitors to the Biennale After two months of warm hospitality and friendly exchanges over contemporary art, the Singapore Biennale 2011 closed its doors on 15 May 2011. Organised by the Singapore Art Museum and supported by the National Arts Council, this third edition was led by Artistic Director Matthew Ngui along with curators Russell Storer and Trevor Smith. Some 200,000 of them stepped into the venues to engage with the artworks, a higher number than the previous Biennale.
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Negotiating Home, History and Nation: two decades of contemporary art in Southeast Asia 1991-2011 Exhibition Opening
Ffrom left to right: Ms Iola Lenzi, guest curator; Mr Tan Boon Hui, SAM Director and exhibition curator; Guest-of-Honour Mr Ong Keng Yong, Ambassador-At-Large and NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Institute of Policy Studies Director; Mr Kenneth Choe, SAM Board member; Mr Michael Koh, National Heritage Board CEO and Mr Khairuddin Hori, SAM Curator at the exhibition opening.
Negotiating Home, History and Nation: two decades of contemporary art in Southeast Asia 1991– 2011 opened on 11 March with over 70 of the region's iconic works of art. At its opening, which coincided with the first day of the Singapore Biennale 2011 Vernissage, guests became privy to the contemporary life of the region as told through works such as Flying Angels by Heri Dono, History Class (Thanon Ratchadamnoen) by Sutee Kunavichayanont, Burned Victims by FX Harsono and Strange Fruit by Lee Wen.
More pictures from the exhibition overleaf. 45
(Images above) Visitors to Negotiating Home, History and Nation exhibition.
LIVE Singapore! Exhibition opening A project of SENSEable City Lab and part of the Future Urban Mobility research initiative at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, LIVE Singapore! opened on 8 April at SAM. The first public exhibition of the project was co-organised with SAM. LIVE Singapore! is a convergence of art, digital media and information technology. Visitors saw, in the museum’s central ‘chapel’ space, five large-scale projections of multi-dimensional maps of Singapore, of moving crowds, transport, commuters, the city’s fast changing microclimate, electricity consumption, and even containers passing through the world’s largest seaport – all in real time. Visitors were fascinated and became aware of how their city pulsates in response to their actions. Image above: Project leader Mr Kristian Kloek (extreme right) introducing the exhibits to guests at the opening.
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Ming Wong: Life of Imitation Down Under
(From left to right) Mr Trevor Dee, CAST Gallery Board member; Mr Michael Edwards, CAST Gallery Director; Mr Tan Boon Hui, SAM Director; artist Mr Ming Wong and guest curator Mr Tang Fu Kuen.
Ming Wong: Life of Imitation opened in Tasmania, Australia on 24 March 2011 as one of the anchor events of the Ten Days on the Island biennial festival. On display at the Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania (CAST Gallery), this travelling solo exhibition of Singapore artist Ming Wong was the result of a partnership between Artistic Director Elizabeth Walsh, CAST Gallery Director Michael Edwards and SAM Director Tan Boon Hui. The exhibition started its international tour at the Frye Art Museum, Seattle, USA in January 2011 and ends its Asia-Pacific tour at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan from 25 June to 28 August 2011.
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Art Around SAM Disarming The Lion by Ryf Zaini Perched on SAM lawn from 18 March to 24 May, installation artist Ryf Zaini’s Disarming the Lion delighted and astonished visitors and passers-by alike, with its stark, shiny but abandoned quality. Curious on-lookers were challenged by the contradictory message—of steel and valour given way to surrender—as they sympathised with the lion’s head lying on its side, while watching Singapore’s past through its LCD eyes. Complex circuitry in the cross-section of the lion’s head mesmerised the audience, provoking also humankind’s reliance on technology for strength and dominance.
Slow and Steady by Speak Cryptic Visitors to Speak Cryptic’s Slow and Steady at SAM at 8Q were greeted by cut-out figures, each engrossed in his or her thoughts and poses. The installation provoked visitors’ thoughts, motivating them to question their own ideas of perception yet becoming more self-aware. The display was presented from 28 March to 22 May 2011.
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COMING SOON
Hyung Koo Kang 14 October to 25 December 2011 Singapore Art Museum
Hyung Koo Kang, Van Gogh in Red (detail), 2010, oil on canvas, 193.9 x 259 cm, private collection
