The Making of a Contemporary Art Gallery by Yeo Workshop

THE MAKING OF A CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY: ARTISTS & PROGRAMMES

ABOUT YEO WORKSHOP ARTIST ENGAGEMENT EVENTS REDISCOVERED

TU HONG TAO LOKE HONG SENG

REPRESENTED ARTISTS

QUYNH DONG XUE MU MARYANTO ZUL MAHMOD YU-CHEN WANG SANTI WANGCHUAN MARCIN DUDEK MERRYN TREVETHAN MIKE CHANG

EMERGING ARTISTS

STEPHANIE JANE BURT FYEROOL DARMA

CURATED PROJECTS

LOOPING LOOPHOLES A DRAWING SHOW

THE MAKING OF A CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY: ARTISTS & PROGRAMMES Editor: Audrey Yeo Texts: Yeo Workshop, its writers, and curators, Alice Russotti, Amelia Abdullahsani, Louis Ho, Roy Voragen Designs: Joe Hales, Bryan Loke, Sari Handayani Layout: Alien & Turtle LLP ISBN: 978-981-11-0434-3 Copyright 2016 Yeo Workshop, the artists All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior permission in writing from the authors and the publisher. First published by YEO WORKSHOP 2016, Singapore

CONTACT YEO WORKSHOP Gillman Barracks, 1 Lock Road #01-01 Singapore 108 932 www.yeoworkshop.com E: info@yeoworkshop.com T: +65 6734 5168 Producer/Owner: Audrey Yeo

PUBLIC PROJECTS AND RESIDENCY PUBLICATIONS

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ABOUT YEO WORKSHOP

Yeo Workshop is a contemporary art gallery that produces a series of exhibitions, represented artists projects, and gallery based programmes such as talks, symposiums and guiding research. Its aim is to promote the work of contemporary local and international artists with a strong artistic practice, and engage with the Singaporean and visiting audience. The gallery places emphasis on education via programmes surrounding its exhibition. Yeo Workshop has been permanently based at Gillman Barracks, Singapore since Fall 2013. Other projects of the gallery include the Arnoldii Arts Club, a course-based arts club, focusing on art history, art production and art markets. It also initiates and curates community projects, such as the recent â&#x20AC;&#x153;Singapore Arts Clubâ&#x20AC;?, a GillmanBarracks-wide public art project in January 2016, to provide platforms for artists and to reach a wider audience.

ARTIST ENGAGEMENT EVENTS

Yeo Workshop regularly hosts special events to connect

In June 2016, Chengdu-based artist Tu Hong Tao joined

artists and audience. The gallery space is a venue for talks,

Yeo Workshop and guests at a dinner reception in

art salons, receptions, and symposia, enabling education

honour of his solo exhibition, “The Landscape”. Guests

and thought exchange between art lovers, collaborators,

were engaged in an intimate discussion about the artist’s

and friends. By fostering a deeper engagement between the viewer and artists, Yeo Workshop develops involvement and patronage in Singapore at large.

EXCHANGE WITH ARTISTS: TU HONG TAO b. 1976, China “The Landscape”

oeuvre. The solo exhibition at Yeo Workshop is the first one abroad in recent years for painter Tu Hong Tao, who is more renowned in the international, Chinese and Hong Kong auction markets. Tu Hong Tao has cultivated his own distinct style of painting, transitioning from figurative works to his unique perspectives on landscapes. His new body of work has taken on an abstract and fragmented turn, creating a narrative of tension between contentment and isolation, a theme that is prevalent in city living. Where once were collapsed human figures - representational of the detached and transient nature of urban lifestyles - now lies a strange, melancholic landscape of indeterminate forms. Tu adopts classical Chinese painting techniques to depict strange foliage and mysterious scenery; these works begin to portray new dimensions of time and space, reshuffling systems of information as it were. Since 2012, Tu’s paintings have not only revealed a greater degree of abstraction but are also a move towards a more introspective, open-ended assessment of the times. Tu comes from a generation of Chinese artists whose oeuvre deals with the intimate psyche of urban dwellers in a rapidly progressing nation.

A PIONEER REDISCOVERED : LOKE HONG SENG

Loke Hong Seng is part of Singapore’s Pioneer Generation.

LOKE HONG SENG

Born in 1943, he did not cultivate any creative pursuits.

b. 1943 Singapore

Instead, he was employed as a television producer and announcer. From the mid 1960’s, he began experimenting

A PIONEER REDISCOVERED LOKE HONG SENG

with photography with his older brother’s Topcon camera. He developed his passion for photography and shot candid portraits and street scenes around Singapore. The most striking contrast was between 1963 to 1985 -- these 22 years parallel a period of tremendous change in Singapore -- from the fight to Independence through modernization of the country -- during which he captured the emergence of a new republic against the backdrop of vernacular architecture and colonial buildings. 9

A PIONEER REDISCOVERED : LOKE HONG SENG

2015,

Yeo

Workshop

A PIONEER REDISCOVERED : LOKE HONG SENG

proudly

decades, it was his collaboration with Yeo Workshop when

hosted Loke Hong Seng’s first solo

he is recognized as an art photographer. In recent years,

exhibition entitled “A Social Portrait

he has been increasingly invited to participate in talks,

of Singapore: The Critical Years”. To

presentations and exhibitions. Recently, his photograph

coincide with this exhibition was the

was selected as the main feature of Clifford Pier’s 80th

release of Loke’s artist monograph,

Anniversary photo contribution. He conducted a talk at the

which was also produced by Yeo

Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS) in 2013, which

Workshop. By exhibiting his work

was featured in “Life Behind the Lens ” at the Arnoldii Arts

in the contemporary art market, Yeo

Club in Gillman Barracks in 2014 (moderated by photo

Workshop gave a platform in the genre

writer Zhuang Wubin), and he also gave a presentation of

of contemporary art.

his work to the lecturers at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2014. In April 2015, he was the keynote speaker

The exhibition and the book focused

for Nikon’s “Iconography 2015” seminar at Hwa Chong

on Loke’s street photography between

Secondary School. Yeo Workshop also curated Loke’s solo

1963 and 1985. In the first decades

exhibition at the UOB Art Gallery in 2015.

of the newly independent Singapore, it was rare to find a photographer in Singapore taking “street portraits” for the sake of fine art and not part of a journalistic assignment or a government project. Other than its former

uses

documentary

and

archives, this selection exemplified the simplicity of 20th century life in

Singapore.

Loke

Hong

Seng’s

photography reminds usof the sacrifices made in the name of progress. These photographs demonstrate the strength of the Singaporean spirit and how her citizens are willing to undertake hardships in order to achieve progress. While Loke Hong Seng had been awarded a number of awards, mainly 10

by photography groups, in the past few

A PIONEER REDISCOVERED : LOKE HONG SENG

Monograph for Mr Loke Hong Seng Editors Audrey Yeo Design by Bryan Loke Special Commissioned Covers for commemorative book created for United Overseas Bank (UOB) private banking investment conference SG50 September 2015 at St. Regis

REPRESENTED ARTISTS LOKE HONG SENG (SINGAPORE) QUYNH DONG (VIETNAM / SWITZERLAND) XUE MU (CHINA) MARYANTO (INDONESIA) ZUL MAHMOD (SINGAPORE) YU-CHEN WANG (TAIWAN / UK) SANTI WANGCHUAN (THAILAND) MARCIN DUDEK (POLAND) MERRYN TREVETHAN (AUSTRALIA) MIKE HJ CHANG (TAIWAN / US)

REPRESENTED ARTIST : QUYNH DONG

Quynh Dong is one of the artists whom Yeo Workshop represents. Her work has been exhibited internationally, most notably at the Kunsthalle Bern, Galerie Perotin in Paris, Rijksakademie van beeldende

kunsten

in Amsterdam,

and Galerie Bernhard Bischoff & Partner further

Barcelona.

performed

her

She has works

Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique

Paris;

Museé

cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne in Switzerland; LISTE 17, the Young Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland; the Emily Harvey Foundation in New York, USA; and YAP`15, The Twinkle World, Exco 1F, Deagu, in South Korea. Her work, “Dreamworld”, was most recently seen

QUYNH DONG

Quynh Dong creates hyper-real video works to provide an

b. 1982 Hai Phong, Vietnam

innate platform upon which she deliberately challenges cultural stereotypes. Her works question the nature of our

at Manifesta 11, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art (June - September 2016) in Zurich.

gaze and contemplation as individuals, and social beings. The shift in perspective, scale and tactility of environments shapes the stage for her characters and observations to appear and exist in time. Her practice extends to also include performance and sculpture. She studied Fine Arts at Bern University of the Arts, and completed her MA in Fine Arts at Zurich University of the Arts. With an international exposure and a meditation of art across different cultures, Quynh Dong published her works in Vietnamese, English and German.

REPRESENTED ARTIST : XUE MU

XUE MU

Xue Mu works across the mediums of installation, dance,

b. 1979 Nanjing, China

drawings and photography. By making use of elliptical

REPRESENTED ARTIST : XUE MU

tactics and an ambiguous aesthetic, Mu creates work while avoiding the conventional perception of value as imposed by the modern world. She explores the inner and outer spaces of her spectators and audiences. Through an almost synthetic approach, which is inspired by various music genres and the digestion of media information as seen from multiple angles, Mu has developed her unique process of mark making to allude to the structure of thought and expanded potentiality, negotiating the current system of globalisation and identity struggles.

The large charcoal drawings (“Black Diamond”

Yeo Workshop will present her upcoming solo

series) can be considered as visual registrations

exhibition “Liquid Truth” in October 2016. Xue Mu

on the process of crystallisation on complex

has previously presented her drawing series “Black

thoughts and flows of emotions that are generated

Diamond” in 2014, and “A Childish Nothingness”

by the artists. The accumulated series of drawings

in 2015, the latter of which displayed the artist’s

construct a personal universe of thoughts, doubts,

works from different periods.

struggles and observations on the collective events. Xue Mu graduated from the Nanjing Art Institute The whitish pristine photographic prints (“A

before furthering her art studies at the Dutch Art

Childish Nothingness” series) however explore

Institute and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. During

the paradoxical aspect of value experiences in a

her studies, her awards include the 2012 Prof.

contrary realm within the scheme. These images

Augustus Allebé Fonds / Willem F.C. Uriôtfonds

not only efficiently highlight the visual quality in

Fellowship, the 2012 Amsterdam Fonds voor the

things that are normally ignored, but also expose

Kunst, the 2011 Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Peter

the inherent quality in them which could enrich our

paul Peterich Fonds, and the 2009 Berlagefonds,

existential experiences.

Gerrit Rietveld Academie award. Xue Mu currently lives and works in Amsterdam. 19

REPRESENTED ARTIST : MARYANTO

Rijksacademie van beeldende kunsten, as well as

Maryanto recently participated at the Yogyakarta

the Esculea de Orient programme at Casa Asia

Biennale 2015 “Hacking Conflict, Indonesia

Barcelona, Spain, as well as with gallery solo

meets Nigera”, creating a large entrance piece,

shows such as those at Yeo Workshop 2014.

and participated at the Jakarta Biennale 2015

Maryanto sees “resource” as a Pandora’s Box

“Neither Forward Nor Back”, curated by Charles

-- that a country with abundant resources could

Esche, with an installation work “Temah Ruah di

cause tension and conflict between the systems

Wonocolo”.

that navigate and govern economics and the daily life of the people.

MARYANTO

Maryanto makes artworks that serve as a form of storytelling

b. 1977 Indonesia

with the impression of theatrical stage or landscape setting. The work as stories explores and transfers knowledge through historical research, myths and stories combined with the artist’s own artistic imagination and constructed forms.

The

artist’s

projects

2016

include

the

“Discoveries” section of Art Basel Hong Kong 2016, the Setouchi Triennale 2016, and solo exhibition at Yeo Workshop in November.

The results are dramatic and romantic black and white installations made of paintings, etchings and rich charcoal drawings that evoke tales and environments. The subject of his ongoing project, which commenced several years ago, pertain to his curiosity on resources and its effect on country and politics. Maryanto does not merely conceptualise a nature that holds his practice of storytelling, but actively captures the outcome of his own conducted research on land, people and cultural settings to unfold his produce into a world - his art - that contains and tells the very story of the Indonesia he lives and shares. A recurring topic is the exploitation of natural resources and the positioning of land and people in the context of globalisation and trade. In his daily observations of life in Indonesia he is able to compare and explore the history of colonialism and its role in the allocation of resources. His documenting as well as imaginative perception are combined with his formal training in the arts at the Institute of the Art, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and his subsequent residencies in the Netherlands at the 20

REPRESENTED ARTIST : ZUL MAHMOD

Zul’s practice has been marked by diversity, with the artist exploring various media and platforms. Adopting a multidisciplinary and multi-genre approach that also includes drawings, prints, sculptures and ready-mades, Zul has exhibited in Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Italy, Moscow, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Norway and Finland. His “Stilt” series forms part of The Swissotel Stamford Singapore’s permanent art collection. His notable initiatives include an industrial-sound inspired soundtrack in conjunction with an Antoni Tapies exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum and winning Singapore Straits Time Life! Theatre Award 2010 for Best Sound Design (RPM by Kafai / Theatreworks). As a part of Singapore: Inside Out, Zul was in Beijing, London, New York and Singapore in 2015 presenting a sound installation of “Alice, Did you hear that?”, combining stimuli from “Alice in Wonderland” and Brandon Labelle’s “Spaces speak, are you listening?”. He also participated in

ZUL MAHMOD

Zulkifle Mahmod is one of Singapore’s leading sound artists.

b. 1975 Singapore

He has been at the forefront of a generation of sound-media artists in Singapore’s contemporary art development – one of the genres of international contemporary art-making that has been garnering interest for its inter-disciplinary approach and experimental edge. He represented Singapore with a Sound Art Performance at the Ogaki Biennale in 2006, and was Singapore’s first sound artist with a full-on sound sculpture at the Singapore Pavilion of the 52nd Venice Biennale 2007. An Associate Artist at the alternative art space The Substation, he has cut a reputation for integrating 3-D forms with ‘sound constructions’ and ‘sound-scapes’, often crossing genres and collaborating with other artists. Zul is also the designer for the first Singtel F1 Grand Prix Night Race trophy in Singapore.

Substation’s Septfest in celebration of their 25th anniversary, and put together an interactive sound installation for SG Heart Map in November 2015. He has most recently showcased his latest commissioned work, Raising Spirits and Restoring Souls, at the ‘5 Stars: Art Reflects on Peace, Justice, Equality, Democracy and Progress’ group exhibition at Singapore Art Museum.

REPRESENTED ARTIST : YU-CHEN WANG

Her

work

has

been

exhibited

internationally, including the Taipei Biennial

2014

and

exhibitions

at the Hayward Gallery, London; Cornerhouse, L’Oeil

Manchester;

Poisson,

Galerie

Quebec

City;

FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, France; Camden Arts Centre, London; Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London; Darklight Film Festival, Dublin; and Videonale, Berlin. She has recently undertaken an artist-in-residence at Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester (2015) and is currently working

commission

for

Manchester Art Gallery’s forthcoming exhibition

“The

Imitation

Game”

(2016) and solo show “Nostalgia for the Future” at Taipei Fine Arts

YU-CHEN WANG

Yu-Chen Wang was born in Taichung, Taiwan, spent fifteen

b. 1978 Taichung, Taiwan

years in New York and currently lives and works in London, UK. She creates complex and intricate drawings with pencil and watercolour, while also extending her practice into artists’ books, films, performances, text and installation. She is interested in otherworldly images, frequently inspired by architecture and science fiction. The amorphous shapes and wispy lines in her drawings evoke alternative places and surreal landscapes, but upon closer inspection one can sometimes make out subtle references to real-life machines, sea creatures, flowers or ships. Wang’s films, performances and books expand on this fictional world where her characters are whisked away to the parallel universe captured in her absorbing drawings.

Museum (2016). Yu-Chen Wang will present a new series of texts, images and videos at The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, UK, as part of the 30-year anniversary of the institution.

REPRESENTED ARTIST : SANTI WANGCHUAN

preferred choice, hand-woven baby cribs and beddings became obsolete. The family business was dissolved and his relatives progressed to find sustainable jobs. As such, Wangchuan’s fascination is derived from the intervention of urban development, and places emphasis on the changes in the way of life as known to him. Wangchuan weaves together intimate memories and relationships,

harmonizing

items

such

personal

belongings and remnants of clothes that once belonged to his family members. Detailed and complex, his abstract work symbolizes his intimate affection and warmth towards his family, and serves as a long-lasting remembrance for loved ones he has lost. The various colourful weaving patterns and independent shapes that he creates highlight societal metamorphosis, folk wisdom and beliefs, as he continues the conservation of his culture. To Wangchuan, weaving is more than just knotting and hand-joining threads together to create textile pieces -- it is a day-to-day lifestyle and the force which holds the family and community together. Santi Wangchuan earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Thai Art

SANTI WANGCHUAN

Santi Wangchuan’s hand-made woven works are inspired

(Second Class Honors) from the Faculty of Painting Sculpture

b. 1987 Thailand

by his family’s traditions and is reflects and integration of

and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, and recently

religion, stories, equipment and tools that are native to

graduated with an MFA in Visual Arts, the Faculty of Painting

his hometown. Born into a family of traditional weavers,

Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok.

he acquired the skill of weaving at a young age from his

Most recently in 2015, Wangchuan was awarded the “3rd

grandmother; through his mixed media work he resourcefully

Honoured Bronze Award” at the 61st National Exhibition of

preserves an art technique that is soon to be lost as provincial

Art, Bangkok, Thailand. He has participated in multiple art

communities are faced with rapid urbanisation.

exhibitions, such as the 35th Bualuang Painting Exhibition, The Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok in 2013, and the Amata

After studying art history and the art traditions in Thailand, he sought an outlet to re-engage in his family’s dying craft, which once served as their main source of income. As machinery 26

became more efficient and modern furnishings became the

Foundation’s ‘Art Awards’.

REPRESENTED ARTIST : MARCIN DUDEK

Comfort” at Harlan Levy Projects (Brussels, 2013). Dudek’s work has been

exhibited

internationally

venues including Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Kunstlerhaus Salzburg, the Arad Art Museum, and the Goethe Institute, Kiev. In 2015, Dudek created the year-long site-specific work, “HUFF (House Under Four Flags)”, in Gillman Barracks, Singapore. This hand-crafted 10 x 10 m wooden sculptural installation and artist’s studio was not simply made as a reflection of Dudek’s passion for craftsmanship, but also as a statement against the ready-made aesthetic. In the same year, his book “The Department Of Subterranea” was

MARCIN DUDEK

Marcin Dudek, born in Krakow, studied at Central Saint

launched, published by MER Peper

b. 1979 Poland

Martin’s, London, UK, and at the University of Art Mozarteum,

Kunsthalle and Harlan Levy Projects. In

Salzburg. He currently lives and works between Brussels,

2016 he exhibits his works “Imprints”

Belgium, and London. His work often broaches the concept

at the Harlan Levis Projects in Brussels,

of space, using sculptures and installations to investigate the

and “The Earth Is Our Radio” at “Karst”

way we interact and respond to the environments we live,

in Plymouth, UK.

work and learn in. Even his work on paper seems to transcend the two-dimensional with his colourful collages taking on a texture and quality reminiscent of his sculptural work. His solo presentations include “Land of Space and Optimism“ at Marion de Canniere Gallery (Antwerp, 2013), “Punch the Sky” at Edel Assanti (London, 2013), and “Too Close for

REPRESENTED ARTIST : MERRYN TREVETHAN

REPRESENTED ARTIST : MERRYN TREVATHAN

Worklodge, in Williamsburg, New York

(2011),

and

Red

Gate

Gallery - International Artist Residency Programme, Beijing, China (2009). Trevethan was recently awarded First Prize for the DRIVE - Public Art Open Call for her work “Accelerator City”, where she painted a mural on an outdoor wall at Gillman Barracks (2014) and further completed a commissioned piece for the new Facebook Headquarters at South Beach Tower, Singapore (2015). From September 2015 to January 2016, the artist participated in the residency Studio

program Installation”,

“The

Outdoor

which

took

place opposite of Yeo Workshop’s gallery entrance. Hereby she filled a wooden structure created by artist Marcin Dudek with her own works.

MERRYN TREVETHAN

Merryn Trevethan is an Australian artist based in Singapore,

b. 1976 Australia

whose mediums span across drawings, paintings and installations. Her practice focuses on the uncertainty of perception in densely populated urban environments, which is flooded with visual information and complexity of vision. Her works draw attention to the inconsistencies in our perception of the world and create situations that allow us to experience, engage and see in the moment. Her imagery comes from skyscrapers, cityscapes and geometric grids of streets and buildings. Scattered Thunderstorms and Mostly

creative practice and an approach to incorporate her surroundings within a functional structure, the project was

means

exploring

new

possibilities. The structure titled “HUFF (House Under Four Flags) has been a 10m x 10m wooden sculptural installation and artist’s studio built by Dudek. Elaborating on the notion of

Cloudy were inspired by tropical city life in Singapore.

spatial awareness, the aim has been to

Trevethan completed her MFA at Monash University,

with

Melbourne in 2005. Since then she has exhibited widely in 30

Seen as a progression of her own

Australia and has participated in residencies at both Point B

introduce the personal to the external, Trevethan

working

from

this

perspective. 31

REPRESENTED ARTIST : MIKE HJ CHANG

where his works have been exhibited since 2011. Over the years, Chang’s work

has

incited

spectrum

reception. While it has been received with humour, other times it is poignant, or even self-righteous in its own prerogative. His portfolio has gone on public display in prominent art spaces in Singapore such as Gillman Barracks, Goodman Art Centre, Port Tumasik, Post-Museum,

Sculpture

Square,

and galleries such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, The Substation, Chan Hampe Galleries, and Yeo Workshop. Recent

projects

display

his

idiosyncratism, combining architecture, furniture, and text, focusing on the notion of transient identity in a space

MIKE HJ CHANG

Mike HJ Chang is a Singapore-based artist with Taiwanese-

b. 1982 Taipei, Taiwan

American background. He works across the mediums of drawings and installations. Chang is an educator and practitioner of fine arts. Strongly relying on and playing with story lines, autobiographical information serves as a key basis for narrative exploration in Chang’s works. He explores

where the public and the private intersect. Chang’s work examines the interplay and relationship between ‘The Clean’, a quiet and orderly state, and ‘The Generic’, an empty state that is devoid of ego and memory.

information and dialogues of his everyday surroundings as well as philosophical negotiations of communication, sharing and the system with which a society makes meaning. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, US, he moved to Singapore, 32

EMERGING ARTISTS STEPHANIE BURT (SINGAPORE) FYEROOL DARMA (SINGAPORE)

EMERGING ARTIST : STEPHANIE BURT

EMERGING ARTIST : FYEROOL DARMA

Fyerool Darma is a Singaporean artist whose works include

FYEROOL DARMA

painting, drawing, collages and objects. His reflections

b. 1987 Singapore

on memories, history and myths are combined with his investigations into language as a medium of history. Centuries of colonial imposition have affected both the colonized and the colonizer; today its effects still lingers. Using language as text and signifier, his works investigate the connotations and denotations of words after repeated utterance, usage translation. The artist provokes the nuances that are lost in cultural translation. In Darma’s works, he uses the word “amok”. The English work “amok” comes from the Malay word “amok”, which means frenzy. In using images and texts between societies within and across his series “Nusantara”, Darma continues his pursuit of discovering antiquities and delineations to highlight the remnants of colonialism.

STEPHANIE BURT

Stephanie Burt is a Singaporean artist working with objects,

b. 1988 Singapore

installations, video and paintings. The artist creates works that questions spaces and shapes, designs and patterns, and how objects and location interact and communicate. Her works have been exhibited in indoor and outdoor spaces. Using everyday objects, Burt sets up scenes that show material

Darma graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore in 2012. He has exhibited individually and in international group shows in New York and Kuala Lumpur. In October 2016, Fyerool unveils a new body of work for the Singapore Biennale 2016: “An Atlas of Mirrors”.

rearranged, concepts recycled, and displays items which are usually un-displayed, or even overlooked, in abstracted and colourful ways and forms. Burt achieved her Master of Fine Arts in 2014, and her Bachelor (Hons) in Painting and Printmaking in 2012 at the Glasgow School of Art, UK. She works as a painter and installation artist with exhibitions and presentations across Singapore, Europe and the US. Recently she exhibited in the group show “The Beach That Never Was” at LASALLE College of the Arts, developed by Hayama Projects as an artist collaboration since 2012, featuring artists from Singapore, Japan and the US. 36

CURATED PROJECTS LOOPING LOOPHOLES A DRAWING SHOW

CURATED PROJECTS : LOOPING LOOPHOLES

LOOPING LOOPHOLES

Curated by Roy Voragen, with artists Duto Hardono, and

“Language in all its shapes and forms

2015

Rizski Resa Utama (aka OQ) and Muhammad Akbar, the

is what gives us body. We whisper, we

exhibition dives into the repetitive and reflexive interaction

yell, we argue, we declare, we state

between people, space and time.

this and that. We listen, we pretend to

CURATED BY ROY VORAGEN

listen. We look, gaze, stare. We are With flair and a sense of humour, the artists raise the question

seen-not-seen. We try to understand.

ARTISTS

whether we can embrace mistakes as a blessing in disguise.

We don’t understand, no, not at all.

DUTO HARDONO MUHAMMAD AKBAR RIZSKI RESA UTAMA (AKA OQ)

Breaks and tears, chance and change are inevitable, even

We paint in lush brush strokes. We

though only slightly visible or audible at first, when an action

scribble notes on the city’s walls, we

is – or: has to be – repeated over and over again. Failure and

write dissertations on the fall of the re/

a deviation from perceived standards are common treads to

public. We read philosophy, poetry

who we are or can be(-come) in particular places and times,

and prose. We take, post and like

as well as how we are perceived and received by others in

photos. We read out loud. We wink,

public and private instances.

we show the finger. We contradict ourselves. We fail. We fail again. We start over… Occasionally, we speak in riddles and tongues, including slips. Our streets are cacophonic. Voices and counter-voices inhabit our cities. Specters of a past are here to haunt us, through movies or monuments immortalizing our sins. A city without people is no longer a city. A city would turn quickly into a ruin of asphalt and concrete without us – merely a collection of potholes. A city means many things. It also means this: to fail, to fail again and then try again...” -- Roy Voragen

CURATED PROJECTS : A DRAWING SHOW

the graphic, while Wong, whose aesthetic towards produced

sensibilities pop

and

are

geared

otaku

culture,

site-specific

drawing

installations in the space. The works of Widjaja and Jaidee are premised on an interest in the facts of materiality: Widjaja’s rubbings, produced while on residency in a medieval village in France, are explorations of texture and history, and Jaidee’s drawings on wood represent both a physical and conceptual engagement with the material of her choice.

A DRAWING SHOW

As part of Yeo Workshop’s special curator programmes, the

2014

gallery presented “A Drawing Show” in 2014, opening up a space for the negotiation of drawings in their own rights as

CURATED BY LOUIS HO

ARTISTS IAN WOO WONG LIP CHIN BOEDI WIDJAJA JAITIP JAIDEE

part of contemporary artists’ practice. Drawings are typically understood as sketches, studio work or preparatory work for paintings. The show looks at the expanded field of the medium in Singapore today and shows drawings as artworks of challenge and treasure. A Drawing Show is an attempt to provide a concise take on the medium in Southeast Asia today, a view of the realities and possibilities of drawing. From pencil-on-paper works, to structural interventions, to conceptual approaches to markmaking, we witness a progressive shift away from the object to the body, from an emphasis on the visual complex to the gestural force that animates it. The show, curated by Louis Ho, features the work of four artists: Singaporeans Ian Woo, Wong Lip Chin and Boedi Widjaja, and Bangkok-based Jaitip Jaidee. Woo, one of Singapore’s leading abstractionists,

extends his investigation of shape and form into the realm of

PUBLIC PROJECTS AND RESIDENCY ARNOLDII ARTS CLUB RESIDENCY : GRAFIS MINGGIRAN, YOGYAKARTA

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS : SINGAPORE ARTS CLUB

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS : ARNOLDII ARTS CLUB

Arnoldii Arts Club is an elite association that provides exclusive access to the burgeoning art scene in Singapore and the international contemporary art world. Through an annual calendar of day and evening courses and events, Arnoldii offers opportunities to attend specialist lectures, to meet and interact with renowned international artists, An ongoing Programme for Art Engagement www.arnoldiiartsclub.com

art professionals and academics. The Arnoldii Professional and Patrons Programme provide participants with the skills, knowledge, and contacts to integrate and engage with contemporary art professionally. Led by internationally respected art professionals, respected in Singapore and internationally, the diverse range of courses, which fall under three main modules: Art History, Art Production, and Art Market. Complementing them is a series of forums, guided tours to major international exhibitions and art fairs, and visits to artist studios.

Formerly known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;2015 Driveâ&#x20AC;?, Singapore Arts Club is the 2nd annual public arts project in Gillman Barracks. Over the evening of 22nd January, visitors participated in various activities throughout the art district. Supporting activities such as food and beverage pop-ups, live music, an Extreme Picnic hosted by Post-Museum, Dwellings at Gillman: Homes for Artists and Researchers by the NUS Architecture Year Two Design Studio and galleries which will be open after hours are some of the events exclusive to the night of the launch.

A Public Arts Project organized by the Arnoldii Arts Club www.singaporeartsclub.com

The month of January will also see specialised lunchtime talks surrounding the project, and a complimentary circulation of an art and lifestyle publication, the Singapore Arts Club Workbook, elaborating on the means of contemporary art in Singapore, to help bridge the burgeoning art scene with the international art world. 46

RESIDENCY : GRAFIS MINGGIRAN, YOGYAKARTA

GRAFIS MINGGIRAN PRINT STUDIO YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

Grafis Minggiran Print Studio was founded in 2001 by a group of graphic art students from the Indonesian Institute of Art (ISI) Yogyakarta to support the production of their work and foster a space of collaboration between the members. Over the last 14 years, the focus of the studio has organically evolved into an increasingly outward facing and interactive studio both on the local and international level, fostering a growing interest in the printed medium. The print studio aims to become one of the preeminent graphic art printing studios

Indonesia

through

the

continued commitment by the members to the four grounding pillars of the

ARTISTS WITH ARTISTS

In partnership with Yeo Workshop, Grafis Minggiran is proud to announce their new by invitation-only artist-inresidence programme Artists with Artists. By engaging in this international collaboration, the residence programme seeks to encourage and foster a technical, conceptual, cultural and creative exchange between Singapore-based artists and the Yogyakarta-based master printmakers. The founding members of Grafis Minggiran are Alfin Agnuba, Danang Hadi, Maryanto, Theresa (Tere) Agustina, Sitompul, Rully Putra Adi, Deni Rahman and Nawangseto. Minggirran and Yeo Workshop work closely together in selecting and inviting the artists, while the master printmakers work directly with the invited artists on artistic and researchbased projects.

studio: Research and Documentation, Exhibitions, Residency Programme, and Community Outreach and Education.

PUBLICATIONS

“Curator’s Cut” is a presentation of local

CURATOR’S CUT

exhibitions chosen by five current and

2016

prominent Singapore-based curators, namely Savita Apte, Louis Ho, Ho Rui

Image Captions: p4: Mike Chang, Dog and Butterfly, 2015, Installation image at Yeo Workshop Gillman Barracks p18: Xue Mu, Black Diamond_Space Garden, 2016, 176 x 194cm,Charcoal on paper

An, Seng Yu Jin and Charmaine Toh.

p21 Maryanto, Gergasi (Monster), 2014, Charcoal on paper, 500 x 400cm

Each curator was asked for up to ten

p22 - 23: Zul Mahmod, No Substance, 2014, Sound installation comprised of glass, metal, wood, solenoids, microcontroller, dimensions variable, Detailed shots

exhibition catalogues that were iconic to his/her understanding of the history of exhibitions in Singapore, which would form the basis for future research whilst serving as a scripted archive. It is also published on the occasion of an exhibition of the same name, that we held in 2014. The publication is in an edition of 500, and distributed by the gallery to all local public libraries, University libraries, and other libraries at their request.

p27 Top: Santi Wangchuan, Hold Me, 2012, weaving made from family clothing. p27 Bottom: Santi Wangchuan, Gift from My Grandmother No. 4, 2011, weave of rope, thread with fishing baskets, antique weaving equipment. Both works 150 x 200cm p32: Mike Chang, Blind, 2014, Wood frames, fluorescent light tubes, wires, standing wall with a cut, 300 x 250 x 200cm, Installation at ICAS. p33: Mike Chang, Artist Bedroom Door Installed at 45 degree Pulau Ubin, Digital photograph, 42 x 59cm P37 Top: Fyerool Darma, On the Logic of Letters, (After Salleh Japar' s Siti Mata Pedang, 2016, Of Shank series Wax and oil on paper, 97 x 48cm p37 Bottom: Fyerool Darma, portrait no. 4, the progenitor, pendatang or probably Seri Tri, Buana (Of Moyang series, 2015, Acrylic on wood with charcoal on wood, 60 x 35cm p41 Top: Duto Hardono, Back to School I (The Beta Version) series 1 Stella, 29.5 x 32 x 5cm; Series 2 Serra, 20 x 35.5 x 5cm, Series 3 KElly, 19 x 19.5 x 5cm; All made in 2014 from found homerecorded Betamax videos and covers p41 Middle: Rizki Resa Utama, Kembali ke Sekolah, 2014, 2-channel video installation, 9'51", Edition of 5 + 1 AP p41 Bottom: Muhammad Akbar, The Light Runner, 2015, Single-channel video (projection), 12'30" (looped), Edition of 5 p43 Top: Boedi Widjaja, Wall Paper, 2014, Installation comprised of nine (9) drawings, ink, paste and wall fragments on paper, glass sheets, bricks and video, dimensions variable, Installation shot of one (1) drawing p43 Bottom: Ian Woo, Tracker(3), 2014, Graphite and charcoal on paper, 40 x 50cm p47: Jack Tan, Mythologies, 2016, Parade with choreography by Susan Sentler with volunteers, specially designed lanterns. Special thanks to Parents and children volunteers from the Singapore Chinese Girls School.