Singapore Art Week 2021 Round-Up (Part 2)

Gillman Barracks, Comma Space 逗号空间, The Asian Art Institutum, Our Softest Hour, OH! Open House, Mizuma Gallery, Sullivan+Strumpf
By Alana Malika

Thesupersystem, ‘Miang’, 2020, film still. Image courtesy of the artist.

The orchid; the wasp
‘The orchid; the wasp’ is a group exhibition organised by Zulkhairi Zulkifee and Racy Lim. It aims to reinterpret the ecological relationship of symbiosis as an exploration of ‘becoming.’ The organisers paired up Liyana Ali and Ivan Ng, Anthony Chin and Leroy Sofyan, and Liana Yang and Thesupersystem to find a middle ground between their separate artistic identities, and form intersections and juxtapositions in their artwork. Each pair is engaged in an artistic dialogue and will present their respective installations as a response to their partner’s work.

The orchid; the wasp at Gillman Barracks, 22 to 30 January 2021, 12PM to 7PM.

Image courtesy of Comma Space 逗号空间.

Artist as Collector
Comma Space 逗号空间 presents ‘Artist as Collector’, a group exhibition that reveals the links in the contemporary art world of Singapore. Curated by Dr. Wang Ruobing, the showcase will include artworks from the personal collections of 50 local artists. It gives insight into the interactions between artists via regular channels like Instagram or through thoughtful gift exchange. The exhibition will be accompanied by a tour that maps out the social scene of the art sphere and intimate talks with artists to reveal the sentimental value of their personal archives on display.

Comma Space 逗号空间, 22 to 30 January 2021.

Boedi Widjaja, ‘A tree rings, a tree sings 树龄°述铃’, 2020, film still. Image courtesy of The Asian Art Institutum.

Open to Interpretation
The Asian Art Institutum collaborates with Gasworks, London to present ‘Open to Interpretation.’ Co-curators Alessio Antoniolli and Wells Fray-Smith will take five contemporary artists under their wings to commission 3-minute videos that incisively interrogate how online platforms are used to amplify a message and influence people. Following this mentorship, the digital artworks of Singaporean artists Robert Zhao, Chen Yanyun, Boedi Wijaya, Rizman Putra, and Hilmi Johandi will be released on Asian Art Institutum’s YouTube channel.

The Asian Art Institutum, 22 to 30 January 2021.

Installation view of ‘Our Softest Hour’. Image courtesy of Mervin Wong.

Shifting Between
Divaagar, MACHINEOFTHE, nor, Nature Shankar and Planeswalker come together in ‘Shifting Between’, a group exhibition by Our Softest Hour. The title of the show refers to artworks that straddle the digital and physical mediums, seamlessly shifting between both. It explores the curatorial theme of human sensitivity switching on and off between the segregated dual space with a head tilt away from our phone screen. Throughout the week, each artist will host a dialogue with founders of alternative art spaces to discuss art as both an online and offline experience.

Our Softest Hour at Gillman Barracks, 22 to 30 January 2021.

Installation view of ‘For the House; Against the House’. Image courtesy of Pink Blue Photography, OH Niven Road.

For the House; Against the House
OH! Open House presents ‘For the House; Against the House,’ two exhibitions and an interactive virtual game in conjunction with the private collections from Jo and the DUO Collections. Curators John Tung and Syed Muhd Hafiz first take the audience through a tour of the artworks before discussing the feasibility of having ambitions in Singapore, and the usefulness of labels such as ‘second generation’ in understanding local art history respectively. The audience will take a tour through the private collection and then presented with propositions that prompt a lively debate. 

OH! Open House, virtual game launch: 22 January 2021. Exhibition: Select timings on 23, 24, 30, 31 January 2021.

Budi Agung Kuswara, 2020, 'Balinese Baroque #3', cyanotype and acrylic on canvas, 190.5 x 144.5cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Mizuma Gallery.

Baroque Archipelago
Mizuma Gallery brings together Indonesian artists Agung Kuswara, LULULUTFILABIBI, Mella Jaarsma, Octora, and TOTON in ‘Baroque Archipelago’, a group exhibition curated by Tan Siuli. The show title likens Nusantara to the organic beauty of a baroque pearl, asymmetrically shaped from layers of unevenly deposited nacre. In the spirit of Indonesia’s archipelagic prehistory as a complex trade network between maritime kingdoms, each artist has borrowed and adapted cultural traditions from across the nation. The exhibition itself is a microcosm of Indonesia’s diverse and collaborative art community, borne of syncretic and synergistic dialogues across creatives.

Mizuma Gallery, 22 January to 21 February 2021.

Dawn Ng, ‘Walk with Me Suzy Lee Through The Park and by The Tree’, 2020, digital print. Image courtesy of Sullivan+Strumpf.

Into Air
Sullivan+Strumpf presents ‘Into Air’ by Dawn Ng. The artist unravels her personal take on Einstein’s theory on the relativity of time. In three bodies of work, Ng attempts to counter the unceremonious perception of time as a ticking clock by capturing time in its elasticity. The work revolves around cherishing moments that encapsulate the breadth of the human condition, as it seems to freeze in the face of love and sprint in the midst of fun.

Sullivan+Strumpf at Cavan Road, 24 January to 21 February 2021, Tuesday to Sunday, 12PM to 7PM.