LuxArtAsia

Mixed Sales for Asian Galleries at Art Basel, Asian Collectors Lacking

2013-06-18T04:05:00.004+08:00

Though they remain under-represented amid the 300 or so galleries that are participating in Art Basel 2013, the 15 Asian galleries here have made their presence felt with eye-catching booth presentations. The same could not be said of collectors from Asia, who were seen in far greater numbers in 2012 than this year.

“There are definitely fewer Chinese buyers this year, though we’ve seen some collectors from Taiwan and Hong Kong,” noted Vitamin Creative Space director Zhang Wei, echoing comments made by several other Asian gallerists. “I think maybe it’s because of Art Basel in Hong Kong. They just don’t need to come to Europe anymore,” she added.

As a result, how well galleries have done in the first important days of the fair, when big pocket collectors are in town, seemed to depend on whether the art they had brought appealed to Western collectors.

Japan gallery ShugoArt, which had a very Asian-centric offering with works by Naofumi Maruyama and Kazuma Taguchi, amongst others, reported sales as “very slow,” though an installation work by Hong Kong artist Lee Kit, who is currently participating in the Venice Biennale, sold for €20,000. Korean gallery PKM, which brought a more international offering with works by Claes Oldenburg, Olafur Eliasson and Lee Bul, reported positive sales, with a chandelier installation by Lee selling quickly on the first day open to VVIPs for $180,000.

Gevenevieve Chua at STPI

Koyanagi gallery of Japan reported having had a very good run, selling “much better than in Art Basel in Hong Kong.” Though the gallery mainly brought works by Asian artists, director Kaori Hashigushi attributed the gallery’s sales’ success – it sold pieces from each of its 15 artists – to the choice of more conceptual and minimalist art that appeals more to the Western collectors: all the buyers were from Europe.

“Traditionally Asian galleries don’t so as well here, because the public, though very well-educated, still doesn’t know much about Asian art. But what is very encouraging is that we’ve got a lot of interest and curiosity asking questions about the artists. They want to know, but they are still at the discovering phase,” noted Emi Eu, director of Singapore Tyler Print Institute, which is participating for the first time in Art Basel.

“For us it’s an investment over the long term to build our profile. I have no doubt that Art Basel can become the most important fair for us, but there is some education needed, too. At this stage they don’t know us really,” Eu added.

Galleries took different approaches, either presenting multiple artists as in the case of STPI, which has works by Genevieve Chua, Heman Chong, Ho Tzu Nyen, Wu Shanzhuan and Inga S. Thorsdottir, and Korean artist Haegue Yang, while another newcomer to the fair, Silverlens decided to put the spotlight on only one artist, Maria Taniguchi, showing one of her large black painting and a video installaion.

ShanghArt of China dedicated most of its booth to a spectacular installation by Hangzhou-based artist Sun Xun that includes a giant peacock made of paper, while GallerySKE of Bangladesh is offering an installation by Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty, which comprises hand carved wooden reliefs interpreting a line of poetry from the 13th century and reproductions of terracotta artifacts that aims to flatten historical specificity.

While there was an obvious lack of Southeast Asian artists at the fair, some international galleries had brought works by Asian stars like Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama, and these sold well.

As of Thursday, David Zwirner of New York had sold Kusama’s Infinity-Nets AOWFA (2013) for $320,000, while Blum & Poe of Los Angeles had sold a piece by Yoshitomo Nara, two by Murakami, along with works by Zhu Jinshi, Nobuo Sekine, Kishio Suga, and Susumu Koshimizu.

Pace gallery had also sold three Naras (ranging from $175,009 to 500,000), while Lisson Gallery had sold a work by Anish Kapoor for £700,000.As first published on sea.blouinartinfo.com

An interview with Korean artist Chun Kwang Young

2013-06-18T04:01:00.000+08:00

Korean artist Chun Kwang Young has gradually built up a strong international following with his Aggregation series that uses thousands of Styrofoam triangles individually wrapped in printed mulberry paper and pieced together like a jigsaw to create three-dimensional abstract artworks. As well as being wrapped in mulberry paper, each triangle is tied using twisted “threads” of paper to resemble little medicinal bundles that used to be common in Korea. They are also individually colored with vegetal dyes to create a beautiful shading effect on the surfaces. Often, viewers are tricked into thinking that the works have been air brushed after they have been assembled.

Over the last 30 years, his Aggregation series evolved from being mainly in monochromatic, black-and-white, or sepia to having geometric pools of vibrant indigo and orange. But some of his most recent works, now on display at Art Plural Gallery in Singapore, have a quieter almost zen-like appearance using gray and pastel colors. His lunar-like abstract landscapes have also given way to a new display of triangles intricately pieced together, so that from far away, they give the appearance of a letter written on printed stationery.

“Most people feel like I’m staying in one place. (But) I’m just moving very slowly and then when I look back at my work from two to three years ago, that’s when I realize I am changing direction. It’s not something very conscious,” the 69-year-old artist told BLOUIN ARTINFO in an interview ahead of the opening of his new exhibition, titled “Assemblage.”

“But right now I can feel I’m at an important junction, making changes,” he added.

“These new works have more of a painterly aspect, with lovely color that evokes a more peaceful landscape,” he said.

The new works, which he started in 2010, have never been seen in public before, and are his personal “letters” to his mother, who passed away more than 10 years ago. “My mother and mulberry paper are the oldest memories I have. I still remember my mother growing up, her peaceful universe. That’s why these colors have a misty, dreamy aspect, I wanted to make a very quiet, peaceful work,” he said.

In many ways, the new works are a return of sort to the artist’s beginning in abstract expressionism painting. “I used to do oil paintings a bit similar to this,” he muses.

“Assemblage” presents 22 works from 2008 to 2013. Besides these latest pieces, it also includes works with much more movement created by bigger triangles sticking out of the canvas, creating a raw, menacing energy. “What I want is to make the work free,” Chun explained, adding he often becomes completely immersed in his work and can work for hours without realizing any time has passed by.

The artist is currently working on an important solo exhibition at the Seoul National University Museum and plans are already being made for an exhibition in London in the second quarter of 2014 at Bernard Jacobson Gallery.

“Chun Kwang Young: Assemblage” runs at Art Plural Gallery until July 27.

Ming Wong Holds His Own Next to Ai Wei Wei

2013-06-18T03:58:00.002+08:00

Singaporean artist Ming Wong is holding his own next to Ai Wei Wei at an exhibition organized by Para Site Art Space in the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Exhibition Hall in Hong Kong, even though his works’ relationship to the actual theme of the exhibition is less obvious.

Starting from the outbreak of SARS that affected Hong Kong in the spring of 2003, the exhibition “A Journal of the Plague Year: Fear, ghosts, rebels, SARS, Leslie and the Hong Kong story,” which is spread over different locations, uses different narratives to trace the relationships between contemporary culture and politics of Hong Kong and the world.

Wong’s “The Chinese Detective” — shown in the same room as Ai Wei Wei’s giant powdered milk can map of China — are a series of posters he created after working on his “Making Chinatown” mixed media video installation in 2012. In these posters he explores the portrayal of the “Yellow Peril” or “Villainous Asians” in old American films, as the artist puts it, and studies the evolution of the Chinese detective character from the mysterious Mr. Wong and Charlie Chan to kung Fu fighters Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

The Berlin-based artist has long been interested in issues related to identity, which he explores through the deconstruction of well-known cinema productions, in which he plays several different characters in the same piece when he recreates the movie subverting the relationship between language, identity, and gender.

The poster installation goes with a video piece, “After Chinatown,” where Wong reprised the role of a detective to explore its stereotypical position in many Hollywood films. The video is shown on an old television set at the main Para Site Art Space.

Wong shot his new film in the cinematic Chinatowns of Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Hong Kong. “All the research pointed to the use of 'Chinatown' as a setting of evil for detective pulp fiction and then film noir, during the time of anti-Chinese immigrant sentiment in the US and UK in the ‘30s/’40s,” the artist explained .

The installation is particularly interesting, as he recreated a series of movie posters from old films, such as “Mr. Wong in Chinatown” starring Boris Karloff, “Hammett” by Wim Wenders and Jackie Chan’s “Le Chinois,” cleverly inserting himself into the original movie poster where he makes a mean Jackie Chang doppelganger!

“I usually collect movie ephemera related to the films I work with, so this time it grew from collecting materials relating to Polanski's “Chinatown” to other films that had Chinatown or Chinese in the title like "Mr. Wong in Chinatown" and then other materials with iconography or language related to this “Yellow Peril” in early cinema,” Wong explained.

Wong will also have a solo exhibition at the Shiseido Gallery in Tokyo (6 July — 22 Sept 2013) inspired by Japanese cinema history and will take part in the 12th Biennale of Lyon opening in September. The artist is currently negotiating with a gallery to bring "Making Chinatown" to Singapore later this year.

“A Journal of the Plague Year. Fear, ghosts, rebels, SARS, Leslie and the Hong Kong story” runs until July 20, 2013 at t Para Site and the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Exhibition Hall.

As first published on sea.blouinartinfo.com

Charles and Ray Eames Designs Coming to ArtScience Museum

2013-06-04T16:17:00.002+08:00

Charles and Bernice “Ray” Eames were two of the most celebrated designers of the 20th century. They not only created timeless furniture and pioneered the use of new materials such as fiberglass, plastic resin, and wire mesh that revolutionized the way we view furniture design, but they also offered a distinctive voice on architecture, industrial and graphic design, and fine art.

“Essential Eames: A Herman Miller Exhibition,” to open at the ArtScience Museum, Singapore on June 29, is based on the book by their grandson Eames Demetrinos, and retraces the life and work of the husband and wife team through more than 100 pieces of furniture, rare works and images from the Eames family collection, the Eames Office, and the archives of Herman Miller, the manufacturer of Eames products.

As well as original furniture designed by the couple, such as a special chair designed for Pope John Paul II and their signature fibreglass Eames shell chairs, the exhibition will include paintings by Ray Eames and the couple’s best known toy design, the House of Cards — a series of notched cards with a variety of images that can be joined together to build different structures.

It will also include a reconstruction of part of the “Mathematica” exhibition, which was first designed by the American designers in 1961 for the California Museum of Science and Industry. To this day, the exhibition remains viewed as one of the best of its kind for being able to explain complex mathematical concepts through simple forms

To see some of the design that will be on display, click on the slideshow.

First published on SEA.ARTINFO.COM

Interview: Palazzo Grassi’s Director on Teatrino, Francois Pinault Collection

2013-05-29T23:13:00.001+08:00

To showcase his art collection, French collector Francois Pinault restored the 18th centuryPalazzo Grassi in 2006 and the nearby Punta della Dogana in 2009, transforming them into exhibition spaces for the François Pinault Collection. Now, the rehabilitation of theTeatrino marks the third step of the art collector’s ambitious cultural project in Venice.

Redesigned by top Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the 1,000 square-meter Teatrino offers two foyers and a 225-seat auditorium that will allow for programs of “moving images” (films by artists as well as video installations) and various other cultural activities. The Teatrino officially opens its doors to the public on Thursday, on the same day that Punta della Dogana opens a new exhibition “Prima Materia,” so BLOUIN ARTINFO caught up last week with Martin Bethenod, the director of the three art spaces to discuss its latest project and the Francois Pinault Collection in general.

You are just celebrating three years heading Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana. What have been the highlights so far?

We’ve had six exhibitions between the two venues, but the actual numbers are not important. What I think is important is that we’ve made our programming more readable with a more regular rhythm. Unfortunately, today there is a crazy development for museums that dictates you must constantly have temporary exhibitions, events, vernissage, new projects, to grab the attention of the media and the public. It has had some positive effect, prompting the museums to open themselves much more and target a wider audience, but it has also some drawbacks; this dimension of ephemeral and superficiality of relationship with art. So we tried to have both and articulate the long-term and more short-term event programs. Punta della Dogana is devoted to the longer term with one exhibition every two years, coinciding with every Venice Biennale. It’s a complete rehanging, while Palazo Grassi is devoted to a quicker rhythm of exhibitions, two a year that alternate between group shows with a distinct point of view — the last one was video and cinema — and, as now, a solo exhibition with a carte blanche given to an artist, currently Rudolf Stingel.

Let’s talk about Prima Materia, the new exhibition that opens Thursday at Punta della Dogana...

Yes, it’s a new presentation of the collection co-curated by Caroline Bourgeois, who also curated the previous show, with Michael Govan, who is the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The idea was to propose a double point of view on the collection, man-woman, Europe and the US, in particular the West Coast and the Pacific. One of the highlights of the show is a dialogue between important works by two artistic movements of the ‘60s-‘70s, one happening in Italy, Arte Povera, and one happening in Japan, Mono-Ha. It’s very interesting to see how artists were working on the same idea of poor and ephemeral materials. In total, there are about 80 works from 30 artists from the ‘60s to a younger generation, with two young artists from Los Angeles in their early 30s, Ryan Trecartin & Lizzie Fitch.

How would you define the François Pinault Collection?

It’s a collection in motion, constantly evolving. There are new pieces bought and commissioned. Every exhibition is an opportunity to commission new works. In the last three years, I think we’ve commissioned more than 15 very important installations. So far in Venice we’ve shown about 700 artworks from the collection, and outside of Venice we’ve also shown maybe 200 works. Mr. Pinault is very much present at every step of the process; he’s not only involved, he’s the motor of this collection. There is not one artwork that comes into the Collection which was not chosen by him.

The collection has a very strong base of art from the ‘60s and ‘70s, with important historic movements like Minimal Art, like Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin. But while it is his own taste, he doesn’t want to become prisoner in his own taste. It’s not a collection of samplings, more a collection based on important movements and ensembles of artists. There is definitely a long-term commitment to a group of artists and their works.

You’re saying this collection is in movement, so where is it heading right now?

In the last few years, it’s clear Middle East and Far East artists have been a very important direction as well as younger artists from Europe and the US, especially California. There is a strong presence of Chinese artists from the ‘90s onward, such as Chen Zhen, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Huan, and Cao Fai, as well as major works by Japanese artists, from Nobuo Sekine, Kishio Suga, Susumu Koshimizu to Takashi Murakami.

Thursday will also be the official opening the Teatrino. What are your plans for this auditorium?

A museum is not just a nice box to put delectable artworks but a platform to build cultural programs. We’ve been working for the last two years on building our programs and audience. We’ve already been organizing on a smaller scale a lot of cultural events and this auditorium will allow us to bring this up to a higher standard and wider audience. We will also be able to do things we couldn’t do before; screen artist films from the collection, and organize performances. For the opening, we will show films by Philippe Parreno, Anri Sala, Loris Gréaud, films that are made for a real cinema theater experience. We will also start screening films that are not in the collection like art documentaries.

How will this dovetail with Venice Film Festival?

We will be showcasing a festival of short films, called Circuit Off, during the Mostra.

Do you currently have any plans for exhibitions from the Pinault Collection outside Venice?

The next one will be in Paris at the Conciergerie in October. It’s timed to coincide with the opening of FIAC and the theme of the exhibition is on the idea of physical and mental imprisonment.

Art Basel in HK Scorecard: What Worked and What Didn't

2013-05-29T23:10:00.004+08:00

The inaugural Art Basel in Hong Kong closed its doors on Sunday. After a slow start on the first VIP opening on Wednesday, partly due to damp weather conditions, the fair was in full swing by Friday. Organizers reported that by Sunday night, 60,000 visitors had come to explore 245 galleries spread over the 366,000 sq. ft. of exhibition hall space.

Although the fair's previous incarnation as Art HK last year had already been running smoothly, the new Art Basel organizers brought a new level of professionalism and branding that propelled the fair to the global stage. Importantly, sales were strong, attesting to the financial health of Asian collectors’ wallets.

Yet, if Art Basel in Hong Kong seemed to tick all the boxes, from efficient Swiss organization to the attendance of a new flock of collectors, a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ — maybe an Asian soul — was missing to give it a straight A’s on its report card.

Organization: A+

With slightly fewer galleries than last year spread over the same surface area, organizers created a pleasant open environment for fair goers. Corridors were wider, and artworks were given space to breathe and be admired from a distance. The increase by 80cm in the height of the hanging walls also helped better showcase large works.

“You can clearly see now the Art Basel footprint in the organization and structure,” said Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO of Davidoff and an art collector. “Considering it’s only year one, it’s going to catch up with Art Miami very soon, although it has a very different feel to Art Miami.”

The VIP room on the third floor offered stunning views of the harbor, along with booths by various sponsors, such as Ruinart champagne, Davidoff cigars, and Audemars Piguet watches. There was also plenty of lounge space with swanky furniture for collectors to relax and mingle.

Art Works: B

There were impressive works in many booths – of note were the combined booths of Victoria Miro and Ota Fine Arts that presented a range of historical and recent works by Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, along with the booth of Galerie Gmurzynska which was dedicated to Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

But with Art Basel just around the corner, many collectors felt some of the galleries that are participating in both fairs did not bring their best works to the Hong Kong edition. And while there were plenty of attention-grabbing works, they tended to be of the easily accessible pop culture variety, with little space given to more conceptual works or video installations. Many galleries did not appear to take chances. “It’s a bit safer this year, less exciting. I think many galleries are still feeling the audience and the market,” noted Malaysian dealer Valentine Willie of Manila Contemporary, which sold out its booth of works by young Filipino artist Winner Jumalon.

Collectors in attendance: B+

There were some big collector names, such as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and his partner Dasha Zhukova, Chinese collectors Yang Bin, Indonesian collectors Budi Tek andDeddy Kusuma, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, and a touch of glamour provided by supermodelKate Moss, singer Gigi Leung, actress Rosamund Kwan, and bad boy actor Edison Chen. Art Basel in Hong Kong did not quite have the celebrity X-factor of its big sister in Miami, but there was definitely a very good social circuit all around the fair that made it a society event.

That said, galleries gave a mixed report on the types of collectors who visited the fair — some saw new collectors to the region such as the young Europeans that fair director Marc Spieglerpredicted would attend — while others did not see a great difference in the visitor demographic compared to the previous Art HK fair.

Hong Kong-based De Sarthe Gallery reported a similar turnout of collectors, with no significant numbers of Europeans dropping by their booth. All its clients were Asian, from countries such as Taiwan, China, and Indonesia, said director Pascal de Sarthe, adding that the gallery raked in US$4 million in total sales. At Manila Contemporary, Willie also said he hadn’t noticed many different collectors. The gallery sold all its six works by Jumalon but these went to known collectors in the region.

But Pace Gallery, which has branches in New York, London, and Beijing, told a different story. The gallery saw visitors from Europe who were visiting Hong Kong for the first time. “They were drawn by the Basel name and were interested to come,” said Sylvie Tiao, who was in charge of public relations. The gallery did well in sales, selling out its Yoshitomo Nara works as well asZhang Xiaogang pieces.

Long March Space, one of the Beijing's top galleries, did see a few European collectors drop in, though director Theresa Liang said that Mainland collectors dominated. “But from what I can feel, there's definitely a hype in the Mainland about the Basel fair,” she said.

Berlin-based Galerie EIGEN + ART also saw a sizeable number of European visitors drawn by the Basel brand name, especially younger ones who find it easier to make the trip to Hong Kong. “A lot of them are very global, very busy, they came for only one day,” said Kerstin Wahala, one of the gallery's partners. “They are doing a big tour — Hong Kong first, then Venice Biennale, then Art Basel in Basel. I heard a lot of, 'See you next week in Venice!'”

X-Factor: B-

While the buzz was generally very positive about the fair, the same criticisms were often heard: “a bit too clinical” and “lacking identity.”

Saatchi Gallery director Nigel Hurst said that although the fair was easy to navigate and hugely well organized, the fair was “in danger of becoming too international.”

“There is still an Asian flavor, but they have to be careful that it doesn’t disappear. There is still 50 percent of Asian galleries, but a lot of them are not showing Asian art, they’re showing international artists,” Hurst said. “Hopefully they will get the balance right. I think that it’s less Asian-orientated than it was, and I think it’s important for Hong Kong, Basel, and Miami to have their own focuses.”

One well-known European collector of Chinese art quipped it was now time for Hong Kong to have a “Salon des Refusés,” where less conventional and less commercial art can be highlighted.

Sales: A

Ultimately fairs are not museums. Their purpose is to deliver sales to the exhibitors and Art Basel in Hong Kong did produce some solid results for many galleries, with several reporting they were completely sold out within the first few days.

Bethany Brady, director of Paul Kasmin Gallery, noted some different buying patterns in this Hong Kong edition compared with the previous year, but also compared with other Basel fairs. “In previous years there was a lot happening after, and this year there is a lot happening on site,” she explained adding that unlike other large fairs, collectors did not all rush on the first day to buy, but made time to do their research and come back, buying later.

Singapore Director Anthony Chen Nabs Camera d’Or in Cannes

2013-05-29T23:01:00.001+08:00

“Ilo Ilo” by Anthony Chen received the Camera d’Or in Cannes for Best First Feature Film, making it the first win ever for a Singapore feature film at the Film Festival. The award was presented to Chen by President of the Jury, filmmaker Agnès Varda and actressZhang Ziyi.
“It is a complete surprise and I'm still trying to take it in,” said the young film maker in an email statement, “What really heartens me is that a story about an ordinary family in Singapore can touch the hearts of audiences miles away. The Camera d'Or is the most prestigious award for a first time feature film director and there is nothing more I can ask for with this very humble first film.”

Ilo Ilo premiered at the Director’s Fortnight section in Cannes on May 19 and despite technical difficulties at the screening received a standing ovation. The film, which took three years to make and was shot with a budget of S$500,000, tells the story of a Singapore family coping with the 1997 financial crisis and the entry of a domestic worker into their household. It stars Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann, television veteran Chen Tianwen and award-winning Filipino actress Angeli Bayani.

Previously, Chen’s short film, “Ah Ma (Grandma)” (2007), had been nominated for the Palme d’Or for Short Film at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, and secured a Special Mention.

“This is a big step for Singapore film in general, one that will associate Singapore films with quality in the eyes of international audiences, media, investors and critics. What we are excited about is showing our film back home later this year because at the end of the day, Singapore films record the stories of Singaporeans,” says producer Yuni Hadi.

Q&A: Choreographer Edwaard Liang on New SDT Ballet

2013-05-29T22:58:00.001+08:00

After dancing for many years for the New York City Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theatre, Edwaard Liang turned to choreography and quickly created acclaimed works for ballet companies around the world including the Bolshoi Ballet, Joffrey Ballet andKirov Ballet. The very-much-in-demand Chinese-American choreographer is currently working on his third commission for the Singapore Dance Theatre, to be performed as part of the company’s 25-year anniversary gala from May 31-Jun 1, his fourth time working with the company. He talked to BLOUIN ARTINFO about this new piece, as well as discussing his upcoming job as artistic director of BalletMet Columbus, and the challenges dance companies currently face.

Tell us about the new ballet you’re currently creating, “Opus 25”?

It’s actually quite challenging, because Janek (Schergen, the artistic director of the Singapore Dance Theatre) requested a 15-minute ballet, which I’ve never done before, and he wanted all 32 dancers on stage. The piece is a semi kind of montage that shows some sort of arc still with solos and pas de deux, but it’s really about showcasing the dancers as well as showcasing the range of works that the Singapore Dance Theatre does. That’s why the ballet starts with a bang, and the music by Michael Torke is very powerful with a full orchestra. You will see in terms of the language of the choreography it ranges back and forth from contemporary ballet, to ballet, and to modern.

What brings you back to the SDT for the fourth time?

Not only do I love their dancers, but as a choreographer you have only a certain amount of time in the year that you can travel around to create a new ballet, but you do want to choose companies where you go back on a constant basis to see the dancers growing and reap the benefits of the work you’ve done. That’s very rewarding. I hate watching my own ballets, but I love the creative process.

What is the strength of this company and its dancers?

Their desire to do new work. And their desire to be better — not only as dancers but as an organization. They have different ranges of levels and abilities, but they don’t come with any ego, they come and they work, they want to work and they’re not afraid of hard work. Their challenge is to balance their strengths, and as a company being able to reach out to the public. It’s something every company is facing right now. Every company has to almost slightly rebrand itself every decade or so to fit into the dance landscape and how dance moves forward. The answer is something I’m trying to figure for my own company as I start with of BalletMet on July 1. This company (SDT) is quite similar to the one I’m taking over in terms of size, though its(SDT’s) budget is significantly less, but it has its own kind of perks because Singapore is behind it and it has the Esplanade. I think the challenge right now for anybody is being able to connect with an audience and use social media to have a new generation of audiences participating.

You’re known for being a technically demanding choreographer. On a range from 1 to 10 where is this ballet, 10 being the hardest?

I would say probably 9 or 10. And the process is difficult because I choreograph fast and it challenges them in terms of my expectations of how quickly they learn, especially with 32 dancers, I’m spitting information left and right and I expect them to remember quickly. We only have 10 days to finish this piece.

What’s the most difficult thing?

It’s very fast paced and quite relentless. Even if it’s only 15-minutes-long there is so much, I’m packing it in, and still editing as well to make sure it’s balanced and not too much for the senses. The movement and choreography is difficult and quite furious, and I’m challenging the dancers to quickly range from contemporary to ballet. A full-length ballet has its own sets of challenges, but it has plusses because you have time to arc and time to tell a story. With 15 minutes it’s a different sort of interpretation. With this ballet, I really don’t think I’m able to tell a story, besides showing some arc for the dancers stylistically and energy wise, especially with the complexity of having all these dancers. Honestly, this is one of the hardest challenges I’ve faced in choreography so far.

What other challenges have you faced before?

Probably the Romeo and Juliette I created last year for the Tulsa Ballet, because it was my first full-length ballet. I had to learn the language of sword fighting and then being able to choreograph working with a stunt coordinator. There was a sheer amount of value of information, not only that I was receiving but that I also wanted to convey.

Looking ahead to your new job, how do you see your first year?

The first year is really about listening and understanding the organization and after that I will be able hopefully to be part of a conversation and make changes. I can’t understand an organization and be fully invested unless I know it inside out. My biggest challenge this first year will be to temper listening and not jumping the gun in terms of wanting to make changes. Every artistic director want to put their stamp onto a company but whatever kind of changes, it takes time and you have to think strategically. It’s like a business, you may want to make a lot of changes, but your need to be strategic and just choose five to start with, and then implement the rest of the changes over time.

Artist Dawn Ng Unpacks Nomadic Lifestyle

2013-05-29T22:55:00.001+08:00

Singapore artist Dawn Ng has spent the last decade dividing her life between Singapore, New York, London, and Paris. Her nomadic lifestyle has involved packing and unpacking numerous boxes and this is the inspiration behind her latest installation “SIXTEEN,” at Chan Hampe Galleries booth at Art Basel in Hong Kong.

An installation of 16 wooden chests in bright colors that line the circumference of the booth, ranging in size and like Russian dolls, they could all fit into one another. Each of is labeled both outside and inside with an engraved plaque to engage the viewers with the work. Some of the messages are whimsical or candid, while others are a little more philosophical, “If you open this box it will change your life forever.”

“I have packed my life into boxes one too many times to keep track. A box is like a magician’s hat. An entire apartment can disappear into nearly sixteen of them and then reappear in another place. Packing and unpacking boxes are processes freckled with every inflection of emotion. Surprise, joy, sadness, loneliness, excitement, nostalgia, loss, and hope are scattered across objects to be put away and rediscovered some time later among my generation of world citizens, who belong everywhere and nowhere at all,” the artist said.

Much of Ng's work is rooted in dislocation and location, as well as a feelings of "missing” or “remembering.” Her installations, such as “I Fly Like Paper Get High Like Planes” in 2009 and “30 Kinds of Wonderful” often incorporate the whimsical to reflect on personal experiences

Interview: Charriol CEO on Tempting China’s Watch Buyers

2013-05-29T22:53:00.000+08:00

Charriol is celebrating its 30 years as a watch and jewelry brand and is looking to the future, deciding to increase its offerings of mechanical timepieces to appeal to Chinese customers.

“Chinese customers, who are making the fortune of many countries around the world, have very specific demands in terms of watches. They especially like automatic and mechanical watches, and our collections have been re-orientated somehow in order to please these customers,” explained Philippe Charriol, founder and CEO of the family-run Charriol.

Founded 1983, Charriol has been primarily known for its feminine designs seen in its long-standing St Tropez collection with its chain-link bracelet and its use of a unique cable twist motif inspired by ancient Celtic art.

“Traditionally we’ve focused more on design and the look of the watch, more than the movement. While we have had some mechanical movements in the past, we’ve never had so many as this year. I think we’ve now really moved into mechanical watches with six models introduced this year,” he told BLOUIN Artinfo in a recent interview while in Singapore.

For BaselWorld 2013, Charriol presented several technical additions to its various collections, as well as a completely new line called AEL. The brand’s offerings, which had traditionally focused mainly on automatic quartz movements, now encompasses more technical movements including the Gran Celtica Automatic chronograph with an ETA Valjoux 7750 movement.

The brand has launched new additions to its Columbus line, first created in 1988, with a Grande Date GMT model that has a decorated oscillating weight, and a Power Reserve model that runs for 120 hours and has an intriguing interlocking-arcs design on the dial which form a sub-dial and date display.

While he declined to give turnover figures, Charriol said watch sales represent about 55% of its overall turnover, with the percentage of jewelry sales rising on a worldwide basis in recent years. “It’s not that we have been selling fewer watches, but we sold more jewelry,” he said.

Charriol said his company is planning to focus on deepening its presence in China. “I took a unique route in China because it was impossible for me to spend enough money to make the name recognizable. There are only a few groups that can do this. So, four years ago I decided to license my name in China for ready-to-wear menswear, leather, and shoes, and today there are more than 200 stores with the name Charriol,” he explained. “It’s a side way to build the brand name,” he added.

“I designed the stores and I do have control on all the design of the collections. I can also have some watch and jewelry displayed in those stores,” he said.

He believes his brand is going to evolve more toward becoming a lifestyle brand, “as we’re planning to introduce new categories.”

“For example, I’m working on a wine,” he added. “It will depend on how deep I can penetrate the Chinese market.”

STPI Emi Eu: Art Basel Application “Harder than Princeton's"

2013-05-29T22:50:00.000+08:00

Having applied every year to participate in Art Basel, the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) finally got its golden ticket to join the prestigious art fair on its seventh attempt.

Come June, it will be presenting paper works produced in its workshops by the artistic duo Wu Shanzhuan and Inga S. Thorsdottir, Korean artist Haegue Yang, along with works by Singapore artists Heman Chong and Genevieve Chua.

“As this is our first time ever, and because we assume most of the visitors are from Europe and may not be familiar with us, we want to showcase what we’ve done with some artists that are well-known in Europe and also use this opportunity to promote young Singaporean artists,” explains STPI director Emi Eu.

Along with Chong and Chua, the STPI booth will also present a short video work by Ho Tzu Nyen, who was included in a recent Guggenheim show on Southeast Asia artists and he will also be showing a short film “GOULD” in Art Basel’s film section.

“When I first applied to Art Basel, it was harder than the college application for Princeton. I still remember I worked for a good solid week in preparing that the application,” recalled Eu, detailing how she had to give three years of exhibition schedules, a run-down of the other fairs the gallery has been attending, a list of the artists it has been working with and the all-important booth concept that “must align with a gallery’s usual programming.”

Over the weekend, Eu also found its application to Art Basel Miami had also been accepted this year for the first time.

Her advice to galleries dreaming of making the cut, “you have to take it very seriously, because the selection committee looks at every single line,” she said, while adding that a mistake galleries sometimes make, particularly in Asia, is to give much more information than is really needed. She would know; Eu is on the Art Basel Hong Kong selection committee and has looked at hundreds of applications for this year’s edition of that fair which start next week.

Eu acknowledgedbeing on the Hong Kong Committee “didn’t harmed” the STPI application for Basel, "Being asked to be on the selection committee for Art Basel Hong Kong is recognition for the work that we do and our role in today’s contemporary art landscape where we can help bridge galleries from the region and this international platform. Yes, we do file an application like everybody else and my team works continuously to ensure our programming is fresh and relevant.”

STPI is also participating in Art Basel Hong Kong where it will be showcasing works byRichard Deacon, Hong Zhu An, Chun Kwang Young, and Eko Nugroho, thus providing a sneak preview of Nugroho’s upcoming show to open at the STPI in July.

For Eu, participating in high profile international art fairs is extremely important to attract not only the attention of collectors, but also that of artists.

“I want to work with artists based in Europe. They can’t come here to see my workshop and the things we do, so we’re reaching out,” she said.

While participating at the Armory Show in New York, STPI took the opportunity to visit the studio of Pakistani artist Shahzia Sikander and is now likely to work with the artist next year.

“The fairs are the best and most direct route for our multi-pronged marketing to artist, to collectors, and to museums. In particular Art Basel, because we know many museum directors will take the time to go and see it. That’s why it’s so important for everybody to go there. The people that matter in our industry are all there,” she added.

What Will They Bring? A Sneak Peek at Art Basel Hong Kong

2013-05-11T07:48:00.000+08:00

Art galleries participating in the upcoming Art Basel Hong Kong are probably wondering which high-profile collectors will come this year and whether the new management of the fair will be able to leverage on its brand name to bring a new flock of collectors from outside the region. But meanwhile, collectors are probably also wondering: “What will the galleries bring?”

With about 245 exhibitors participating from around the world, diversity is likely to be the key word, with the usual mix of high-profile international names already announced (think Damien Hirst, Louise Bourgeois, Subodh Gupta, Murakami and Yayoi Kusama) with a good crop of young and emerging artists from the region.

ARTINFO selected a few artworks from around the world to look forward to. Click on the slideshow to see them all.

Art Galleries Association to Hold Joint-Exhibition at Helutrans in July

2013-05-11T07:45:00.001+08:00

The long dormant Art Galleries Association of Singapore will hold a joint exhibition to include representations from its members at Artspace@HelutransJuly 19 to 28.

The non-profit association was first set up in 1995 to help promote professional gallery practices, however, in recent years the organization had become rather inactive. It is now being revitalized and will soon re-launch with a new official website, a Facebook page to which its 21 members can post, and has plans for an Art Walk during the Singapore Biennale.

“We don't have a title just yet, but the theme will be exploring processes of cultural convergence,” curator Kamiliah Bahar told ARTINFO referring to the planned joint exhibition.

“The intent of the exhibition is to hopefully breakdown ideas of discrete national and cultural identities, of authenticity, of a linear past, present and future, to highlight the fluidity, flexibility, and creativity of various actors and agents, including the artists, to respond to changes and influences,” she explained, adding, “As the exhibition can't explore everything, we've narrowed it down to convergence in relation to the formal elements of art, e.g. styles, mediums, etc., and convergence of socio-cultural factors.”

The Association members currently include: Art-2 Gallery, Art Forum, Art Galleries At Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Art Seasons, Cape of Good Hope, Gajah Gallery,HaKaren Art Gallery, Indigo Blue Art, Linda Gallery, Red Sea Gallery, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Soobin Art International, Wetterling Teo Gallery, Art Plural Gallery, Collectors Contemporary, Chan Hampe Galleries, Galerie Steph, Ikkan Art Gallery, Richard Koh Fine Art, iPreciation, and Partners and Mucciaccia. Each gallery will provide two to three works for the exhibition.

“Singapore has a lot of galleries and we can do a lot more working with different partners. (The opening of) Gillman Barracks has really prompted us to realize we do have a gallery landscape here with a lot of young galleries,” says Emi Eu, director of STPI and the Vice-President of the association. “We want to promote good ethical practices as dealers and accountability, and we also want to nurture and pave the way for young people to open galleries,” she added.

First Peek at Singapore Biennale 2013

2013-05-11T07:44:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Biennale 2013 announced its selection of the first 52 out of the 80 or so artists planned for its fourth edition coming up in October.

Eko Prawoto

They mainly hail from Southeast Asia and were chosen to demonstrate the breadth of art styles and practices in the region. Many are little known and have never exhibited before, a deliberate decision reflecting the grassroots approach the 27 co-curators of this Biennale decided to take.

Around forty percent of the works have been especially commissioned for the Biennale, which will run from Oct 26 until February 16, 2014.

Suzann Victor

ARTINFO selected a few of the more promising art projects announced, such as Suzann Victor’s “Rainbow Circle” (working title) that will be created in the rotunda of the National Museum of Singapore, Eko Prawoto’s dramatic bamboo installation “Wormhole” which will be installed outdoor, and Prateet Suthathongthai’s “Stillness of Reflection” (working title), a collage of photographs and silk-screen creating an optical illusion that will be situated in the Singapore Art Museum’s courtyard.

Click on the slideshow to see these and more.

Christie’s HK Holds Private Sale of Chinese Contemporary Ink May 23-27

2013-05-11T07:39:00.002+08:00

Chinese contemporary ink has been a fast rising sub-category of contemporary Asian art at many auctions.

Xu Bing

With many Chinese artists influenced by Western art practices, Chinese ink painting has evolved and developed a new language.

Last November, Christie’s Hong Kong presented its first dedicated Chinese Contemporary Ink Exhibition to collectors. “Beyond Tradition” featured 18 works by leading artists, such as Qiu Zhijie, Zu Bing, Gu Wenda, Xu Bing, and Yang Jiechang.

The auction house held a private-sale exhibition New York in March with 25 works, and this exhibition is now moving to Hong Kong.

“A good percentage of works were sold at the New York exhibition and we achieved optimistic results,” said Carmen Shek, the specialist in charge of contemporary ink works at Christie’s Hong Kong. She declined to disclose further financial details.

For the Hong Kong sale, there will be about 60 works split between Chinese ink artists who are active since 1980s and a group of Hong Kong-based artists who began to work towards innovating the ink tradition as early as 1960s. Price range from HK$120,000 to HK$5.5millon.

Qiu Zhije

“It is an emerging market that we hope to build over a period of time. We are building this private sales exhibition platform to enable collectors new and old to learn more about the artists and the works,” she explained.

Shek added that contemporary ink definitely has a wide appeal to international audience. “This is also reflected from the visitors and buyers from our exhibition in New York. Given so many artists in the group had a very global exposure themselves, their creations are no doubt cross-cultural,” she noted.

The sale exhibition will run May 23-27 in Hong Kong at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Gu Wenda

Do-Ho Suh Working on New STPI Residency, Planning Major Installation in Seoul

2013-05-08T22:40:00.002+08:00

London-based Korean artist Do-Ho Suh was recently back at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute for two days to continue and expand the work he first did there in 2010.

Suh is internationally-renowned for his large-scale fabric installations that explore the issue of cultural displacement. Thread, fabrics, and sewing have always played an important role in his practice.

During his first residency at STPI, Suh had created works using red threads laid over paper pulp. This time, he continues in the same direction, but using multi-colored threads in projects that are on a much bigger scale.

“The first time, I was pleased about discovering that way of working, and while I was working I had different ideas and that’s what we’re exploiting this time, just pushing the medium,” the artist explained.

Several works portray figures with shadow-like forms hovering over them. “It’s a reflection of oneself, but it’s also about history, something that has passed, is not tangible,” he explained.

Suh is currently working on a commission for the new Seoul off-shoot of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, due to open on November 12. “It will be my largest fabric-architecture to date. It’s an 18th century building in New England, a three-story mansion on a 1:1 scale, with the Korean house I grew up inside,” he explained, adding the piece is likely to be on display for six months.

A fabric installaion by Suh will be shown at the Lehmann Maupin booth at Frieze New York, laster this week. He’s also working on a new solo show at Lehmann Maupin in Hong Kong that will open mid-November, two days after the museum exhibition in Seoul.

The artist is planning to return to Singapore later this year to complete his current STPI residency that should include about 20 new works. An STPI exhibition will follow in 2014

Bonhams HK to Offer Rare Japanese Single Malt Whisky May 23

2013-05-08T22:36:00.002+08:00

Productions of single malt whisky at the Japanese Karuizawa and the Hanyu distilleries stopped in 2000. This has made bottles of their whisky increasingly rare on the market, and more valuable at auction.

“The prices have been increased 100% on some of the early release, and have certainly room to appreciate further,” says Daniel Lam, a wine specialist at Bonhams Hong Kong, “The scarcity stirs up demand, and its quality fascinated many whisky drinkers who look for any of these bottles.”

On May 23, Bonhams’ Spring Fine & Rare Wines, Cognac and Whisky Auction in Hong Kong will include several lots of these rare Japanese whiskies that are bound to attract some interest from in-the-know collectors. The auction carries an overall estimate of HK$12 million and will include 30 bottles from the two distilleries from a Hong Kong collector.

Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, though the first commercial production dates back to 1924 with the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki by Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Kotobukiya which later became Suntory.

According to Lam, Torii choose the location, in a suburb of Kyoto, because the area was famed for having excellent water. The legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu also built his tearoom there.

“Broadly speaking the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than Irish, American, or Canadian styles of whiskey,” notes Lam.

“For these two distilleries, the style of their whisky is reminiscent of the well-integrated sherry matured single malt in Scotland. Interestingly both distilleries were highly praised by world-renowned whisky connoisseurs and critics,” he adds.

The Karuizawa Distillery was established in 1955 in the foothills of Mount Asama, an active volcano, and the low temperature and high humidity there were seen as ideal for whisky production. The influential whisky critic Dave Broom in his “The World Atlas of Whisky” wrote: “It's like a throwback to a mostly forgotten Scotland. Yet in taste Karuizawa could only be Japanese. There is a depth and intensity of focus to its malts — resinous, scented with cardamom, thick with beeswax, spotted with blood — that only Japan can produce."

Other highlights of the sale include a bottle of Macallan-1946-56 year old Masters of Photography series by Irish photographer Albert Watson, complete with a one-off signed platinum print; Macallan Royal Marriage editions; and a Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac.

Bonhams HK to Auction Large Jade Belt Hooks Collection May 26

2013-05-08T22:31:00.001+08:00

Bonhams Hong Kong will be offering a large collection of jade belt hooks on May 26.

The “Jason Chen collection,” part of Bonhams’ Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art auction, comprises 150 belt hooks of various shapes and sizes offered in 71 lots with no reserve price on any of the lots. The owner acquired all the hooks over the last 15 years, primarily at auctions around the world.

Jade belt hooks date back to the Liangzhu culture (3300 to 2250 BCE), which placed great value in the green stone, and many were found by archeologists in burial sites. The tradition of using belt hooks, worn by dignitaries, was further developed during the Western Han dynasty. “It was really a sign of status, a bit like jewelry. The wealthier you were the more elaborate the carvings. Most of the time they have a dragon head,” explains John Chong, Bonhams’ specialist for Chinese Works of Art.

Though they became less fashionable during the Eastern Han dynasties, losing their practical function, they rose back in popularity throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, becoming purely decorative ornaments. They continued though to be made in the traditional shape, which had become fashionable during the Han dynasty, but were also made in more fragile materials like porcelain and glass.

The collection offered for auction includes hooks dating back to the Yuan dynasty and continues to the republic period. One highlight of the sale is a rare white jade “butterfly” belt hook dated to the Qianlong period, which was once in the Alan and Simone Hartman collection and was exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2004. Chong estimates the overall value at HK$3-4 million.

In addition to exquisitely carved white and Khotan spinach-green belt hooks, the collection also features belt hooks crafted from other materials such as lapis lazuli, rock crystal, huangyang wood and agate.

David Chan Returns with First Solo Show in 4 Years

2013-05-03T22:17:00.002+08:00

A graduate of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, David Chanwon the UOB Painting of the Year in 2004 and is known for his humorous art works that portray human-animal hybrids to ponder human behaviors. But in last couple of years, the artist had been noticeably absent from Singapore’s art scene.

The artist says his lower profile was the result of preferring to concentrate on his new-born daughter and explore new artistic avenues. “I was trying to come up with something different and recalibrate some of the ideas that I had. My new direction is a little bit more interactive, it requires the viewers to participate rather than to read and interpret. So the viewer has to perhaps move around, or engage in a way of looking at the details,” Chan explained in a short telephone interview.

“Every Trick Only Needs One Truth,” to open on May 16 at Art Seasons Gallery, will be his first solo show in Singapore since 2009.

The exhibition includes a mix of oil paintings and sculptures with the artist no longer looking at hybrid subjects, though the world of animals still dominates his works.

In “Molly,” the sculpture of a cat inside a cracked white casing is created or reconstituted by compiling thousands of small plastic animal parts.

“Every Trick Only Needs One Truth,” Arts Seasons Gallery, May 16-Jun 15

Singapore Icons Inspire Japanese Ceramic Ware Collection

2013-05-03T09:41:00.003+08:00

What are the most recognizable icons for Singapore?

Many people might think of the national flower or the Merlion, a mythical half lion half fish statue, both of which are heavily promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board, but when five designs studios were asked this question they included a couple of surprising answers to their list. The chosen icons have now been used in a new collection of ceramic ware for the Singapore Icons Studio Project, a collaboration between Singaporean retail gallery Supermama and Kihara Inc, a Japanese ceramic company.

The limited edition sets comprise a plate, a saucer, and a chopstick holder.

Designer Chang Shian Wei took inspiration from photographic images of HDB tower blocks, which provide homes to more than 80 percent of the Singapore population; Designere chose the majestic tembusu tree with its distinctive sweeping low boughs, while Quiet Studio offers a Dancing Joaquim, and Relay Room chose to depict the construction crane.

Finally, Ampulets chose the lightning bolt, in reference to the constant storms the island faces as well as a symbol of Singapore's rapid development and the political ruling party’s iconic logo.

The Singapore Icons Studio Project ceramic collection is available from www.inventory.sg and Supermama, 8 Queen Street, Singapore Art Museum.

Reckless Ericka on A/W Collection 2013, Plans for New Label in June

2013-05-03T09:40:00.000+08:00

Designer Afton Chen set up Reckless Ericka with business partner Louis Koh in 2009. The young Singaporean label has an edgy vibe with avant-garde silhouettes infused with classic details and a British tailoring sensibility and will be presenting its Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, “Into the Grey,” at the fashion trade show Blueprint in Singapore. ARTINFO talked to Chen about the new collection, her inspirations, and plans for a new women’s wear label, “Still.”

What is the inspiration behind “Into the Grey”?

The collection was inspired by the mise-en-scène of the 2011 film, The Grey starring Liam Neeson, and by the Japanese animation Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki. It has a mostly gray palette with some navy, dark green, and tribal weave fabrics. It draws on the idea that there can be no clear victory between humans and nature, with just the hope that the relationship between the two can be cyclical. Both films are filled with tension and a gloomy undercurrent runs throughout, even in the most hopeful of scenes. The violence portrayed in both films is not gory, but is harsh and the fact that the violence is not glorified, but shown in a casual tone makes it all the more senseless and brutal. The collection is filled with soft shapes and hard structures, combining fluidity and construction, and exaggerated outerwear cuts that are loosely based on the Muromachi period in Japan’s history.

How do you think it progresses from the previous collection?

Previously I was inspired by a series of black and white photographs entitled “Portraits from the Belly of the Whale” by Michael Garlington. I created a collection that delved into the life of a retired performer stuck in its own temporal plane. Gingham in colorful shades of blue, green, red, and orange was paired with a heavy silk-cotton weave in intense red and blue. It was a lighthearted collection, with outfits evoking part decadence, part androgyny. The current collection features few androgynous outfits, compared to the previous collection, and the silhouette is cleaner and sharper.

One word to describe this new collection?

Duality.

For whom are you designing?

I’m designing for someone who has a strong sense of personal style and isn’t afraid to have fun dressing up.

And what inspires you in general?

Inspiration comes from everywhere; we shouldn’t limit ourselves. It can be from a song, a painting, a movie, a book, people around me, or things happening in the world.

Do you look at fashion as art?

It is definitely a form of art, a unique self-expression.

Best fashion memory?

When I walk on the streets and see people wearing our outfits, it never fails to make me smile!

Three words to describe your personal style?

Off-beat, constructed, introspective.

Favorite fashion designer?

Yohji Yamamoto.

Favorite Singaporean designer?

Nic Wong of SATURDAY.

Future plans?

We’re planning to launch a new label, “Still,” around June 2013. “Still” is a women’s wear line with youthful and understated outfits. It is not a diffusion line, just a separate label. The lines and silhouettes are clean, evoking a sense of peace and tranquility. Designs are light on the palate, focusing on the purity of fabrication quality and finishing. The collections will be retailing at SGD $109-399.

We also have an exciting collaboration with a graphic artist for our next collection Spring/Summer 2014, so stay tuned for that!

Blueprint is running May 16-17 in Singapore

As first published on sea.artinfo.com

Art Stage Singapore 2014 Set For Jan 16-19

2013-05-03T09:37:00.001+08:00

The next edition of Art Stage Singapore is set to take place January, 16-19, 2014 at Marina Bay Sands, with the VIP preview on January 15.

This will be the fourth edition of the Singaporean art fair which is primarily dedicated to Asian art. The fair, which hosted 131 galleries this year, welcomed 40,500 people over five days in January.

Fair director and founder Lorenzo Rudolf announced Monday Art Stage Singapore will be introducing an exhibitor committee “consisting some of the most inspiring gallerists from the Asia Pacific region.”

SHOWS THAT MATTER: "Landscape Memories" at Espace Louis Vuitton

2013-04-25T19:32:00.000+08:00

A Show that Matters: “Landscape Memories” with four Singapore artists: Donna Ong, Genevieve Chua, Jane Lee, Ng Joon Kiat

Four very talented Singapore artists are represented in one space around a cohesive theme: landscape memories.

Curated by Khim Ong, the exhibition presents intriguing and often very tactile works that explore the idea of landscapes, not as scenery, but as we remember them and the emotions they create.

Each artist is a rising star of the local art scene - Donna Ong recently had works shown at Primo Marella and is soon to begin a one-year residency in Berlin at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, following in the footsteps of fellow Singapore artists Heman Chong and Michael Lee. Genevieve Chua was picked up by the Singapore Tyler Print Institute for the institute’s first foray into Art Basel in June, while Jane Lee will have a solo show in Tokyo at Mizuma Gallery. Ng Joon Kiat was one of the 25 Asian artists selected to exhibit with the Royal Academy of Art exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore last year.

Though Ong is better known for her work with glass, here she switches materials and plays with nails, screws, and pins to create a large, visually-intriguing installation “Landscape Portraits (In a Beautiful Place Nearby),” that represents her undersea landscape memories of coral reefs

For this exhibition, Jane Lee reflects on the spaces her paintings inhabit, cutting small pieces out of her works and installing them alongside the main canvas.

Ng reprises a recent theme he has explored, the notion of artificial boundaries and delineating space on maps. The landscape acrylics present a geography abstracted from Google maps which he selected because of their boundaries. His paintings are purposely tactile as the artist says he likes to “tease” the audience — “you’ll want to touch it, but you can’t,” he remarked at the preview.

Chua investigates our often ambiguous relationship with landscape, and our fears of the unknown in the forest. In her series “Nocturne,” she photographed a particular tropical hibiscus plant that changes color throughout the day — “Being very urban, I’m interested in the changes that happen in the forest which we will usually miss,” the artist said. In another series, “She was here before,” Chua uses images of the forest around Mount Fuji, with many of its trees having fallen because of the soft volcanic soil. The screenprints have a ghostly effect thanks to the use of ground volcanic rock dust that she has sprinkled over the print.

33 Auction to hold Auction May 5 in Singapore

2013-04-18T12:35:00.003+08:00

33 Auction will be holding an evening sale of modern and contemporary Asian art on May 5 offering 83 lots by South-East Asian and Chinese artists, with a total pre-sale estimate of 3.5-5 million Singapore dollars ($2.8-$4.05 million).

David Fu, specialist at 33 Auction noted that following the strong interest shown at its last auction in Singapore earlier this year, the auction house is offering 30 percent more works than it had at its January sale.

Highlights of the upcoming sale are WuGuanzhong’s “Willow Tree,” an ink and color on rice paper which displays the Chinese artist’s gentle fusion of Eastern and Western impressionistic styles, and “Horse and the Sun,” a strong oil on canvas work by Indonesian expressionist master Affandi, known for his technique of painting directly from the tube. Other Indonesian highlights include dancer-themed works by SrihadiSoedarsono as well as large canvases by Basoeki Abdullah and JeihanSukmantoro.

Leading the Singapore section is an early finger painting entitled “Water Ducks” by Chen Wen Hsi, along with some of his signature inks depicting gibbons and sparrows. The auction includes a range of works by first generation Singapore artists (Liu Kang andCheong Soo Pieng) as well as second-generation Singapore artists, like Tay Bak Koi,Choo Keng Kwang, and Thomas Yeo.

Leading the Malaysian art section is Khalil Ibrahim’s “Fisherman / Man in Motion,” depicting a scene of various human forms in a flurry of activity. The silhouettes in the foreground are painted in a Cubist style, no doubt influenced by his study in London during the 1960s.

The auction will be held at Grand Hyatt Singapore on May 5, with preview held atMOCA@Loewen May 2-5.

AS first published on sea.artinfo.com

Moments in Style Showcases Upcoming Fashion Photographers

2013-04-14T14:29:00.000+08:00

As part of the Audi Fashion Festival 2013, a “Moments in Style” exhibition will showcase four upcoming young fashion photographers working in Singapore, with 70 percent of the proceeds from the prints sold going to the Breast Cancer Foundation as part of the festival’s Fashion for a Cause charity initiative.

Photographs by Adrian Tan, 28, Darren Gabriel Leow, 25,Joel Lim, 34 and Gladys Ng, 24, will be offered for sale, with price ranging between S$200 and S$800.

Lim was named ELLE Singapore photographer of the year twice and has shot many of the local magazine’s covers, as well as the the Audi Fashion Festival’s Singapore campaign for the past two years, while Leow has shot for label Fru Fru &Tigerlily’s as well as Vaughn Tan’s advertising campaign.

The works will be exhibited at the AFF Pop-Up Gallery at ION Orchard Level 1 Atrium from the 25th of April 2013 to the 19th of May 2013, as well as at the Fashion Café at the Tent @ Marina Promenade from the 15th to the 19th of May.