Stake your claim on plots of land on a world map, visit a mock Justin Bieber shrine, take in the sight of a crumbling Buddha statue; and this are just three of the many sights at Art Stage Singapore 2013.
Contemporary artists of the region and beyond have gathered at this annual art fair, back at the Marina Bay Sands exhibition halls for its third edition.
As with previous years, this art fair continues to show a predominantly Asian-centred selection of art. To showcase the “best of the best of this region”, over 70 per cent of art exhibited are works by Asian artists.
(L-R): Berlin Buddha (2007) by Zhang Huan. Do It Yourself: How to make a new world map (2009) by Tintin Wulia is part of the Indonesian Pavilion.
In particular, the spotlight is drawn to the rise of Indonesian art this year, with more than 50 art pieces exhibited at the Indonesian Pavilion.
Another major section is the Project Stage: works by emerging artists of the Asia Pacific are represented by over 30 art galleries in the region. The National Arts Council-led Singapore Platform initiative also returns this year with two commissioned projects, featuring the works of six Singapore artists.
Given its huge scale, Art Stage Singapore presents an invaluable exposure for artists to international art collectors and visitors each year.
While it is a large fair with so much to see, it’s always important to support local talent, be it the up-and-coming Singapore artists or the established names who return every year.
So don’t forget to show your support for the Singapore art scene. We’ve featured a selection of nine Singapore artists in our gallery below. Be sure to check out the works by these artists and more at the Art Stage Singapore.
Art Stage Singapore 2013 runs from now to January 27 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Centre; opening hours: from 12pm to 7pm on Friday, 11am to 7pm on Saturday and 11am to 6pm on Sunday.
Tickets are available at $33 each for single day entry; MasterCard cardholders will get a 20 per cent discount on day passes to Art Stage Singapore.
Go to www.artstagesingapore.com for more information.
https://www.herworld.com/life/art-stage-singapore-2013-local-artists/
Art Stage Singapore 2013: Local artists
David Chan
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In 2012, David Chan put chimeric animals in suits and fancy dresses for the Art Stage Singapore; two pieces by the artist were reportedly sold for a sweet US$58,000 (approximately S$71,350). At the art fair this year, the Singapore artist returns with a more unnerving art object. Titled Molly (2012), the sculpture looks like a cat from afar. Look closer and you’ll discover that the eyeless “cat” is a freakish chimera, made out of numerous animal figurines.
FIND IT AT: Booth C3-04 by Art Seas
Donna Ong
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Make your way down the narrow walkway of Donna Ong’s Cocoon (The Garden of Waiting Virgins) (2012): discover vintage objects, portraitures of the Virgin Mary and other knick-knacks that you might find at a grandmother’s cosy abode. Set in a small and narrow space, this installation recalls a child’s desire for familial comforts, no matter her age. On Cocoon, Ong says that she “promised myself as a child, never to forget what it felt like to be a child … My work is about trying to keep that promise.”
FIND IT AT: Booth E1-04PS by Primo
Cocoon by Donna Ong
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FIND IT AT: Booth E1-04PS by Primo Marella Gallery, Art Stage Singapore
Genevieve Chua
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What are those uncanny blots on these framed prints? Akin to a Rorschach test, read what you will about Genevieve Chua‘s smudged inkblot prints. The fear of the unknown is a recurrent feature of the works by Chua, a young Singapore artist growing in prominence locally and abroad; she was one of the Young Artist Award recipients at the prestigious 2012 Cultural Medallion. So make like novelist Virginia Woolf and ponder about these marks on the wall.
FIND IT AT: Booth C2-03 by the Sing
Jason Wee
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Walk through a mini maze of sharp edges at Jason Wee’s Masterplan (2012); this work is part of New Black City, a collaboration between Singapore artists Jason Wee, Jeremy Sharma and Khiew Huey Chian. With the growing obsession with skyscrapers, new buildings are narrower and taller than ever before; will this sculptural work then represent the “new building of the future”?
FIND IT AT: Booth B1-04 Singapore P
John Clang
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In big, bustling cities, it’s not easy to find an oasis of calm in such stressful environments. Here, John Clang pictures a liberating weightlessness in these photos. In the Singapore artist’s Myth of the Flat Earth photo series, men and women in suits mysteriously stay afloat in an empty pool.
FIND IT AT: Booth B4-10PS by 2902 G
Myth of the Flat Earth by John Clang
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FIND IT AT: Booth B4-10PS by 2902 Gallery
PHUNK
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As a tribute to literary greats, Singapore art collective PHUNK recreated the book covers of classics for 32 Stories (2012). Cover designs are mounted onto wood blocks the size of those iconic Penguin paperbacks. The scent and tactile touch of paper is something e-readers can’t replace; features that this installation holds dear. The art group’s solo exhibition Empire of Dreams is also held at the Art Seasons Gallery from now to February 16, check that out for more from PHUNK.
FIND IT AT: Booth C3-04 by Art Seas
Rizman Putra
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“If you believe in the game and the spirit of the game, you will be Number One,” intones the man in this video; even in a ridiculous sport that you’ve just invented. As a satire on competitive sport, Rizman Putra’s The Re-invention of Sports for Jaded Individuals (RSJI) (2013) sees the artist claiming multiple gold medals in competitions where he’s the sole competitor and the sole winner. With the ongoing Lance Armstrong saga, this art installation seems more relevant than ever.
FIND IT AT: Booth B1-04 Singapore P
Song-Ming Ang
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This Singapore artist purportedly spent three months to “master” Justin Bieber’s signature for My World (2013). As a satire on our ongoing obsession with celebrity culture, Song-Ming Ang has set up a mock Justin Bieber shrine as an art installation. He’s framed up a poster of the pop star, complete with a fake Bieber signature, purple sneakers that the singer might wear and a slideshow of Ang’s autograph practice sessions.
FIND IT AT: Booth B1-04 Singapore P
Song-Ming Ang
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In Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Seen This One Before (2011), another work inspired by pop culture, Song-Ming Ang lines a row of Belle and Sebastian record sleeves with a line of circles the size of the vinyl records.
FIND IT AT: Booth B1-04 Singapore P
Sookoon Ang
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Peer into mysterious drawers at this interactive art installation, Weighs Like Mine – Four Drawers (2006) by Sookoon Ang. Lean closer to hear mysterious sounds from one drawer. Another drawer contains two miniature paintings by Surrealist painters Giorgio de Chirico and Rene Magritte.
FIND IT AT: Booth A2-02PS by Fost G
The Waves Waifs by Sookoon Ang
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This Singapore artist extends the surrealist inspiration to her The Waves/ Waifs (2009) where seven gold-haired brooms are left against the wall, “like abandoned princesses”, says Sookoon Ang.
FIND IT AT: Booth A2-02PS by Fost G
