2018 has been my full year back in Singapore since moving back, and at first, I thought there was less happenings in art here. After a while, things have picked up, but there have been many exhibitions and events that I didn’t choose to post in detail on this blog – lack of time is always a major reason for my lack of updates! So, I thought it would be nice to look back at all of the art exhibitions and events I went to this year!

Asian Civilisations Museum – Permanent Galleries

I started off 2018 with a visit to ACM to see their permanent galleries. I really loved seeing Tang Shipwreck with all of those painted bowls and those acorn-shaped game pieces (for gambling)!

ACM has just opened their new Christian and Islamic art galleries this month, so that’s something I’m definitely going to check out in 2019.

ArtScience Museum – Treasures of the Natural World

I went to see both ‘Treasures of the Natural World’ and ‘Art from the Streets’ at ArtScience Museum on the same day (double exhibition tickets are so worth it!). ArtScience Museum continues to be my favourite museum in Singapore as they have the best exhibitions.

I was surprised to find out that I really enjoyed seeing exhibits of preserved stuffed animals that look so life-like! All of the exhibits were on loan from Natural History Museum in London, which of course, I’m now planning to visit when I get myself to London!

National Museum of Singapore – The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030

Peranakan Museum – Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography

There was then ‘The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030’ at National Museum of Singapore, a simple exhibition talking about styles and models of playgrounds in Singapore. Basically, Singapore wins at urban planning, I have to say!

I also revisited Peranakan Museum for the first time in probably 10 years to see ‘Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography’. Sticking to the museum’s specialised theme of Peranakan culture, the Amek Gambar – meaning to take pictures – exhibition shows a range of black and white photographs of Peranakans and old cameras. The exhibition is on till February 3rd, 2019.

National Gallery Singapore – Rirkrit Tiravanija

I always visit National Gallery Singapore for exhibitions or events or just to bum at their Gallery & Co cafe. My first visit of the year was to see the new site-specific commissioned work of Rirkrit Tiravanija at NGS’ rooftop. It’s a large-scale bamboo structure with a pathway that you can walk through from one end to the other, and there’s also a Japanese teahouse in the centre, though it was too hot that day for me to join in in the tea ceremony events they were holding at the time.

Singapore Philatelic Museum – The Little Prince: Behind the Story

I like to visit Singapore Philatelic Museum (or the “Stamp Museum”) every once in a while to see their exhibitions that somehow always manage to incorporate stamps! It was nice to re-see Arnaud Nazare-Aga’s Little Prince sculptures at the ‘The Little Prince: Behind the Story’ exhibition. I had first seen them in Hong Kong in 2015 during the Christmas and New Year season – see the post here!

National Gallery Singapore – Children’s Festival

It’s always so fun at Children’s Festival at National Gallery Singapore seeing everyone, kids and adults, having fun playing with the artworks! The first one pictured is all kitchen sponges and for the second artwork, you could throw those triangle-shaped pieces and they would stick on the patterned wall.

I’m also very proud to say that I managed to speed-walk across Justiniani’s bridge in one piece this time round, HAHAHA! For last year’s edition, I was so scared of the never-ending depths of the illusionistic effect of the bridge that I actually paused while walking across it. I’m still kinda terrified of this kind of things, but clearly it’s only me, since all of the other kids were happily examining the details in the bridge.

National Library Singapore (Central) – Selling Dreams: Early Advertising in Singapore

‘Selling Dreams: Early Advertising in Singapore’ is a very well-researched and very big exhibition on advertisements in Singapore from the 1830s to the 1960s. I really recommend reading all of the details in the didactics for the exhibits, as they are all so interesting! This was probably the longest time I spent at an exhibition though, about 2 hours? The exhibition is on till 24th February 2019.

National Gallery Singapore – (Re)collect

I shared a mini review of ‘(Re)collect’ at National Gallery Singapore on my Instastories, now saved in my highlights, to try out a new format of sharing about exhibitions! That was really fun, but I also wanted to share Lee Lim’s composite photographs on a bigger screen, so that it would be clearer to see. His photographs appear like Chinese ink paintings, especially with their Chinese inscriptions and his seal on the sides of the paintings. It’s fascinating to see how photographs can also look like paintings in a way.

The Cathay – Whatshisname x Mighty Jaxx

The first time I saw these dogs, I was walking towards The Cathay from YMCA. From afar, I thought could this possibly be Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog I’m about to see?? Well, turns out these weren’t Koons’ sculptures, but Whatshisname’s pooping dogs are humorous in their own way, yes? A total of 4 dogs were commissioned for The Cathay, and they are still on show!

Singapore Night Festival 2018

For this year’s Singapore Night Festival, I was excited to see FierS à Cheval by Compagnie des Quidams after seeing photos of their performance at the opening of Tai Kwun in Hong Kong (which I must visit!). Horses are my favourite animals, and the performers really captured the elegant movements of horses. Funnily enough, this performance was made for the Year of the Horse in 2014, but it’s been so popular that the company has continued to perform this show until now!

I also went to see the dress exhibits from World of WearableArt (WOW), which holds an annual award competition for fashion designers from all over the world to present their avant-garde designs. These two dresses were my favourite!

STPI – Handmade Readymades

These two prints by Lichtenstein were shown at STPI’s exhibition ‘Handmade Readymades’. The exhibition featured the prints of four 20th century American artists, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Roy Lichtenstein, but I only took a liking to Lichtenstein’s prints. The first time I visited STPI in 2015, I think, I also remember seeing and liking Lichtenstein’s prints. That aside, STPI always has top-notch exhibitions so I always like to visit. I’m looking forward to their Cheong Soo Pieng exhibition opening in January 2019!

Gardens by the Bay – Mid-autumn Celebrations

Gardens by the Bay had such a lovely display for the Mid-Autumn celebrations! The giant lanterns also gave me Story of Yanxi Palace vibes, which was everyone’s favourite drama of the year, right?? YASSS.

National Museum of Singapore – In an Instant: Polaroid at the Intersection of Art and Technology

‘In an Instant: Polaroid at the Intersection of Art and Technology’, a travelling exhibition that has made its stop at the National Museum of Singapore, was not what I was expecting at all!

The beginning of the exhibition charts out the history of the Polaroid, starting from its invention by Edwin Land, who was inspired by his daughter when she questioned on a holiday trip, why can’t we have our photographs printed out instantaneously, instead of going through the long process of developing film.

Most of the exhibition features artistic Polaroids following a few themes, but my favourites are these more contemporary shots captured on Polaroids. I didn’t realise that so many prominent artists and photographers had worked with Polaroid! The exhibition is on till 31st March 2019.

Affordable Art Fair Singapore 2018

I went for a quick walk through Affordable Art Fair in November, and all of my photos can be seen in my Instastories highlights! It was my first time attending it in Singapore and I found it much livelier that my experience at AAF in Hong Kong in 2015.

I found the paintings of those curly haired little, hmm, midgets by a Japanese artist (in the first two photos) really cute! There were also many South Korean galleries at the fair, and I really liked the style of these works by Korean artists (latter two photos).

ArtScience Museum – Future World (Revamped!)

This year was really the year of teamLab for me, seeing their works across ArtScience Museum, National Gallery Singapore and Marina Bay Sands. See my posts on teamLab – Part I and Part II!

I’d shared about ‘Future World’ at ArtScience Museum before it closed for revamp, and I was debating if I should visit the revamped exhibition… Guess what, I did! I bought a bundle ticket to see the new Future World and the Minimalism exhibition across ArtScience Museum and National Gallery Singapore, and I’m glad I did because I like the revamped exhibition even more! Also, I’m definitely going to do up posts on the ‘Minimalism: Space. Light. Object.’ exhibition(s) because I have so much opinions on it, so I would leave my comments for those upcoming posts.

Christmas!

We have reached Christmastime, the best time of the year!! This year’s theme of Disney Magical Moments for the Orchard Road Christmas decorations were so fun! I grew up on Disney, so this is definitely a special year!

Ion Art Gallery – Virtually Versailles

My last exhibition of the year was ‘Virtually Versailles’ at the Ion Art Gallery and Ion Sky, all the way up on the 55th floor of Ion Orchard. I already know that Versailles is on my travel wishlist, and this exhibition gave a taste of the Palace of Versailles’s architecture, decor and extensive art collection.

It’s mostly made up of a lot of videos, so I didn’t really capture many good photos of it. There are many interactive elements though, like biking around different parts of the palace (actual biking, virtual tour of palace), and having your face superimposed on royal portraits, which was really fun!! This free exhibition is on till 6th January 2019.

The last photo was a candid shot of me taken by my sister looking at the collection in the Palace, and it just seems like such a nice reminder to keep looking at all the art around us! Here’s to 2019!

The post Art of 2018 appeared first on Wording Art.

Anish Kapoor, Untitled (Stellar Green Pearl / Transparent Black), 2014, aluminium and paint, kamel mennour

Anish Kapoor, Mirror (Magenta), 2016, stainless steel and lacquer, Kukje Gallery

Julian Opie, Runners (individual titles: Running men; Running women), 2015, pair of screenprints, Alan Cristea Gallery

Looks like Julian Opie’s theme for the year is all about exercise and running…

Julian Opie, Soldier and Pilot, I., 2015, vinyl on wooden stretcher, Lisson Gallery

Julian Opie, Teacher and Waiter, I., 2015, vinyl on wooden stretcher, Lisson Gallery

Julian Opie, Plastic Umbrella, 2014, silkscreen on painted wooden board, Gerhardsen Gemer

Julian Opie, Kukje Gallery

There were also these two works that are not part of the exercise theme and are more in line with his images of city walking, a lot of which was shown at Art Basel in Hong Kong last year. I missed getting the didactic for this last artwork, but it’s a moving image of women walking continuously over and over again.

Lee Ufan, Dialogue, 2014, oil on canvas, Lisson Gallery

Lee Ufan, Dialogue, 2015, oil on canvas, Kukje Gallery

Lee Ufan, Correspondence, 1995, oil on canvas, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Lee Ufan (이우환) is Korea’s answer to a Minimalist artist, and his works with a smooth dab of paint in the middle of a large white canvas are always around at Art Basel Hong Kong. I’m not really a fan of any kind of Minimalism, but I guess the precision and simplicity of such works appeal to people.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Untitled” (Last Light), 1993, light bulbs, extension cord, plastic light sockets, dimmer switch, Andrea Rosen Gallery

Morimura Yasumasa, Portrait (Futago), 1988, type C print, transparent medium, frame, ShugoArts

This was such an art history moment!! Granted, this probably looks really out there for first-time viewers, so a bit of background is needed here. Morimura is a well-known Japanese appropriation artist, and his photography features him dressed up and acting after models in famous paintings, artists, and famous figures in history, whether male or female. This work appropriates Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863), an art history favorite, which at the time of its showing outraged viewers for its depiction of a prostitute holding a boldly confrontational stare. Traditionally, (male) artists painted female mythological figures in the nude that made it comfortable for the “male gaze,” since they were not “real” people and most never look directly towards the viewer. Manet however started something new, and while not particularly appreciated at the time for his efforts, he is now often known as the artist who began the wave of modern art.

Morimura’s enactment of the scene of Olympia is more extravagant but he gets the details of the painting down pat. He adds a Japanese flair to his work, with the black waving cat at the right corner and the blanket with a gold crane motif. Morimura’s work has come up in class on quite a few occasions, so it was great to see a properly blown up version of this photograph at the fair!

Keith Haring, Untitled, 1989, acrylic on canvas, Gladstone Gallery

Tracey Emin, You Saved Me, Galleria Lorcan O’Neill Roma

Not all of Emin’s works appeal to me, but I’m a big fan of her neon word art. There really needs to be a Tracey Emin font.

Also, I found the showing of this work at the fair over the Easter weekend nicely fitting, since it ties in with the commemoration of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. :D

Alexander Calder, Small Moths, 1974, Dominique Lévy

One of my favorites by Calder I’ve ever seen!

Alexander Calder, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder, Black and Blue, 1975, painted sheet metal and wire, Acquavella

Looking at Calder’s mobile from a different angle. And trying not to get blinded by the spotlights.

Alexander Calder, The Golfer (John D. Rockefeller as a Golfer), 1927, wire with wood base, Van de Weghe Fine Art

A different kind of style from Calder, and equally well done.

Jeff Koons

True story: I was trying to get a shot of Koons’s work from the side, but two women taking a selfie with the work told me to move aside because I was appearing at the side of their photo. -.- I don’t think a super crowded Art Basel fair is exactly the best place to exercise your supposed right not to get photobombed in your selfie.

Edgar Degas, Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot, 1919-1937, bronze, Acquavella

I have to commemorate my first time seeing a Degas! He is now well-loved for his paintings of ballet dancers that examine the physicality of their bodies in movement. I would love to travel and see the masterpieces of modern art for myself one day, but I’m definitely happy to view these smaller works in Hong Kong!

Claude Monet, Route de Monte-Carlo, December 1883, oil on canvas, Acquavella

I patiently waited to get this MONEY SHOT. Monet is worth it, yes. On another note, Acquavella always brings in the bulk of modern art to Art Basel Hong Kong.

Pablo Picasso, Femme aux mains croisees II, December 19, 1960 – January 1, 1961, oil on canvas, Acquavella

Niko Luoma, Self-titled adaptation of the Young Ladies of Avignon (1907, Pablo Picasso), 2015, archival pigment print, diasec with floater frame, Atlas Gallery

Hmm, I’m not really buying it. Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon) is also an art history favorite (and also features prostitutes). Funnily enough, it was never fully completed as Picasso tossed it aside after his friends and peers criticized the painting while he was still working on it. I don’t actually think it’s his best and most groundbreaking work as a lot of people probably put it; I find his Cubist works with Georges Braque (his collaborator on Cubism who has been kinda forgotten) much more interesting and forward-looking.

Tom Wesselmann, Blue Nude #3 N125, 1999, oil on cut-out aluminium, Gmurzynska

This references to Henri Matisse’s Blue Nude, which was a motif that Matisse went back to over the years. Again, not really buying it…

Roy Lichtenstein, Water Lilies with Cloud, 1992, screenprinted enamel on stainless steel with painted wood frame, Edward Tyler Nahem

Rudolf Bauer, Furioso XII, 1918, oil on canvas

Andy Warhol, Mao, 1973, acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen, varnished, Ben Brown Fine Arts

So much of Warhol at the fair this year!

Andy Warhol, Mao (set of ten), 1972, screenprints on paper

Discussing serious business under the gaze of Mao. I find this quite amusing.

Andy Warhol, Flowers (portfolio of 10), 1970, screenprint on paper, Galerie Thomas

Andy Warhol, Self-portrait, 1966, synthetic polymer paint, silkscreen ink on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art; Self Portrait (Red), c. 1966-67, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Elvis, 1962, silkscreen ink and acrylic on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem

Andy Warhol, Diamond Dust Shoes (Green), 1980, acrylic, silkscreen ink and diamond dust on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem

Diamond Dust Shoes (Green) and Campbell’s Elvis appeals more to me than Warhol’s more well-known serial artworks for some reason. I guess it’s one of those things about art.

Andy Warhol, Dollar Sign, 1981, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art

Jaume Plensa, Slumberland XXXI (Patricia), 2015, graphite on paper, Richard Gray Gallery

Subtle, charming, and so beautiful.

Jaume Plensa, Roots (Study), 2015, painted stainless steel, Richard Gray Gallery

Nice to see this again, albeit in a smaller size! The big one sits at Raffles Place in Singapore.

Jaume Plensa, Laura Asia; Paula Europe; Mar Asia, 2015, marble, Galerie Lelong

These three sculptures are pretty large in size, and are based on portraits of women who Plensa knows. Feels like a bit of quiet amid the bustling fair.

And that’s it for my review of Art Basel Hong Kong this year! To see the first half of my review of Art Basel featuring contemporary artworks, click here, and if you’ll like to see my review of Art Basel last year, click here to see all of the related posts!

The post Art Basel Hong Kong 2016 | Oldies Are Goodies appeared first on Wording Art.

| Cover picture: Alighiero Boetti, Rinaldo Annamaria Luna Rossi, 1993-94, blue ballpoint pen on cardboard on canvas, Tornabuoni Art |

303 Gallery

Another mirror piece in the fair – right side up this time! So perfect for selfies.

Liza Lou, Untitled, #14, 2011, Untitled, #15, 2011, Untitled, (Grid), 2012-14, Untitled, #12, 2011, woven glass beads on linen, Goodman Gallery

Kendell Geers, Four Letter Brand (Evil) 1, Four Letter Brand (Fate) 1, Four Letter Brand (Life) 1, Four Letter Brand (Gift) 1, plexiglas mirror and charred wood, Goodman Gallery

Alfredo Jaar, Other People Think, 2012, lightbox with transparency, Goodman Gallery

Hey, I do too!

Julian Opie, Walking in the rain, London, Walking in the rain, Seoul, 2015, screenprints, Alan Cristea Gallery

Polígrafa Obra Gráfica

Every gallery booth has a table and chairs for their staff, sometimes also for the laying out of books and brochures and whatnot, but this cardboard-style desk and chairs set looked very interesting!

Isabel Nolan, There will be time no longer, 2014, mild steel, wadding, wool and thread, Kerlin Gallery

Isabel Nolan, The emptied room: A rug for the 20th Century, 2014, hand tufted wool, Kerlin Gallery

Liam Gillick, Intermodal Elevation, 2015, powder coated aluminium, plexiglas, Kerlin Gallery

So many people at Art Basel! Just don’t stand too still to be thought of as a sculpture…

Norberto Roldan, Viper, 2015, oil and acrylic on canvas, Arndt

Love it! The quote is perfect, and I like the juxtaposition with an image of a fighter jet.

Leung Mee Ping, Expected Departure, x-rays, light boxes, 2006-14, Osage

I actually find this concept of x-ray images of various vomit bags really interesting! There’s a Hello Kitty bag, Thai Airways bag…

Yifei Chen, Early Morning (Suzhou), 1983, oil on canvas, Hammer Galleries

Yifei Chen, Leisurely Boat Ride (Suzhou, China), 1983, oil on canvas, Hammer Galleries

Yang Maoyuan, THEY are coming to Hong Kong, 2014, mixed media, Platform China

The title made me crack up so hard, HAHAHA! My favorite is the horse, there’s also a mutated camel and blue ball monster in the background. Weird creatures or not, doesn’t the horse look so real? You can really see the meticulousness that Yang put into his work in the details of the horse’s face, with small sweat/saliva beads on its little hairs.

João Vasco Paiva, Mausoleum, 2015, acrylic on stone resin modules on galvanized mild steel structure, Edouard Malingue Gallery

I first saw Paiva’s works in his Near and Elsewhere exhibition at Edouard Malingue Gallery at the end of 2013 and I remember my favorite were his stone resin works representing the styrofoam boxes you often see at wet markets in Wanchai (Hong Kong). That was my first foray into contemporary art! It was really nice to see Paiva’s works again but now in a larger than life format!

Fernando Botero, Man with dog, 2005, oil on canvas, galerie gmurzynska

Pablo Picasso, Femme à la robe verte, 1956, oil on canvas, Acquavella

I love how this painting was hung beside a photograph of Picasso at work. Can you spot the painting in the photograph? :)

Wayne Thiebaud, Four Heart Cakes, 1971, pen and ink on paper; Ten Candies, 2000, pastel on paper, Acquavella

Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (568-1), 1984, oil on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art

Jeff Koons, Flower Drawing (Red), 2011, mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating; reflecting Andy Warhol, Endangered Species (Ram), 1983, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas, Van de Weghe Fine Art

Kitty Chou, Conflation #2, 2012, inkjet on Hahnemühle photo rag paper; Wang Keping, Femme, 2006, acacia;  Tseng Kwong Chi, Paris, France (Female Figure and Eiffel), 1983, silver gelatin print, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Alexander Calder, Poisson Avec Tête Humaine, 1976, metal painted hanging mobile, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Vik Muniz, Forbidden City (Postcards from Nowhere), 2014, digital C-print, Ben Brown Fine Arts

I love Muniz’s Postcards from Nowhere series! He builds images of places and people with scraps of paper, postcards, and the like, with the scraps themselves containing images related to the overall image Muniz creates. The final piece we see is a photograph of his work.

Gavin Turk, Refuse, 2012, painted bronze, Ben Brown Fine Arts

This is too funny. It’s the shiniest and most refined bag of trash I’ve seen because it’s made of bronze! I really wonder where this artwork can be displayed though…

William Tillyer, The Frobisher Paintings, Oranges on a Plate, 2015, acrylic and mesh on canvas, Bernard Jacobson Gallery

Andy Warhol, Mao, 1973, synthetic polymer and silkscreen on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1970, set of ten screenprints on paper, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

It’s again great to see works from modern artists like Pop Art forerunner Andy Warhol at Art Basel. I’m not a big fan of Warhol’s, but I do find his ideas interesting!

Alighiero Boetti, Mappa acquolina in bocca nell’anno 84 Alighiero e Boetti Afghanistan, 1983-84, embroidery on cloth, Tornabuoni Art

Pinaree Sanpitak, The Hammock, 2014/15, blown glass and steel, Yavuz Gallery

When I was younger, I always had this dream to sleep in a hammock. I never did, and I still haven’t!

Haegue Yang, Sonic Figure – Ancient Revenant, 2015, steel stand, metal grid, powder coating, casters, copper plated bells, nickel plated bells, metal rings, Galerie Chantal Crousel

Yoshitomo Nara, Setsuko the Cat, 2012, bronze, Blum & Poe

Bronze sculptures make up another part of Nara’ wide repertoire. I find this looks a little creepy, I prefer the little girls!

Pablo Picasso, Compotier et bouteille sur un guéridon (Fruit bowl and bottle on a pedestal table), 1913-17, oil on canvas, Richard Gray Gallery

Picasso’s Cubist pieces are always so fun to decipher! Love his work.

Jaume Plensa, Blake in Venice (In Seed Time Learn…), Blake in Venice (Exuberance is Beauty), Blake in Venice (One Thought Fills…), 2013, murano glass, Richard Gray Gallery

Roy Lichtenstein, Sky, Land, and Water, 1984, oil and magna on canvas, Richard Gray Gallery

Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1973, drawing paper, transparent adhesive film, staples, oil, charcoal and oil crayon on paper, Galerie Karsten Greve

That’s the end of my review of Art Basel Hong Kong 2015! I highly recommend it! Tickets are pricey, but the numerous artworks you see is worth it. What’s interesting is also all the different types of people attending the fair – besides the art collectors and buyers, there are many families, couples, students and kids! It’s a fun outing idea for everyone. :D

Dates for next year’s Art Basel in Hong Kong have already been released, it’s going to be held a little later during March 24-26, 2016! The Art Basel fairs are apparently planned a few years in advance. O.O

Till then, can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year’s fair!

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