As mentioned in my Art of 2018 post, I have so many opinions to share, so do read on as I go on at length, lol! My review of Minimalism at ArtScience Museum will be coming up soon in a separate post.

| Cover picture: Peter Kennedy, Neon Light Installations, 1970-2002, neon, composition board and synthetic polymer paint |

When the news of this new ‘blockbuster’ exhibition was released, I was quite curious and excited to see what National Gallery Singapore would come up with. Minimalism / Minimalist Art honestly isn’t the kind of art that I like that much, so I was expecting to learn more about Minimalism in the context of 1960s New York where it originated.

To start off with the exhibition opener, a little context is needed: At National Gallery Singapore, you go through a set of doors where there’s a small space, before going through another set of doors to enter the exhibition proper; same goes when you’re exiting each exhibition gallery.

So, I was a little rattled when I went through the first set of doors to be unexpectedly greeted by… Minimalist music? That was before I discovered that this was a sound exhibit and these musical exhibits are also played in other spaces between the exhibition galleries. In all fairness, I’m not that open-minded about music as I am towards art, so I find it difficult to get attuned to these kinds of ‘experimental’ music, if you will.

And then, the first exhibits you see is a section of black paintings by different artists, including Frank Stella, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. I know that the argument goes that you should slow down and ponder on these paintings… but I just don’t see how opening an exhibition with a selection of purely black paintings is a good idea.

The beginning of the Minimalism exhibition follows a textbook example with artworks by notable Minimalist artists like Donald Judd, Robert Morris, Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, and Carl Andre. Take a look at the Tate’s explanation of Minimalism here to find out more, I also find Tate’s series of Art Terms very helpful!

I find this Sol LeWitt drawing very interesting because it’s drawn by an artist from Sol LeWitt’s studio along with the help of four former LaSalle students – a nice touch! – based on the artist’s instructions. I’m still not too sure how I feel about this concept of works created from an artist’s instructions that is commonly seen in Minimalist and conceptual art from the 1960s and 70s.

On this matter, I also want to share this recent article from The Art Newspaper about the Guggenheim decommissioning works made from instructions that were deemed not authentic enough.

The main issue I had with this exhibition comes up really quickly in the first gallery alone – the space was overly crowded with artworks. Minimalist art demands the viewer to be conscious of the space that the artwork is engaging with (ref: Tate). At this exhibition, I really did feel that I needed more space to consider the works, but there were so many artworks placed quite close to each other. From just a picture of/with Ian Burn’s work, you can see three other works reflected in it!

Ian Burn’s No object implies the existence of any other is “based on a quote from the 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume on the nature of perception, knowledge and understanding.” I don’t fully grasp the meaning, but it’s funny how this object sure does reflect the existence of a few other objects in this setting.

I visited the exhibition on two occasions in December and later in February this year, but Dan Flavin, monument for V. Tatlin #43 was still not working…

I have a new fascination with Mona Hatoum’s works after seeing Impenetrable and + and – (at ArtScience Museum) in person. As I’ve always said, it really makes such a difference seeing art for yourself compared to seeing it on a screen!

At this point, the exhibition starts to break away into examples of how Minimalist tendencies have continued in contemporary art, such as Minimalism in London (e.g. Hatoum) and Minimalist work in Asia, although ArtScience Museum’s minimalism exhibition counterpart solely focuses on Minimalism in Asia.

I was quite interested in Lee’s work – godret stones “are traditionally used in Korea as weights to hold rope in place while tying knots or weaving mats”. I really like this idea of re-exploring traditional domestic objects in art.

Robert Irwin’s Untitled looks quite different / better in real life, because it’s made of one central disc that forms overlapping lights / shadows when lit. It has a very nice three-dimensional effect compared to how it appears as a flat surface when captured in a photograph.

This particular room with three very distinctive artworks is yet another example of the overcrowded feeling I got in this exhibition. You don’t get enough space to view these large works from different distances and angles – same goes for Peter Kennedy’s Neon Light Installations (cover picture above) which you could only capture in its entirety from the side of the room.

I so enjoyed being in Olafur Eliasson’s Room for one colour! It’s kind of weird at first, because you see the room in yellow – and then suddenly see the people around you in only grey tones! Photos don’t do it justice, it’s really something to experience for yourself. My eyes felt a little uncomfortable after being inside for a short while, but it’s definitely a very novel experience!

I have to say, Liu Jianhua’s Blank Paper really did look like paper with its slightly crinkled look to it, so it’s amazing to find out it’s actually made of porcelain!

Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s works always feel so deliberately intentional or full of meaning despite his use of seemingly unassuming objects, but I also find it very interesting how his works are able to capture so much attention from the viewer too.

I love how in-your-face Ai Weiwei’s Ton of tea is about, well, Pu’er tea or about Chinese tea in general. It’s a big block of dried tea leaves, and you can smell a faint waft of the tea leaves when you step closer to it.

Haegue Yang’s Sol LeWitt Upside Down series, two out of three sets captured here, hangs at the background of this picture. It’s essentially venetian blinds placed against an ultramarine blue wall, with reference to Yves Klein’s blue trademark. I’m not into it though… It looks too close to a room setting more than an installation. But I looked up other versions of Haegue Yang’s Sol LeWitt Upside Down and her large-scale installations look very cool in comparison, so perhaps it’s just these renditions that don’t work for me.

I’ve seen Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds so many times in pictures, and it felt kind of familiar when viewing it in person. It’s my favourite artwork in this exhibition (which might sound so typical, but whatever!). Each of the seeds are made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China, which is renowned for its production of porcelain and ceramics.

To see more porcelain works in Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum has a Ceramics Gallery featuring largely Chinese ceramics, that I also really like!

Tatsuo Miyajima’s work always make use of ticking numbers, as an allusion to the cycle of life and rebirth. The numbers on Mega Death (captured as bright dots in this photo) continuously count down from nine to one. When it gets to zero, the blue lights go off and the installation becomes completely dark, before it turns back on and begins its cycle again.

I actually found it all – the blue colour and the countdown – quite eerie, which I suppose makes its point as it’s a statement about the mass destruction and violence of the 20th century.

Playing around with Anish Kapoor’s Non-Object (Door)! Its concave surface causes that warped effect as seen here.

I felt that the good side to this Minimalism exhibition was being able to view many works by great contemporary artists, but problems came up in its overcrowded space and in the theme itself. Most of the exhibition was dedicated to showing how Minimalism is still seen in art today, or in the closer contemporary era, but I don’t think this idea came across convincingly.

I find the works by living artists in the latter part of the exhibition too distinctive to be compiled under this broad idea of Minimalism. While the wall texts link each artwork to a certain concept found in original Minimalist works, I felt that the overall curation lost an established idea of what Minimalism is, or in showing why these works could be considered Minimalist in some way(s). I enjoyed viewing these works individually, but their relation to a curated theme of Minimalism just didn’t come across well to me.

I was finding it so difficult to express my thoughts on this exhibition clearly in this post, and then I got the idea to include a rating system! I think it’ll be so fun to include it in all my other exhibition reviews too!

For this exhibition, I’m going to give it 3 out of 5 stars – good artworks overall, but a lack of a curatorial direction makes the exhibition experience not very enjoyable. Share your opinions on this exhibition – leave your rating below!

3 / 5 stars for Minimalism: Space. Light. Object. at National Gallery Singapore

The post Minimalism at NGS | Maxed Out Galleries appeared first on Wording Art.

I currently find myself in a spot of free time that inadvertently came along unplanned, which leaves me feeling a little unsettled since I always want to know what direction I’m moving in. But, for now, I am enjoying this break, and I’m trying to make time to pursue my interests, and it feels nice to have this pause to think back on the past year.

But to go back to what ‘Prospect and Refuge’ is in the first place, it is a theory coined by the geographer and academic Jay Appleton in 1975 relating to architecture and how we perceive our spaces by looking to fulfil two desires of prospect (opportunity) and refuge (safety). A simple idea is like how I like to hang out in cosy cafe corners yet have a view of the outdoors while I blog, right about now!

Under the giant awning at South Beach.

Thinking further on it, I just thought it was a perfect way to sum up the feeling of having big dreams and wanting to keep moving forward but also wanting to stay comfortable. Last June, it felt really difficult to move away from Hong Kong because it was letting go of an amazing experience that I didn’t feel ready to move on from, though it is necessary for practicalities to come first (sometimes).

Though, of course, moving back to Singapore isn’t a bad thing at all! I spent a lot of time at first wandering around this sparkling, beautiful city.

Made my first stop of my exploring at the Apple Store which opened last May in Knightsbridge Mall (what a fancy name). I’m so grateful for it now because I sent my very precious Macbook there for repair when it broke down last month and the service was so good!! Just sharing my appreciation. :D

I also caught art exhibitions – like the massive Yayoi Kusama exhibition at National Gallery Singapore that I completely forgot to share on any platform whatsoever – that I plan to share here later as a way of catching up with everything over the last year. Art museums here are mostly housed in old, grand, colonial buildings with a touch of contemporary glass and chrome elements which Singapore is so good at at adding to old buildings.

When the polka dot phenomenon took over Singapore last summer.

A good mix of old and new in the National Museum of Singapore.

But geez, that transition between graduation and full-on ‘adulting’ is a tricky one! Despite all the well-meaning ‘advice’ you hear, you don’t really know what to expect until you start the job application grind, and thankfully, land your first interview and then the job (!!) after months of seemingly unending waiting time. But that’s if you decide to enter the workforce – making the decision to continue in postgraduate studies or to go out to work was even tricker to me.

Oh, the dilemma.

Revisited this gem The Thinker by Rodin at OUE Bayfront except it’s now politely barricaded. And I’ve got a much better-working phone camera with me now compared to the last time I captured this in Sculptures on the Street which I worked on 3 years ago now and I’m still so proud of!

Also saw this crazy hyperrealistic figure of a security guard by Marc Sijan at OUE Bayfront. Almost thought ‘he’ was real but it’s on a podium so it’s a piece of art, see!

I always took my (tertiary) education seriously, so I wouldn’t want to pursue postgraduate studies only for the purpose of ‘escaping reality’, but really to expand my knowledge and pursue my academic interest in a specific field (art history, of course!). That’s all and well, but then also comes the deciding factors of where I wanted to enter, funding matters, and the unavoidable point of your age matched to your amount of work experience (hi, real job, what internship?).

Another new photo of an old favourite: Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor outside Artscience Museum.

In my final year of undergraduate studies, I asked a few professors about choosing between work and studies and I realised that there wasn’t one answer that could solve it all for me. After choosing to work first, when talking to colleagues about postgraduate studies, everyone also has varying ideas about how many years you should work first before studying further.

So, to anyone who happens to be stuck in this dilemma, weighing the pros and cons, considering the weight of what you might be losing out on or gaining in return, all I can say is: funnily enough, the quite unpleasant application process would help clear up whether or not you are ready for it, so plan ahead and give it a shot if you really want to do it!

Open call-out to SMU: please add a didactic next to this! It’s Bright Idea by Sir Michael Craig-Martin, isn’t it? I think it fits this university campus setting much better than the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, doesn’t it?

With that said, going out to work was great in propelling me out of my ‘refuge’ zone and in seeing what my prospects are. Identifying those prospects also gave me goals to look toward, one such as the ideal yet probably not very reachable ‘work-life balance’ (hahaha, in Singapore/Hong Kong, the ultimate dream).

Stopped for a photo break while cycling from East Coast Park to the Marina Bay area on a sweltering hot day last June.

Half-joking aside, work gave me a literal case of expectations vs. reality. For many of us art history students, the career goal is always to become a curator. Same goes for me! We might get student curating projects, and some people might remind students that to become an curator at the point of actually curating exhibitions takes a long time.

Side note: it’s funny and ridiculous how everything is ‘curated’ these days. Let me give an example: Reader, you are currently on Wording Art, a blog of curated art posts! Okay, but enough of that – curating is way far more than putting objects together in an exhibition and writing about it. It was only after beginning work in the field that I realised how wide the job of being a curator really is, which I think is great for managing my expectations of the job and seeing how I would like to keep moving forward in work.

Loving these boards for a store that is coming soon at Wisma Atria… What is it?? A fantastically themed cafe or retail concept? I’m just dying to know!

I suppose I’m writing this to ground myself somehow in my current stage of in-between-ness. The very wise words by Lewis Carroll couldn’t be more fitting for what I’m thinking about right now. And right now, I’m also really glad to have this little digital space of my own here that in one way, I see as a record of all the art things I’d seen and where I was at, and in the same way, this post serves the same purpose too.

Looking down from the 8th floor of the Central Public Library, where I discovered their fantastic reference section of art history books!

With all that said, here’s to new opportunities and good things ahead! And to more posts overcrowded with pretty pictures, as per usual, hahaha!

The post Prospect and Refuge | In Architecture, Art and in Life appeared first on Wording Art.

GALLERY

• Anish Kapoor 

Anish Kapoor’s art is in Hong Kong! I think many people would know him for his Cloud Gate in Chicago (or the bean!). Gagosian gallery is showing the London-based sculptor’s works in his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, which features some of his well-known mirrored sculptures. I liked seeing his mirrored works on the street (like the one shown above, also see this post) or in art fairs, as they reflect the people and environment around them, but it would be interesting to see how they work in a clean gallery space.

September 12 – November 5, 2016, Gagosian (Hong Kong), 7/F Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central, Hong Kong, more info here.

ART FAIR

• Fine Art Asia 2016

The last art fair in Hong Kong’s art scene in the year, Fine Art Asia showcases art and antiquities from Asia, including Chinese material culture, decorative art, ink paintings, and contemporary art. It’s a different sort of art fair from most of the contemporary art fairs in Hong Kong, and I find it nice that it offers a different look at art.

2 – 5 October 2016, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, more info on ticketing and opening times here.

FESTIVAL

• 4th HKIPF (Hong Kong International Photo Festival)

HKIPF is a biannual festival that celebrates and promotes photography as an artistic medium, and comprises of a number of photography exhibitions. Two exhibition highlights:

• David Clarke and Xu Xi: Interruptions

Interruptions took on a refreshing form of exhibition in its combination of photography and writing. The exhibition starts with a photo by Clarke, which Xu responded to with an essay, which triggered the next photographic selection, and the cycle repeats for a total of 12 photos and essays. I recommend viewing the catalogue to read Xu’s essays in full!

14 September – 16 October 2016, University Museum and Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, more info here.

• Picturing Asia: Double Take – The Photography of Brian Brake and Steve McCurry

I find Steve McCurry’s photographs arresting and just really striking, so I’m happy to see more of Steve McCurry in Hong Kong! Asia Society’s current exhibition connects the two photographers Brian Brake and Steve McCurry in the way they gave the West “glimpses of the East,” and showcases some of their famous photographs, including Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl.

10 September 2016 – 7 January 2017, Chantal Miller Gallery, Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong, more info here.

• World Press Photo 2016

One of the key exhibitions of the HKIPF is World Press Photo 2016 opening at the end of the month, and it features over 150 photographs from the World Press Photo competition related to various topics. This one looks really really interesting, I’m excited to check it out!

L0 & L1 Gallery, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, Shek Kip Mei, 30 Pak Tin Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong, more info here.

MUSEUM

• Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies

After National Gallery Singapore’s first collaboration with Centre Pompidou for the exhibition Reframing Modernism (which I accidentally missed), National Gallery Singapore’s next collaboration is going to be with Tate Britain! Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies is going to be a Part II of Tate Britain’s exhibition Artist and Empire that ended April this year. Colonialism (and post-colonialism) is still very much a phenomenon that affects us in some way or another, and it would be interesting to see what and how the artworks would be presented especially from the perspective of the colonized.

I thought that I would have to miss this exhibition, but I’m happy to see it would be ongoing for a few months! I should probably be able to make it to Singapore within that time…

6 Oct 2016 – 26 Mar 2017, Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery, National Gallery Singapore, more info here.

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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.

Using sculptures as Singapore’s preferred form of public art is, to me, actually a great idea given Singapore’s wide spaces and greenery and its buildings’ shiny facades. The sculptures are mostly located in Singapore’s business and shopping areas, so they are planted perfectly along a tourist’s route! :D

| Cover picture: David Gerstein, Momentum, 2007, Raffles Quay |

So I decided to take a city tour, and see the sculptures on display. I started off my sculpture hunting with David Gerstein’s sculpture (above). I’d been driven past it so many times on numerous joyrides so it’s definitely familiar.

While looking for a spot to take a good shot, I discovered so many other sculptures at Raffles Place! I’d never found a reason to go into the business district, so the range of sculptures in the area were all completely new to me.

Yang Ying-Feng, Progress & Advancement, commissioned and presented by Lien Ying Chow on 8.8.1988

A sculpture tracking Singapore’s kampong past to the modern skyscaper views we have today.

Anish Kapoor, Ocean Financial Centre

Ocean Financial Centre

Jaume Plensa, Soul, 2011, painted stainless steel

An open sculpture of a seated figure with his knees brought to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. I’m not too keen on the sitting position, but I do love the Chinese characters, English and Malay letters and the Tamil words that make up the figure. It well represents Singapore’s linguistic diversity, and is very effective in catching your attention.

This is located at the back of Ocean Financial Centre, and you can see David Gerstein’s Momentum across the road from here.

Past the large green space at Raffles Place, there is Ocean Financial Centre. Beyond its sculptures around the building, it has a gorgeous triangle-paneled roof and also boasts a Guinness World Record for the world’s Largest Vertical Garden.

Golden Shoe

This is an exception, but this long colorful mural of people shopping and dining was too good not to share.

Salvador Dalí, Homage to Newton, 1985, bronze with dark patina, UOB Plaza

Seeing a work of Dalí on the street was an absolutely delightful surprise! He was an important player of the Surrealism movement that started in the 1920s. I’m not familiar with the period, but to summarize it simply, it played with ideas relating to the subconscious and the mind. To know more, do check out this essay on Surrealism at Met Museum.

Putting that aside, this sculpture pays homage to Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of the law of gravity. The story goes that an apple fell on Newton’s head while he was sitting under an apple tree and then, Eureka! He discovered gravity. The falling apple is represented by the ball hanging from the right hand of the figure.

I like the detail of the ball in the figure’s chest though, because it looks like it represents the figure’s CG (center of gravity), HA!

One Raffles Place

Royal Group Building

Royal One Philip

Henry Moore, Large Reclining Figure, 1984, OCBC Centre

Fernando Botero, Bird, 1932, bronze, UOB Plaza

I don’t think I’m the only one who has walked along the streets of Clarke Quay and wondered what this large bird is doing smack dab beside the river. Turns out it’s part of UOB Plaza, and the bird is meant to signify peace and serenity. I find it funny how I never guessed it was Botero’s work either, as it’s in keeping with Botero’s voluptuous artworks. Bird has been around since 1990.

Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, 1902, OUE Bayfront

I’ve seen this for a while now and really, The Thinker is one of those artworks that is known everywhere. I was really excited this time to see it again because I’d just learned a bit about Rodin’s works in a class last semester, and also learned that The Thinker was made by Rodin himself. (I’d never heard of Rodin, but I knew of The Thinker, HAHAHA.)

Rodin was a sculptor of the Symbolism period that started in the 1880s. I don’t understand and/or like Symbolism and/or Symbolist artists in general, but Rodin is the exception for me. Rodin is brilliant at imbuing his sculpted figures with character and emotion, and showing the figures’ bodily tension using only the single material of bronze. This is something I always miss, but take a look again, and you’ll notice that The Thinker‘s right arm is bent on his left knee. His entire body also looks like it’s going in on itself, and he’s balancing on a small slab of stone, much too small to seat his large figure. In real life, it would be way uncomfortable.

Another thing is that Rodin liked to leave his sculptures looking unrefined. You can see how he worked the sculpture with his hands especially on the stone seat, and the figure definitely doesn’t look “perfect.” This could be said to be related to Symbolist themes, but I’m not good at talking about Symbolism, so do check out this essay on Symbolism at Met Museum.

Merlion Park

There’s a park called Merlion Park with a mini Merlion right behind the actual Merlion. This is so hilarious!

Roy Lichtenstein, Six Brushstrokes, 1997, aluminium, Roy Lichtenstein Sculpture Plaza, Millenia Walk

I’ve seen these sculptures so many times, but I never knew these were by Roy Lichtenstein of Pop Art fame! These last few works of Lichtenstein’s combine Chinese calligraphic techniques with Western artistic themes. I don’t really see it, to be honest; I always just thought they were colorful and fun.

ASEAN Sculpture Garden, Fort Canning Park

These sculptures are part of the ASEAN Sculpture Garden in Singapore’s iconic Fort Canning Park but I got scared away from exploring more because of mosquitoes. -.-

Green space opposite UE Square

Furama Riverfront Hotel

Ion Orchard

Kumari Nahappan, Nutmeg & Mace, 2009, bronze, Ion Orchard

Fun fact: Ion Orchard’s site used to be a nutmeg plantation!

Ion Orchard

Ion Orchard

Wei Chi Jing De, 1975, Hilton Hotel

Qiu Shu Bao, 1975, Hilton Hotel

These figures were generals of Emperor Tang Tai Zong in the Tang dynasty (618 CE) who were thought to possess special powers. They are seen as guardians of doorways in popular Chinese belief.

Anthony Poon, Sense Surround #4, 2006, painted aluminium, St. Regis Hotel

Li Chen, Dragon-Riding Bodhisattva, 2001, St. Regis Hotel

Dr. Ng Eng Teng, Mother & Child, beside Forum The Shopping Mall

Gramercy Park sales gallery, before Tomlinson Road

Gillman Barracks

Alocassia Apartments

Yayoi Kusama, Let’s Go to a Paradise of Glorious Tulips, 2009, mixed media, Orchard Central rooftop

I never thought I would see a piece by Yayoi Kusama, known for her polka-dotted works, for the first time in Singapore!

Victor Tan Wee Tar, The Stair, The Clouds and The Sky, 2009, stainless steel wires and rods, Orchard Central rooftop

Anish Kapoor, Sky Mirror, 2010, stainless steel, collection of Marina Bay Sands, lily pond outside of ArtScience Museum

UPDATE: Freshly viewed sculpture along the beautiful stretch outside the ArtScience Museum! Sky Mirror aptly reflects the sky, and a bit of the lotus design of ArtScience Museum.

There are so many sculptures on the streets of Singapore and I still have a few in mind that I haven’t got round to visiting yet. The biggest surprise for me was discovering artworks by renowned modern artists and popular contemporary artists that had long been sitting on the streets waiting to be discovered.

I will update this post when I do see more! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this post and have fun hunting them down for yourself if you’re in Singapore! ;)

The post Sculptures on the Street appeared first on Wording Art.

As with last year, I’ve given in to the fact that I would miss some works that I would have really really wanted to see but the halls are just too big not to miss some here and there. The art fair is split into two exhibition halls, Hall 1 and 3, at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre and this post is dedicated to Hall 1!

Qin Jun, void G-1, 2015, acrylic on canvas, White Space Beijing

Zhou Jie, Wonderful Plan, 2015, steel wire, Bejing Art Now Gallery

Zhou creates a room setting with a multi-colored wall and floor with steel panels sticking out and up, along with armchairs and a small table, a pair of slippers and a rabbit “soft” toy! I found the rabbit an adorable touch. :)

Keisuke Tanaka, Black Box, 2015, camphor tree, Yamamoto Gendai

I have a compulsion to stick a picture in the frame when I see this, but the details are all in the frame itself!

Motohiko Odani, Aero Former – The Thinking Ground, 2014, cast aluminium, Yamamoto Gendai

Thilo Heinzmann, O. T., 2014, oil, pigment on canvas behind plexiglass cover, Carl Freedman Gallery

Julian Opie, Sport man, 2014; Woman texting with man looking on, 2013; Checkered umbrella, 2014 (left to right), silkscreen on painted wooden board, Gerhardsen Gerner

There were plenty of works by Opie at the fair and I’m a new fan! I love cities, so Opie’s works based on contemporary city life are right up my alley.

Georg Herold, Untitled, 2014, aluminium, lacquer, Gerhardsen Gerner

Joseph Kosuth, P.G. #9, 1991, warm white neon directly mounted to the wall, Lia Rumma

Ettore Spalletti, Parole di colore, rosso porpora, 2011, mixture of color on panel, Lia Rumma

I have to say I’m not a fan of color field painting, which started in the 1950s and is part of the art period Abstract Expressionism. So this contemporary take is not a particular favorite, but I do like the color! I wonder how many selfies were taken with this…

Erik Schmidt, White Night Dream, 2015, oil on canvas, carlier gebauer

Hrair Sarkissian, istory (No. 5); istory (No. 8) (left to right), 2011, archival inkjet print, Kalfayan Galleries

Nina Papaconstantinou, Giorgos Cheimonas, Peisistratus, 2011; Karagatsis, 2010; Nikos Kavvadias, 2011; Miltos Sachtouris, Colorwounds (clockwise from top left), 2011, carbon copy on paper, Kalfayan Galleries

Hrair Sarkissian, Stand Still, 2009, archival inkjet print, Kalfayan Galleries

I really like this one! I found the stillness striking, and that was before I read its apt title.

Brendan Huntley, all Untitled, Tolarno Galleries

I found this row of small sculptures both quirky and weird, but I found it interesting how they were distinct from each other when viewed from both the front and back. Three out of this row of seven had already been sold on the day I went to the fair, as you can see from the stickers on their didactic panels. Which would you have chosen? ;)

Tim Maguire, Trees and Snow I, Trees and Snow II, Trees and Snow III, Trees and Snow IV, Trees and Snow V, 2014, latex ink on paper, framed, Tolarno Galleries

Seungyul Oh, Dottori, Dottori, 2014, fiberglass; Periphery, Periphery, 2015, acrylic on canvas, One and J. Gallery

Oh’s works are so cute and lively! The two Periphery with their color blocking borders and the two Dottori that look like acorns to me seem so random when placed together but it works, don’t you think?

Henning Strassburger, Think Radically, 2015, Sies + Höke

Li Qiang, 2014 visual diary, 2014, oil on canvas, Mizuma Art Gallery

Meng Huang, Space 4, Space 1, Space 2, Space 3, 2009, oil on canvas, Galerie Urs Meile

Xu Longsen, Beholding the Mountain with Awe No. 1, 2008-09, ink on paper, Hanart TZ Gallery; Wang Keping, Les Spectateurs (Man and Woman), 1999, wood, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery; Shooshie Sulaiman, SEA Brothers Rubber Estate of 16 March, 2005, rubber sheets, wood structures and zinc roofing, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Encounters (back to front)

One of the highlights of Art Basel is its Encounters sector that specially feature sculptures and installations that are both attention-grabbing and eye-catching. It’s really something when you reach these designated spaces in the exhibition halls and see the massive artworks! And they make great markers for navigating the endless maze of white gallery booths, HAHAHA.

Anish Kapoor, Untitled, Gladstone Gallery

I think it’s going to become a tradition of mine to take a selfie with a mirrored artwork at every Hong Kong edition of Art Basel. Unconventionally, Kapoor’s piece offers an upside down selfie. Pictured here is my sister Kylene (citygirlcitystories.com) and I!

Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery

I can’t find the details of this piece but it’s a video/moving image piece showing people walking. Its placement beside Opie’s artwork pictured below is just perfect!

Julian Opie, Walking in Sinsa-dong. 1., 2014, silkscreen on painted wooden board, Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery

Sinsa-dong is a neighborhood (‘dong’ meaning neighborhood in Korean) in the district of Gangnam, Seoul. I’ve never been to Seoul but Kylene told me that Opie’s depiction of the people’s clothes here is accurate, with the women’s love for wedges and the guys with their baseball caps. I love these small details!

Anselm Kiefer, Untitled (under glass), 2007, mixed media on canvas, Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery

Siobhán Hapaska, Intifada, 2014, olive trees, aluminium, electric motors, electric cable, Kerlin Gallery

Hapaska’s installation was part of the Encounters sector and it features vibrating olive trees attached to electric motors. I found the noise generated from the electric motors annoying but you could say that was the desired effect. The Arabian word Intifada literally means ‘shaking off,’ but also has popular associations with rebellion or resistance. This installation however intends to convey an idea of “‘shaking off,’ which limits a better future.” (Information taken from the Encounters brochure.)

Tracey Emin, I Fell in Love here, 2014, neon, Lehmann Maupin

Emin has a large range of works but my favorite is definitely her neon word series with short sentences that cut straight to the point and are just striking.

UPDATE: Do check out Artsy’s comprehensive page on Tracey Emin here to know more about Emin and view more of her works! Artsy’s Tracey Emin page contains a short bio, a selection of art pieces including neon ones like I Fell in Love here, information about her recent exhibitions, and other articles by the Artsy team. Of course, Artsy also has many other artist pages and useful information that I’m always looking up myself! :)

Tim Rollins and K.O.S., A Midsummer Night’s Dream (after Shakespeare and Mendelssohn), 2014, watercolor, ink, fruit juices, Thai mulberry paper, collage, mustard seed, music score pages on canvas, Lehmann Maupin

Mary Corse, Untitled (White Inner Band, Beveled), 2012, glass microspheres in acrylic on canvas, Lehmann Maupin

Teresita Fernández, Golden (Constellation 1), 2015, gold chroming and india ink on wood panel, Lehmann Maupin

Love this! Love love love love love.

Adel Abdessemed, Queen Mary II (le fils), 2007, metal, David Zwirner

Jeff Koons, Buster Keaton, 1988, polychromed wood, David Zwirner

Buster Keaton (1895-1966) was a famous American actor and iconic figure who probably doesn’t need any introduction but who I honestly have not heard of before. The name ‘Franz Wieser’ is imprinted at the bottom of this sculpture but I can’t find any information on what it might possibly mean.

John Baldessari, Beethoven’s Trumpet (With Ear), Opus 127, 2007, resin, fiberglass, bronze, aluminium, and electronics, Marian Goodman Gallery

Pace Gallery

Funny scenes at Art Basel Hong Kong…

Alexander Calder, Untitled, c, 1952, sheet metal, wire and paint, Pace Gallery

I love mobiles and I first saw one, also by Calder, at last year’s Art Basel Hong Kong. Calder’s mobiles are back again but I really wish to see more of them in the general art scene!

Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1972, sheet metal, wire and paint, Pace Gallery

Pablo Picasso, Buste de Femme Couchee, 1939, pencil on paper, Pace Gallery

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1968, acrylic on paper mounted on masonite, Pace Gallery

Art Basel Hong Kong always brings in 20th century modern art and it’s really nice to see works from artists I learned about in class in real life! I think Picasso is a genius, but I didn’t like Rothko’s color field paintings so much and seeing his work here didn’t change my mind.

Xu Bing, Book from the Ground: From • to •, 2012, book, Eslite Gallery

Xu Bing, Men, Nursery, Women sign, 2000, screenprint, Eslite Gallery

Xu Bing, Book from the Ground, 2012, print, Eslite Gallery

Xu Bing, An Introduction to Square Word Calligraphy, Printed Textbook, 2000, woodblock hand-printed book and ink rubbings with wood cover; water-based ink on grass paper, Eslite Gallery

Before seeing Xu’s works here, I had the chance to hear Xu speak about his work at Asia Society Hong Kong’s Conversations with Artists event. He intentionally chose not to speak about his square word calligraphy work, and it was his other works that won me over. He mentioned his Phoenix installation which is absolutely stunning!

Anyway, I still find his square word calligraphy and book from the ground series very innovative. Book from the Ground: From • to • is also lovely because – it’s a pretty stack of books! Any book lover will understand, haha!

Dzine (Carlos Rolón), Around the way, 2013, mixed media: metal, 24Kt. gold leaf, glass, mirror, vintage jewelry, quartz crystals, and latex, Leeahn Gallery

Damien Hirst, Singapore, 2014, scalpel blades, skin graft blades, zips, stitching needles, aluminium fillings, pins, stainless steel studs, safety pins and gloss paint on canvas, White Cube

This crowd favorite gave me a vague sense of familiarity when I first saw it and it turned out to be an aerial view of Singapore! Hirst certainly got it well mapped.

Edmund de Waal, breathturn, II, 2013, 416 porcelain vessels in aluminium and plexiglass cabinet, Gagosian Gallery

Zeng Fanzhi, Untitled, 2012, oil on canvas; Untitled, 2014, cast silver, Gagosian Gallery

Piotr Uklański, Untitled (Nightflight to Venus), 2014, agate, coal, bismuth, chrysophase, electroplated gold thread and embroidery floss on velvet; Untitled (Immortal Enlightenment), 2014, electroplated embroidery thread, cotton, polyester embroidery floss, healing crystals, minerals, ceramic beads and glue on velvet, Gagosian Gallery

Nezaket Ekici, Emotion in Motion, London, 2013, performance installation, video performance, Pi Artworks

Nilo Ilarde, Faulty Landscape, 2002-2015, installation made from discarded paint tube caps, Artinformal

This ‘landscape of painting’ is fantastic – paint tube caps fill the entire wall of the booth, empty paint tubes spill out of a box, and the center display shows many tubes of paint in various colors, some in the shape of pressed paint tubes. Ilarde’s words on the wall sound a little sad, but I really like the novelty of his work.

Yoshitomo Nara, The Mini Puff Marshies (yellow), 2006, FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic), Johnen Galerie

It’s yellow, and it’s puffy! Kylene told me it reminded her of baos (Chinese buns) especially from the back (seen in the cover picture), HAHAHA.

Rodney Graham, Cylindro-chromatic Abstraction Construction #20, Cylindro-chromatic Abstraction Construction #19 (left to right), 2014, gouache auf Holz, gerahmt – gouache on wood, framed, Johnen Galerie

Wen Ling, Star Gallery

Mika Tajima, Furniture Art (Marseille), Furniture Art (Peshawar), Furniture Art (Carrefour), Furniture Art (Naoshima), Furniture Art (Venice), Furniture Art (Santiago de los Caballeros), 2015, spray enamel, thermoformed acrylic, Eleven Rivington

Taeyoon Kim, Evermore, 2014-15, customized software, multi-channel display, supported by LG Ultra HD TV, One and J. Gallery

Kim’s video installation in the Encounters sector is actually very cute, with bouncy polka dots floating around in a blue space. While taking a look at the didactic panel though, I also had to commend the general Korean talent for product placement.

Gao Weigang, Consume, 2014, stainless steel, titanium, Shanghai Gallery of Art

Robert Longo, Untitled (Belaggio), 2013, charcoal on mounted paper, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

I still can’t believe this is not a photograph or at least some kind of digital piece. How does this look like charcoal at all!

Farhad Moshiri, Spin, 2013, embroidery on canvas, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

I can’t say I like this artwork much, but I found the use of beads and sequins in forming this large image very impressive.

Myungkeun Koh, Duomo, 2014, digital film 3D-collage, plastic, Gallery Skape

Guan Yong, Untitled, 2014, oil on canvas, Magician Space

Li Jinghu, Counting Stars, 2005, roof tile, Magician Space

I was enamored with this artwork with its star shapes and the roof tile material. The bittersweet story behind it made me love it even more. It represents Li’s fond memories of sitting on the rooftops of now torn-down houses counting the stars, back in his home in Dongguan, Changan. There’s always news about the rapid development in China and its demolishment of old towns and villages, but it’s real stories like these that get to me.

Liu Shiyuan, Andersen’s Contemporary

This rocking chair on balloons was an Instagram favorite! I really wonder how this works, since the balloons never burst.

Spencer Finch, Aldebaran, 2014, powder-coated steel and fluorescent light, James Cohan Gallery

Claudio Parmiggiani, Senza Titolo, 1995, plaster and cadmium yellow pigments, Meessen De Clercq

I think seeing this, people will think of Michelangelo’s David, a Renaissance sculpture made in the years 1501-1504. The 16th century in Western art history saw a revival of the Classical (Greco-Roman) tradition, one of its identifying features being the interest in rendering and idealizing the human body. Later on in the 19th century, marked by the onset of modernity, artists rejected the Classical tradition.

But really, the best way to show your rejection of the Classical tradition would be to behead a human sculpture…

Fabrice Samyn, Untitled, 2014, oil and turpentine on canvas, Meessen De Clercq

Shintaro Miyake, Excursions in Asia – Hong Kong, 2015, ink and acrylic on board, Tomio Koyama Gallery

Shintaro Miyake, Excursions in Asia – Singapore, 2015, ink and acrylic on board, Tomio Koyama Gallery

Miyake was actually on-site painting but I missed seeing him! I like how he incorporates real details of both places in his works, but I prefer his interpretation of Singapore to that of Hong Kong.

Poklong Anading, Counter Acts II, 2012/2014, chromogenic transparency in lightbox, 1335Mabini

Poklong Anading, Anonymity, 2004-12, chromogenic transparency in lightboxes, set of nine images, 1335Mabini

Thomas Demand, Bloom, 2014, C-print / Diasec, Sprüth Magers Berlin London

Andreas Gursky, SH IV, 2014, Sprüth Magers Berlin London

I really like this but it has an aura of enigma to it. At the eye level, you see the glassy building for miles before spotting the two small figures at the bottom. There’s a figure all in black, and he’s facing a person dressed in what looks to be like a Spiderman suit. I actually really like Spiderman. Anyway, there’s no clear logic or reason to this and the title just adds to my confusion but I really like it!

There’s always a fun energy at Art Basel Hong Kong and I’m always happy to see so many great works of art. Part II will be up next, featuring artworks from Hall 3! In the meantime, check out my sister Kylene’s witty post Overheard at Art Basel Hong Kong on www.citygirlcitystories.com! ;D

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