+ TriSpace

6.3 m
ICAS: Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, LASALLE College of the Arts Issue 02 | November 2010

TRISPACE
Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore LASALLE College of the Arts

EDITORIAL

By Dr Charles Merewether Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore

Welcome to the second edition of Trispace+. this effort has developed in response to the important role and work produced by artists who live in Singapore, but have not been defined Singaporean artists. This includes the work of Isabelle Desjeux and Andre Weschler, and of Li Cassidy-Peet. The argument here is to make a case for broadening the framework of reference so as to be more inclusive of good practice regardless of nationality. Finally, it is with great pleasure that we are able to exhibit the student artists who are taking the Masters in Fine Arts programme at LASALLE. ICAS is committed to working with all Faculties throughout the year-long programme in initiating exhibits large and small. The Masters exhibition will highlight the achievements of its students. Slowly, the ICAS broadens its horizons to encourage and provide spaces to all of the arts. This reflects both the significant breadth of LASALLE and alongside the innovative spirit in developing programmes in music, sound, dance and other performing arts. In producing this edition of TriSpace+, I wish to thank Kimberly Shen as well as my staff and the writers who devoted time and energy into supporting us, and the artists about whom they have written.

We are delighted to be able to publish this issue and with it news of our recent and upcoming activities. Most importantly, we present our first three artists who have exhibited work for the first time as solo exhibitions at TriSpace. These have been, in my view, most successful not only because of the quality of the work itself but, also, because each of the artists have had the courage to present their work even if it had been in the process of development. In accordance with the ambition of TriSpace, it became a testing ground, a place to experiment. This complements the view that LASALLE itself is an artistic laboratory where experimentation is of an essence to the success of higher education and the development of new ideas and forms of artistic practice. This possibility nurtures a creative energy that is essential to the imaginative potential of a community. In Western Europe there exists the model of the Italian Renaissance, but, perhaps more significant as a prototype to the contemporary and to ourselves, are the great achievements of the Vkhutemas in Russia, the Bauhaus in Germany or Black Mountain College in North America. Some of the great artists of the twentieth century such as Malevich, Tatlin and Kandinsky all taught at Vkhutemas. As a school, it offered courses in painting, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and woodwork, textiles, ceramics, typography and architecture as much as educational tools for training future generations of artists and designers. In the 1925 international exhibition held in Paris, the great architect Melnikov designed the stadium and two students of Vkhutemas were awarded the Grand Prix. The First exhibition of Contemporary Architecture took place in Moscow in 1927 at Vkhutemas and the first prize was received by the architects: the Vesnin brothers for a design of the Palace of Labor. Both were teachers of the Vkhutemas. This issue of TriSpace+ also offers a snapshot of six of the recent exhibitions held in the ICAS galleries, notably Heimat, Eccentric City - Rise and Fall, The Future of Exhibition, Tropical Lab, Transmission Experience and The Winston Oh Travel Award 2010. The forthcoming exhibits for the ICAS explores further across Asia and within Singapore. This includes Dis/placement:6, showing current work of six Korean artists who live in Singapore, as well as exhibits from both Indonesia and the Philippines. In the Indonesian exhibition Manifesto of the New Aesthetic: Seven Artists from Indonesia, the guest curator Alia Swastika has selected seven artists whose work identifies the emergence of new forms of artistic language since 1998 and is response to a changing political context within Indonesia and the impact of globalisation. At the beginning of January 2011, there will be an exhibition dedicated to the prominent artist Roberto Chabet from the Philippines. He has had a major influence as a teacher and an artist on a younger generation of local artists and continues to represent an important role model for contemporary practice. This exhibition is thanks to the initiative of and collaboration with the Osage Art Foundation. The ICAS is also hosting The Art Incubators second annual exhibition of its artists-in-residence programme in Singapore and two exhibitions by local artists as an ongoing effort to redress the balance. In particular, 2

Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore

The Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (ICAS) is the curatorial division of LASALLE College of the Arts. It runs seven galleries, comprising some 1,500 square meters of gallery spaces dedicated to exploring new and experimental art, design and media practices. Its programme focuses on showcasing international, Asian, Southeast Asian and local contemporary art with the aim of contributing to the cultural well-being of students, artists and the Singaporean public. Committed to the experimental and new, ICAS seeks to support practices which challenge orthodoxies and establishment. This serves as not only an important educational tool for students but, offers an alternative to artists in giving them the opportunity to explore and venture into unknown, unrecognised spaces not otherwise available in the Singapore today. Its outreach programme includes regular publications, seminars and symposiums, visiting artists talks and contemporary sound/music events.

TriSpace+
TriSpace+ is a quarterly newsletter dedicated to ICASs smallest gallery TriSpace. This highly unusual, triangular space reminiscent of a window display is devoted to new and emerging artists who wish to develop their practice. Besides documenting the past works exhibited at TriSpace, this newsletter features critical essays and upcoming exhibitions and happenings at ICAS.

TriSpace+ Team
Editor Charles Merewether Co-ordinator Kimberly Shen Associate Editors Adeline Kueh Milenko Prvacki Ian Woo Contributors Lawrence Chin Chong Weixin Teo Rofan Susie Wong

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DANIELLE TAY:
DISPOSABLE CITIES
TriSpace: 6 - 25 August 2010

Curlies and Sticky Tapes by Susie Wong

Trash, junk, disposables. These objects brim with politics. It speaks of the environment, of everyday culture, of economics, and of personal and collective memory.
In this work by Danielle Tay, who graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from the LASALLE College of the Arts this year, she uses the ubiquitous disposable papercups and plastic bowls found from our increasing number of cafs and dining outlets. Disposable Cities has us considering our relationship to our world. Excessive goods production and its increasing consumption have created urban detritus, more so since disposable ware have become a habitual part of our lives. Danielles work alludes to the city. She explores the notion of Singapore as a disposable city characterised by a sense of the impermanence and transience of buildings and structures in the country. The city itself is imperiled only to the extent that its hardware is constantly making way for the new. Lest the disposed of also entails a sense of amnesia forgetting what the city was like, what lives were like, Danielle takes pains to reconstitute the hardware (the cups) into these pretty forms.

Not exactly trash art, her work is an installation of abstract considerations, and in that, provokes a second glance at these objects as art. Danielle however does not defer to but questions the formalist aspect of art. Despite this, it is evident that it is the formal appeal and arrangement that is at the mainstay of this work. Like North American artist Jessica Stockholder, Danielles past forays as a painter may account for it. Danielles work is also happy, bon vivant. The empty paper containers are disguised, fringed with coloured curlies of thin tape; the sticky tapes, found in various colours, are treated with pristineness (there is no chaos or disorder) and lengths are stretched (not taut, a bit dangly) across walls and floors. These connect every item, drawing within the Trispace, along its walls and floors, and finding that pleasure in the beauty, of an otherwise abject, object.

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DISPOSABLE CITIES

Susie Wong interview with Danielle Tay

Artist Danielle Tay in her exhibition Disposable Cities

What inspired the use of the materials? This installation was actually an expansion of a previous work, shown in the Praxis Space of LASALLE as part of the Tape it Up! Tape it Down! exhibition in the later part of 2009. That work was of a much smaller scale, consisting of only 11 cups. It was the result of a drawing minor project in which we were tasked to work as creatively as possible using only/mainly the medium of tape. I would say that the choice of materials, the cups, was mostly accidental. I was somewhat stuck with regard to what to create for the project, after being told off by one of the lecturers for being too safe with my use of tape. (Having had a consultation with her, where I showed her some support studies done with tape on a two-dimensional surface). I had a stack of disposable cups on my table in the studio as I often collect them after consuming any takeaway drink (normally they would come in handy as water containers for painting purposes). They caught my eye and I began experimenting with how I could create something with the cup as a base structure. Both materials seemed to go well together because they both had some sort of a plastic-y nature.

Were you artist-inspired? If so, could you name the artist? How do you feel about Stockholder? Stockholder, definitely inspired me. She is an artist whom I reference often in my work and some people have also mentioned her name as she/her work comes to mind when they view my work. What I find great about her work is her ability to make everyday objects become visually/ aesthetically pleasing objects of interest. A lot of the time, when other people attempt to do these type of assemblages, they often turn out looking cheap and tacky. This becomes even more difficult when the colours are bright/neon-ish. Thus, Stockholder manages to overcome this and create such assemblages in a tasteful and thoughtful manner. Another artist I reference is American artist Judy Pfaff. And perhaps Swiss artist Beat Zoderer as well (during the initial stage when I first came up with the work for the drawing project) Could you describe your process of installing in Trispace and the impetus or the difficulties faced? The process, as with most of the installations I do are based on trial and error. I started out with a diagrammatic plan/layout of what I projected in my head. But once again, they never work out as planned. One of the difficulties was probably the space itself. It looks deceivingly small from the outside, but when you actually get in there to work, its really different. It was also bad judgment on my part regarding the cup and wall space ratio. I underestimated the number of cups needed for the work to look substantial. It seemed like we had taped say, 50 cups. But when installed on the wall, it did not look like 50 at all. Thus, there was a rush to create more urgently.

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Also, the lighting was bit of a problem. I had expected the drop of the shadows to be similar to that of the Praxis Space. However, to my dismay, after much experimentation/tweaking of the spotlights, that could not be achieved. This was due to the difference in the way the lights were installed in these two spaces, which affected the length and shade of the shadow. Every site-specific work comes with its own set of challenges and this unexpected element makes the process more interesting and exciting. It is very much an action and reaction process in which you put something up on the wall, leave it if you think it looks right or take it down and make changes if it does not. It was a fun experience which allowed me to learn and grow in my art practice, especially with site-specific installation work which I dont really have opportunities to do since spaces arent really available around (especially a space like Trispace where the layout is unique). I recall your development during your studies at LASALLE what happened to painted surfaces of the paper work? How do you feel about dispensing with this? I have not dispensed with my paper work yet! When approached with the invitation to send in a proposal to do an exhibition at Trispace, I did not really think of doing a paper work installation, which I guess is a bit strange. Perhaps it was because I had just worked with paper for my installation in the graduation show. The idea of expanding the tape project (as mentioned in Question 1) was something I had proposed on paper almost immediately after the project was completed. However, at that time I did not think I would have the chance to realise it. I will soon be returning to my paper work, I think. I intend to develop that further. 22 September 2010

My work is concerned with the fusion of the organic and structured elements inspired by my surroundings. This harmony or perhaps tension is reflected in our environments, especially in cities in which man-made structures have displaced most part of the original natural landscape. Living in Singapore, enveloped by skyscrapers in high concentrations, it is fascinating to observe how these hard-edged structures blend in with the greenery planted alongside. The geometric patterns, shapes and forms seen in my work are derived from natural and manmade elements in urban landscapes. I am interested in the juxtaposition of hard and soft lines and textures; the integration of industrial features into an organic landscape and vice versa, uncertain as to which is encroaching on the other and invading the others territory. Thus, there is a constant struggle to find a balance between the two worlds, some form of middle ground in which conflicting elements work together in harmony. The pictorial is what saturates ones environment and through filtering and distilling, I am reinventing what I see and re-ordering the ordered. My methodology of producing the work reflects the humans need for structure, the need to constantly contain, categorise and make sense of things. In art making, I often find myself doing this; breaking down complexities into simpler forms and trying to re-interpret or represent things in a manner in which I can understand it. The visual aesthetic and experience is one of great importance to me. Within the process of art making, I employ the photograph as a vehicle through which I flatten the image. Through the extraction of patterns, forms, lines and such, derived from first hand observation of sites as well as documentations, I am translating what I have absorbed into the development of my own modern aesthetic and visual language.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Trispace +

A line. Another stitch. Creased; folded; strewn. Again and again.

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CHRISTINA CHUA:
BREATHE AGAIN
Arguing with the Mundane by Lawrence Chin
TriSpace: 3 - 22 September 2010 Artist Christina Chua with her installation Breathe Again

A line. Another stitch. Creased; folded; strewn. Again and again.

In Christina Chuas latest work, Breathe Again, presented at Trispace, one can imagine and sense the sheer accumulation of effort that must have gone into its making. The residual gestures of stitching, folding and arranging are apparent, if not over-whelming. Confronted with such a magnitude of work, one cannot help but pause and ponder perhaps, made even more intriguing by a forceful reminder of what can be achieved, given time and a dose of single-mindedness. By paying attention to simple processes, the repeated gesture reminds one of a certain meditative attitude. It is perhaps an effort to ameliorate the flux and uncertainties of everyday living. The fractured sense of life can be said to have been exacerbated by the very processes of modernity; of rapid urban demolition and construction; of compression of time-space experiences; and of runaway and excessive consumption. These seemingly uncontrollable external forces are pervasive at least in the average experience of most city-dwellers to the point of being oppressive. One loses ones sense of direction even before gaining some semblance of bearing. One looses ones notion of the past, present and future as the world rushes by relentlessly. One looses oneself, nearly almost, in trying to live. Yet, live one must. In swimming against the constant streams and the unceasing bombardment of a highly mediated and constructed world which repeatedly tries to remove ones point(s) of reference, one cannot but help to notice the inherent illogic of ones experience of the world at large. One stays by moving from place to place; one constructs by dismantling; one consumes by discarding; one exists by being otherwise. Such contradictions can only serve to fuel a self-imposing retreat further into the realm of the remainder a remainder left over from the excess and gravitas of living. A remainder that promises reprieve, although somewhat imperfectly.

It is the reminder which escapes or in Maurice Blanchots words: The everyday escapes. [ Everyday Speech, translated by Susan Hanson, in Yale French Studies, number 73, 1995 ]. It is an escape into the unrepresentable and unknowable (because it is unrepresentable) the gaps, the in-between spaces, the untouched surfaces, the muffled voices and the sheer mundane nature of our lived experiences. And it is the mundane that affords a buffer which shields one from the onslaught of urban encounters. It is also the same which seduces one into the lull of inaction as there is nothing to be said or thought or reasoned the very essence of the mundane. Christina Chuas attempt at articulating a visual equivalence of the seemingly repetitive gesture yet celebrating its inherent possibilities can be seen as an attempt to pick an argument with the mundane. It is an argument, not necessarily borne out of frustration, but one against the obvious and easy sense of dejection that can often accompany the mundane. It is an argument that is not simply intellectual but concerns a state of attitude, and need for persistence as against giving up. It is an argument for living, even if its effects are less than enthusiastic. It is an argument for finding the possible between the mundane and the lived. And, more importantly, it is also an argument for doing the possible. The choice of stitching and paper folding signals a significant understanding of the potential of the mundane in Christina Chuas installation artwork. These tasks evoke a sense of repetition yet with highly differentiated possibilities. Each loop of the stitching line is ever so slightly different from the last, even if they have just run off the machine in quick succession. Each fold is pressed down ever so differently from the last, as each crease takes on an individual sense of purpose in that final form. The cumulative effect of a large number of such actions becomes something else rather affirming; and even breath-taking, regardless of the implied understanding that the recursive process involved might have more than likely been a mind-numbing one.

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BREATHE AGAIN
likely balk at such an endless (and thankless) task and could only hope that there were small moments to alleviate the drudgery of such an incredible yet condemned effort. Furthermore, one is reminded of the parallel with lived experiences, albeit on a mortal scale having to attend to endlessly recurring everyday tasks and chores lending no conceivable real purpose to life, or so it seems. But bearing in mind that it was Albert Camus who insisted that: This universe henceforth without a master seems to [Sisyphus] neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a mans heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. [ The Myth Of Sisyphus, translated by Justin OBrien, Penguin, 1975 ] It is a reminder to imagine otherwise, in spite of the mundane, of the meaningless or absurd, as much as it is imperative for us that we continue to argue as we take our next breath and the next; and to ascend, to fold, to strewn, and to argue, yet just that once more, even happy; and again In the installation, the use of dim ambient lighting in combination with a strong central focal light source seems to suggest a theatrical intention, almost suggesting that the mundane tasks are now recast as dramatic, or mystical. The effect of such use of lighting and arrangement is that the idea of the mundane is held at bay and in tension not quite integrated but nonetheless necessary. Perhaps, in turning towards the dramatic, it has the unintended effect of reducing that searing edge of the mundane that cuts through ones experience of what is presented and what could be intuited as it leaves no room for thinking otherwise. And one almost wishes that what is presented could have been even more obsessive (with more folded objects filling the entire site), more intense (with a greater variety of surface treatment reminiscent of the hand-crafted), and more ordinary (with more of the outside light filling the interior instead of the theatrics of mood lighting). In returning to the mundane, one is reminded of the Greco-Roman myth of Sisyphus as he was condemned to an endless task for daring to mock the gods; to usurp his own given place in the scheme of life. Punished to traverse the height of the mountain with a rock carried on his back, but never allowed to complete his arduous task in reaching the summit, Sisyphus had to contend with restarting his punishing climb, yet again, as his appointed burden slipped back to the foot of the mountain repeatedly as the task seemed to be near its conclusion. One would

ARTIST STATEMENT

In the Breathe Again series, I intend to expand the boundaries of art making with the thread used as a markmaking device. With thread, personal symbols and the transfigured feminine figure from variant occurrence of womanhood are drawn. Simple stitches are repeated until a small dot extends to a line, and the accumulation of lines creates continuous form which suggests suffocation, growth and extreme fragmentation. This act creates a density which disorientates vision and evokes a feeling of suspension, and enclosure; a holding of the breath. Transformations of the self are represented by parts of the body found within abstracted images. Comparing oneself to seeds and the growing of plants and flowers suggests a translation of the maturity, confidence, strength as well as beauty and life. Throughout the drawing progression, the audience is invited to experience refreshment along with the freedom to express ones emotions without strictures of constructed boundaries.

Trispace +

Artist Ashley Yeo in her exhibition Silent Infatuations

ASHLEY YEO:
Object Alone by Chong Weixin
TriSpace: 8 - 27 October 2010

SILENT INFATUATIONS

Delicate and deliberate, Ashleys works bear a strongly conscious regard for the aesthetic. Her references are often unapologetically figurative: things we recognise or think we do and thus have formed associations with already.
It often seems that in the current climate of contemporary arts, priority is given to the concept behind a work. The physical aspects of artwork can thus appear to exist merely to carry a concept around. To the contrary, Ashley often invests in pure materiality. Her intricate, labour-intensive paper cuts clearly embody this investment, eschewing the rational in favour of what she calls emotional logic. In a world where facts are questionable and logical arguments contextualised by subjectivity, it is hard to dismiss a desire for non-rational imagination. Viewers and relating to work In her experiences of showing work, Ashley has encountered viewers who all but question every aspect and element in her work. They demand answers, reasons for every choice of detail or subject. The figurative nature of the work itself only serves to aggravate their perplexity. It makes me wonder how they would relate to a work if the artist wasnt there [to answer]People seem uncomfortable with not being able to logically understand, says Ashley. She describes how people often envision a narrative of their own in her work a desirable response in itself. There are those, though, who feel a compulsion to seek her validation yet reject any contradicting views. Their insistence is still something she finds puzzling. Some people avoid their emotions and seek meaning otherwise, in logictheyre desperate to find a meaning which is not there.

Perhaps it is symptomatic of a mindset uneasy with the unpredictable, the inexplicable, the unregulated. Perhaps, more tellingly, it is an example of the self-referential possessiveness with which we relate to things that evoke our personal flights of fancy. We harbour innate desires for our version, the one that works, to be true. We want to believe that it is. Ashleys images tap into a stream of consciousness particular to contemporary visual culture. They create a space for the mind to wander amid a plethora of familiar-looking elements. This inherent capacity for escapism may well account for the wide appeal of her work. Her trademark blend of visual finesse and technical skill, engages the mind in a way that often evokes desire. The artworks are indeed objects yet unabashedly so. As with things that engage our emotional and imaginative faculties, they soon transcend mere physicality of being. The Object as Itself It is a return to the Object a concept seemingly vilified by certain strains of institutional art. The idea of artwork as object is a position some artists have questioned, challenged, even sought to do away with. Such explorative forays into alternative non-object mediums add to the breadth and scope of institutional definitions of art. Denying the validity of objects, though, can only be another limitation of a delusional kind. We are object-based creatures after all; our experience and perception of reality cannot be divorced from the physical items that contextualise our day-to-day existence. Ashleys work, heavily influenced as it is by Japanese and contemporary visual culture, can be seen to flow into a long history of artworks that engage through the intricacy and power of their object-hood. It is as if instead of functioning as a Signifier, the object is the Signified in itself. Its being and the particulars of its material essence, form its concept and significance as a work of art.

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SILENT INFATUATIONS
An ICAS interview with the artist

Could you tell us more about the title of your exhibition Silent infatuations. These two words cover a lot of ground in terms of my works. It is a quiet series of works but I hope they will give a lasting impression. I initially had another title called the Atrophies but I did not want to have an emphasis on chaos too much, plus thats not my intention so I thought Silent Infatuations would be better. To me, the term infatuation is not as heavy as love or passion but it is definitely lighter. It is also less direct and in your face. I do not need any strong reactions. In your artist statement you refer to trying to embody beauty in a form of imperfection. Can you speak a little more about this in regard to your work? Something about purity can be so pure that it is disturbing, it is unreal. It is almost grotesque. Something can be so beautiful and so perfect but there is something wrong with this portrayal of work or image. Some look for literal symbols and direct associations; but the efficacy of work like Ashleys lies in what needs not be defined by words. I dont really like to explain, she says, because it kind of kills it. I definitely dont work blindly, but I dont try to find the reason behind everything. Quietness in TriSpace At her recent show in TriSpace, a widely-spaced white-on-whiteness lent sterile coolness to the works. The characteristic wedge-form of the space acted as a slice in which drawings, paper-cuts and sculptures held a reserved interaction with each other. Placed at distinct distances apart, they appeared almost severely defined, as if each held its own territory the scope of its detail and emotions kept strictly within its borders. Instead of weaving together in the mind, pieces came across more as separate entities. Previous installations by Ashley have tended towards a more conglomerate display, where assorted elements seemed almost layered into a unified whole. It conveyed a sense of being bound together by larger narratives here neutralised in favour of a clean-cut formality of placement. This newly heightened isolation underscores an encompassing quietness. Perhaps the introspective loneliness evoked by the objects resonates all the more poignantly in Silent Infatuations where, impeccable in themselves, they stand: together yet detached. The work at TriSpace features four different types of work, do you feel that that is expressed in all of those types of work or do you think there is one particular body of work that is stronger in that relation to? The papercuts are definitely a lot different; they are repetitive patterns and the scales of detail ranges from larger papercuts to layered ones. But with my drawings it is a lot more representational, not in a direct sense but with more narratives because of the figures portrayed in my drawings. Through notions people have conceived previously, when they look at something they will tie it down to something else. My works may not carry a specific meaning. For example with the whales, there was a reporter who asked about the Japanese whaling culture and asked if there was any voice to the work. I am not really that political, my works do not talk much about social issues. I have been asked, So why do you work with paper, is it about recycling? Or is it about saving the earth? I will say no, it is not like that at all. For me the strength of the work is its lack of narration, I think that is the beauty of it. People are welcome to give their own narrative but I do not need them to voice it out or put a stamp on it and say that is what my work is about. What is the key concept that will link the work together? I want to create different realms, like small worlds without it being seen as duplicating a copy of reality, it is not escapism but an introduction of how my mind works through different mediums to perceive how I see something. I would not classify my work as fantasy. I do know some people think my works are very whimsical and fantasy-like, and I welcome the notion. Maybe its escapism but to me that word is lower down, it sounds almost cheap. I think it has been overused so I think the medium should not matter as in if I work with paper, I do not only just work with paper. Mediums that portray my works the best bring out what I want to say the best. That is the way I work. I definitely will not stick to one medium, lets say paper cuts. Trispace +

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Who are a couple of important artists figures in recent history of art in terms of an inspiration or people or those you admire and want to study? I admire Japanese artists because of their sense of aesthetics. I am inspired by many sculptors, like wood sculptors or artists who work with paper like Aiko Miyanaga who recently showed at the Brother Joseph McNally Gallery here as part of the Tropical Lab workshop, but those are quite short-termed, I will move on from there. They are not constant in my works. I do not have a constant artist reference, but Hayao Miyazaki definitely influenced me a lot. I have looked up to him since young and his portrayal of different realms, like the interpretation of reality and goddesses, etc. Sometimes even literary writers influence me. But I keep moving on and it is very rare for me to be impressed by artists like, Oh her works are really good maybe for a little while. The Japanese do have their dedication to perfection and details and they treat everything with respect, even spirits and they can make something out of nothing. They have different aesthetics, I can relate to those more than American or London art. They are a lot brighter and wilder, a lot more conceptual. 25 October 2010

You do not refer to the ephemeral at all. It seems to me that the cut-out work has a very strong element of the ephemeral conveying a sense of transient beauty. Most of my works are fragile, so I do not have to say it. Through the small worlds I am trying to create a fragility and lightness I think it is more of a sensation, I do not start with an intention; Oh I want my work to be fragile, it comes to me naturally. My works have always been along those lines: I do not colour my works. They are always white. Even porcelain is naturally white. So I may have a selective sense of aesthetics where I may not know what I like, but I know what I do not like and this has led me to where I am right now. In terms of the exhibition itself in TriSpace, how did you approach it? Did you approach it thinking about these different aspects of your work and in some way unify it or did you think of it in terms of the space itself? Definitely the space itself because I have worked with the space during the LASALLE graduation show so I knew that the papercuts were my intentions I wanted the wall to be filled with that. What I did not know was how I wanted it to be filled. I did not have the vision of multiple layers. I was thinking, Maybe I should have different shapes. It did not occur to me until much later that I could create different curtains. This came to me at a much later point. But I knew I wanted to deal with solely papercuts because it is a very tall wall in TriSpace, and tall walls are hard to come by. I have worked in a couple of galleries and the walls are very short, so it kills the beauty of the papercuts as they are quite long. That was when it occurred to me that I could create them purely for the wall. The drawings came much later after I was done with the paper cuts. The issue of how I could work with the space was another issue. Actually, I did think of cotton buds and smaller things but the space was unexpectantly huge. The making of the hanging clouds, was made a few days before. It is really about the space and how it works. I did not expect myself to do that (the hanging clouds) as well. So lets say you could do the show again, now that the exhibition is up, would you have exhibited any differently? I think so, I would actually work more with the clouds if I have more time, I definitely would like to expand on that. But I do like how the exhibition looks now, I enjoy people interacting with the work because they can walk under my papercuts and go near the work. But I do hope there is interaction between artwork and viewer, so it is more intimate compared to a huge painting. I think with all artists they hope for a certain interaction of their works with the viewer. Trispace +

ARTIST STATEMENT

With Silent Infatuations, I aspire to recreate the guise of weightlessness and ephemeral quality. Fascinated by the very specific moment of embracement between fear and sublimity, I attempt to capture the desolateness behind a beauty, to attain a quiet but thoroughly disconcerting power. I enjoy portraying secret chaos and try to embody beauty in a form of imperfection. My works highlights the struggle between the fragility and delicate quality of its impermanence and seeks to bring forth a sense of transient beauty.

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HEIMAT

Artist: Qiu Anxiong Artist: Hayati Mohktar

RECENT ICAS

Artist: Brenda L Croft

ECCENTRIC CITY

TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCE

Artist: Aya Kato

THE WINSTON OH TRAVEL AWARD 2010

Artist: Ruben Pang Artist: Steph Bolt

TROPICAL LAB

Artist: Zaki Razak

Since July the ICAS has presented a number of significant exhibitions at the ICAS galleries. Most notable were Heimat, Eccentric City, The Future of Exhibition, Tropical Lab, Transmission Experience and The Winston Oh Travel Award 2010. The ambition and scope of each have been distinct. Heimat, guest curated by Alan Cruickshank, offered a group of divergent forms of practice that interweave with one another by virtue of the subject. Both individually they explore the conventions, boundaries and cultural differences of what may be called homeliness. Eccentric City is a prodigious palimpsest of the contemporary city, a latter-day pop articulation that transcends beyond the futuristic vision of the urban city, as in the films of Metropolis or Blade-Runner. Representing a creative collaboration between the Japanese design artist Tanaami and local group Phunk Studio, it seemed closer in spirit to the heritage of Burroughs or an imaginative and critical re-reading of the city that began to be explored in Japan during the Sixties, as in the work of Yokoo Tadanori. Distinctly, The Future of Exhibition, guest curated by June Yap and Eve McGovern, pushed the boundaries of the very practice of exhibition-making itself. Both Transmission Experience and Tropical Lab occurred at the same time. Transmission Experience, as the name implied was about story-telling and circulation of stories utilising a wide range of art and design forms of practice; whilst Tropical Lab invited some 14 young artists from different parts of the world to form a ten-day workshop at LASALLE, exploring the theme of Urban Mythologies in regard to the physical character of Singapore and both its cultural histories and underlying beliefs. The Winston Oh Travel Award 2010 had its annual exhibition honoring the work of its recipients. These exhibitions represented key instances of the efforts of ICAS to sustain and enhance the range and depth of an exhibition program that is experimental. Editorial

EXHIBITIONS
THE FUTURE OF EXHIBITION

Artist: Aiko Miyanaga

Artist: Shubigi Rao

UPCOMING ICAS
Manifesto of the New Aesthetic: Seven Artists from Indonesia
Artists: Agung Kurniawan, Agustinus Jompet Kuswidananto, Ahmett Salina, Hafis, Iswanto Hartono, Tintin Wulia and MES 56
Artist: Iswanto Hartono

Traces 2: Art Incubator Group Exhibition

Artists: Ang Song Ming, Ang Song Nian and Hazel Lim
Artist: Ang Song Nian

Guest Curator: Alia Swastika

This exhibition focuses on the works of seven artists from Indonesia whose practice is based on close observation and research as to the current situation in Indonesia today. Developed over a long period of time, their work represents a belief in their work as a cultural project rather than a cultural product. The exhibition therefore constitutes a manifesto of a new aesthetic movement that works outside mainstream practice committed to address issues around the history and identity of the everyday life of people. Venue: ICA Gallery 1 Date: 21 October 17 November 2010

Traces are the things you leave behind, but also the marks you make. It encapsulates both process and outcome, journey and destination. Traces 2 shows the works of the three artists who took part in the second cycle of The Art Incubator two-month residency programme from Ang Song Mings cross-cultural investigations into phonetic jokes, Ang Song Nians hidden karang guni (rag and bone man) spaces and Hazel Lims series of ornithological paintings. The Art Incubator Residency Programme is a professional development opportunity for Singapore artists under 35 years of age. As a a community-based project, the programme emphasises interaction amongst artists, curators and writers. Venue: 27 October 11 November 2010 Date: Brother Joseph McNally Gallery

Dis/placement:6
Artists: Jungeun Kim, Hwang Kyong, Om Mee Ai, Shin-Young Park, Sunsook Roh and Jung Eun Shin Guest Curator: Korean Art Professionals (KAP)

Artist: Li Cassidy-Peet

Pleasure Spectrum
Artists: Li Cassidy-Peet Exploring the notion of pleasure, desire and obsession, Pleasure Spectrum by Li Cassidy-Peet expresses the gratification of popular culture and celebrity idolisation. In between sensationalising fetishes, Li creates a universal alter-ego that anyone can relate to as an attempt to escape identity and distance oneself from his/ her personal environment. Using an odd mix of paraphernalia, from discarded guitar boxes to strewn cigarette packets, to glitzy neon lights and shards of broken mirrors, the installation addresses murky dreams and the psyche of fanatical behaviour. Venue: Earl Lu Gallery Date: 26 November 14 December 2010 14 Trispace +

Artist: Sunsook Roh

Dis/placement:6, a showcase of new art works by six Singaporebased Korean artists, is a landmark exhibition that reveals a unique amalgamation by which Korean pictorial sensibilities have been rethought in the context of living in Singapore. Curated by the Korean Art Professionals in Singapore (KAP), which consists of Korean artists, art writers and art administrators, the exhibition embarks on an exploration of creative practices and seeks to bridge the visual cultures of the Korean and Singapore art communities. Venue: Praxis Space & Brother Joseph McNally Gallery Date: 18 November 16 December 2010

4/12: Masters of Arts in Fine Arts 2010

Artists: Natacha Arena, Matthew Bax, Cui Liang, Igor Delic, Isabelle Desjeux , Lucinda Law, Steven Lim, Edith Podesta, Rajinder Singh, Rubin Hashim, Xie Ying, Zaki Razak 4/12 is an exhibition of 12 Postgraduate Fine Art candidates final studio research practice. 4/12 is an exercise in abstraction, a shuffle of equations to suggest the axis between form and formlessness. In numerical sense, it is an inversion of the multiplication process. 4/12 is also a possible statistical figure pertaining to this group of artists and their actions. Whether these conceptual relationships are suspected, imagined or real, the exhibition showcases what the artists have explored and toiled away in a sustained manner over the 1 years. Venue: ICA Galleries 1 & 2 Date: 27 November 12 December 2010

EXHIBITIONS

Jackson See Collection: A snapshot

Jackson Sees Collection represents one of the most important private collections Singapore. Held in conjunction with the contemporary art fair, Art Stage Singapore, this exhibition aims to raise awareness and appreciation for contemporary art collecting in Singapore Venue: Praxis Space and Project Space Date: 11 20 January 2011

Duo: Science & Art

Artists: Isabelle Desjeux and Andre Weschler An experimental dialogue between two art forms and two artists, using video, music and speech as vectors; medical footage and scientific language as content; and the common subject of biomedicine. On one wall, the brutal scene of a surgical operation seen from the inside, where notions of failure flirt with notions of death. On the other side, scientists lightheartedly and unemotionally go through the arguments explaining why failures are necessary and will never disappear. Venue: Brother Joseph McNally Gallery Date: 19 January 1 February 2011
Artist: Isabelle Desjeux & Andre Weschler

Trispace +

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UPCOMING ICAS EXHIBITIONS

Roberto Chabet: To Be Continued
Guest Curators: Ringo Bunoan, Isabel Ching and Nilo Ilarde
Short Street

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS SINGAPORE

Rochor Canal Road Sim Lim Square Prinsep Street Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore Bencoolen Street

Artist: Roberto Chabet

Burlington Square

Artist: Roberto Chabet

To Be Continued is a landmark survey exhibition of Filipino conceptual artist Roberto Chabets plywood works from 1984 to the present. In these works, Chabet utilises his signature material store-bought plywood boards. It is a material, which has become not only the surface and support of his paintings and installations, but to a large extent its subject matter and content. The exhibition gathers for the first time significant works, including the seminal 1980s trilogy Russian Paintings, House Paintings and Cargo and Decoy. Highlighting process and the provisional aspect of the material, To Be Continued is reflective of Chabets practice, which gives precedence to the fugitive and contingent nature of art. To Be Continued is the first introduction in a series of exhibitions in Singapore, Hong Kong and Manila throughout 2011 2012 in celebration of fifty years of Roberto Chabets pioneering conceptual work and his role in shaping Filipino art. The exhibition is curated by Ringo Bunoan, Isabel Ching and Nilo Ilarde, and is sponsored by Osage Art Foundation and King Kong Art Projects Unlimited. Venue: ICA Galleries 1 & 2 Date: 14 January 12 February 2011

Middle Road Sunshine Plaza

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LASALLE College of the Arts 1 McNally Street Singapore 187940 Tel: +65 6496 5070 Email: icas@lasalle.edu.sg

Gallery Opening Hours: Daily from 10am 6pm (except Mondays and public holidays) Website: http://www.lasalle.edu.sg/index.php/galleries Facebook: http://www.tiny.cc/icasingapore