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0 Japanese artist talks social media ahead of Singapore exhibit

In an increasingly technology-forward world, everyone from businesspeople to artists must embrace an advanced interconnectedness previously unseen in history. Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama is all too aware of these changes, since she’s been creating art for seven decades — starting well before social media took the spotlight on ways to share and communicate.

Kusama’s extensive body of work, which is currently on display as a special exhibition at National Gallery Singapore, spans 70 years. The artist has been creating art since she was 18 years old, and has shown no signs of stopping. She knows how important it is to continue to create and adapt, which means she has no problem with social media, even saying she loves it when people show and share her work across all the social media platforms available. Indeed, a majority of her work makes for impressive social media posts, including her signature infinity mirror rooms. However, mixing art and technology comes at a high price, sometimes — in a wildly popular showing of her work in the United States, an overeager fan lost their balance while taking a selfie with one of Kusama’s highly recognizable spotted pumpkins and fell, smashing the masterpiece.

Still, for an artist at 88 years old, Kusama is remarkably adaptable, her body of work changing based on her life experiences and the world going on around her. Guests to National Gallery Singapore will be able to view her lauded infinity mirror rooms, examine her signature spotted pumpkins, and enjoy installation after installation in the museum itself and on the grounds. Kusama helped install polka dots on the trees planted alongside the road leading to National Gallery Singapore.

In spite of any setbacks cellphones and social media might have caused, Kusama still has a message of love for anyone attending her show at National Gallery Singapore and Singaporeans in general. She encourages everyone to find beauty in their lives and embrace the infinite mystery and wonderment of the universe. She is poised to celebrate Singapore’s diversity and her art will likely fit right in, dazzling crowds of visitors from all walks of life.

Embrace the beauty in your own life by signing up for an art class today. Visit SGArtClass.com to begin your creative journey. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that includes everything from art articles and discounted art supplies for sale, to a plethora of art classes anyone can enroll in. It doesn’t matter if you’re a businessperson who has zero artistic background or if you’re looking to engage your child over the summer months with another learning experience. Expert teachers are on hand to make sure you learn the skills necessary to complete the projects you’re most passionate about. From classes in watercolor painting and oil painting to lessons in comic drawing and fashion drawing, there is sure to be a class for everyone.

To read more about the art and viewpoints of Yayoi Kusama, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/spreading-art-through-social-media-japanese-artist-yayoi-kusama-8921484.

0 Interactive art a focus of first children’s biennale

National Gallery Singapore is in the midst of hosting the first-ever Gallery Children’s Biennale, an art show focusing on art for children, including interactive and immersive experiences that will delight visitors of all ages. The theme of the exhibit is “Dreams & Stories,” and the art exhibits involved in the show will not disappoint on that front.

One of the most anticipated exhibits will be an installation by a popular Japanese artist. The installation itself won’t be much to look at — at least not at first. Visitors will enter what appears to be a white room furnished with white furniture. However, it’s tasked to visitors to make this room really come to life. They will be given colorful, dot-shaped stickers to stick on every available surface in the installation, bringing color to the whitewashing. The stickers will number in the hundreds of thousands, meaning that the installation will soon be perhaps one of the most colorful portions of National Gallery Singapore.

Another interactive, immersive experience will test the fortitude of anyone who gets even a small taste of vertigo when faced with heights. The installation requires that visitors walk over a transparent bridge suspended over a distance that seems to gape into the deep unknown. The bottom is concealed in darkness — how far could it go down? The effect is created with illusions helped by mirrors, and open drawers suspended below adds to a sort of madcap feeling. Only the bravest visitors will be able to make it across the bridge.

A third installation requires some hands-on help to even get through. A room has been filled with gigantic, light-up, inflated balls. Visitors will have push their way to get through the veritable obstacle course of an art installation. The balls are tightly packed, and visitors become part of the spectacle, edging along through other people and the prolific balls.

Another installation tasks visitors with coming up with the art. The artist has left a number of foam-constructed interlocking pieces that people can make and unmake into their own sculptures. Many will be moved to recall the toy building blocks Legos — if Legos were gigantic, soft, and organically shaped.

Art is for people of all ages — from the youngest children to the oldest grandparents. Celebrate that fact by enrolling you or your loved ones in an art class today. Visit SGArtClass.com to see all the different art classes you can sign up for, including 3-D sculpture, found art, watercolor painting, and many more. Expert teachers with experience teaching art students of all ages will be on hand to impart the skills necessary to complete projects you’re passionate about. Teachers will also meet you in the comfort and convenience of your own home, or at a common location you agree upon beforehand.

To learn more about the art that will be on display at National Gallery Singapore for the first Gallery Children’s Biennale, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/yayoi-kusama-national-gallery-singapore-children-biennale-8853664.

0 Singapore artists to display work influenced by New York City

A new Singaporean art exhibit will examine the work of four local artists who have been heavily influenced by New York City art and culture throughout their careers.

Several of the artists recently sat down to discuss their work, as well as the different influences they adapted, were inspired by, and consequently made their own. One artist even went as far as to say that no visual artwork is completely unique. The artist didn’t meant that artists necessarily copied off of each other, but rather that trends and creative practices were inspired by an art and cultural collective. Much in the same way a creative incubator works, bringing together people from all different walks of life to work in the same building and bounce ideas off of each other to become even more inspired, so does working in the art world. Everyone derives inspiration from existing artworks and artists they admire. It isn’t copying, it’s taking inspiration from others, which is completely acceptable.

Especially since the four artists had spent formative time in New York City, one of the biggest cities for art in the world, each one has derived inspiration from artists who worked in the Big Apple, cultural trends there, and even the city itself, its own melting pot of culture. Every creative mind, one artist said, has a creative path they follow, and for these four individuals, their path led them directly through New York City.

One artist attended art school in New York City, meaning that the teachers and fellow students there helped drive his creativity. At the formative period of attending art school and learning some of the techniques that would make him a successful painter, the artist crossed paths with numerous American visionaries. It opened his vision and scope, being exposed to this new culture and the new ways of thinking. Keeping himself firmly rooted in Singapore, though, caused his art to take on its own unique statements. Prior to leaving Singapore for school, he studied under two famous Chinese ink painters, and that experience led him to examining the meeting of Eastern and Western art for the remainder of his career.

Another artist had a similar experience in New York City, opening himself to the possibilities of cultural collaborations in his art. Because of this exposure to new ideas, the artist, to this day, is much more open to different genres and styles of art, recognizing that the creative world is a constantly evolving process.

Open your mind by signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that offers discounted art supplies, informative art articles, and numerous art classes anyone can enroll in. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before or if you’re already an established artist. There’s sure to be a class for you.

To learn more about the artists displaying their masterpieces influenced by life in the United States, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/singapore-artists-who-took-a-bite-of-the-big-apple.

0 New art facility to feature Chinese culture in Singapore

Though the facility has been open since December of last year, the official opening ceremonies for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre happened this month, with performances celebrating Chinese cultural contributions to Singapore and officials lauding the importance the center has on the arts scene in Singapore.

Though Singapore as a nation recently celebrated its 50th birthday, cultural diversity in the region has been rich with differences and mingling melting pots of collaboration and inspiration. Singapore has distinctive pockets of Chinese, Indian, and Malay cultures, but they all have a special and unique Singaporean component to them that helps define them. For example, Singaporean Chinese is different from other Chinese cultures throughout Southeast Asia. Officials look for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre to help celebrate and embrace these wonderful distinctions that enrich Singapore as a whole.

The main goal for the new facility is to make Chinese cultural and arts more accessible to everyone in Singapore. In that vein, the center will host everything from traditional Chinese opera performances in Mandarin to plays, dances, and musical acts in other dialects, appealing to younger people. The aim is to make everyone aware of the valuable contributions Chinese culture has made in Singapore. To be successful in this endeavor, visitors to performances and shows at the center would be made aware of the traditional values present in the acts, embrace and celebrate the multicultural nature of Singaporean society as a whole, and study the fact that so many different languages are present in the nation.

During the official opening ceremonies, a Singaporean government official who identifies as Singaporean Chinese made a speech touting the importances of embracing multicultural roots and features of the nation. The official was given a tour of the facility, where he also previewed an early showing of a collection of Singaporean Chinese visual art that will be on display later. There were also traditional performances of a lion dance and a new performance called xinyao. Xinyao is representative of “Singapore songs,” and usually feature a number of voices harmonizing, sometimes accompanied by a guitar, in a musical acoustic performance. This style of folk singing is popular with young people, as it first developed in college campuses.

Celebrate your own place in culture by enrolling in an art class. Art is a great way to explore the history and unique features of a culture in a society. Visit SGArtClass.com to see the wealth of art classes available for you to sign up for, including Chinese ink painting, fashion drawing, mural painting, and many more. Expert art teachers will help develop curriculum you’re interested in as you learn the skills you need to complete the projects. They will also work around your busy schedule. You also have the option to pursue art classes remotely, working online at the most convenient times.

To learn more about the new art center, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-arts-centre-will-promote-chinese-culture-that-is-singaporean-8864144.

0 Three art exhibits in Singapore offer range of works

There are a number of interesting and important art exhibits happening around Singapore right now and in recent weeks. The different exhibits feature a wide range of masterpieces for art fans of all ages. Now is the time to take advantage and see some of these exhibits and shows before they move on.

One show is already over, but that doesn’t mean that some of the themes it brought up for discussion should vanish, too. A married couple produced an art exhibit that documented 1,000 photos of recycled aluminum cans. The exhibit was a look at and commentary on social equality and poverty. Many people in Singapore, particularly those advanced in age or in need of additional income, collect cans to recycle for pay. Even though having 1,000 photos of these cans sounds a little exhaustive, the message is staggering — all of those cans only amount to about S$15. The couple also featured a phone case that also retails for that amount of money, shining a spotlight on something many people use for throwaway fashion on the hard labor others undergo just to earn money for their survival. The couple went on to talk about the number of homeless people they saw when visiting New York City and Wall Street, in particular. The juxtaposition of abject poverty held up against one of the strongest financial institutes in the world made them think hard about just what constitutes as value — whether it’s a collection of cans to sell or a phone case to be purchased.

Another show is the Singapore Art Museum’s family-friendly annual Imaginarium exhibit. This year’s theme, “To the Ends of the Earth,” provides a wide range of interactive contributions that will excite visitors of all ages. One display of minuscule mushroom sculptures will make sure attendees pay attention to everything in the museum, trying to find all of the installations. One of the installations will delight nature lovers, who will be able to explore tents and hanging displays of birds, inspired by the artist’s late grandmother and a delightful memory they shared.

A gallery at Gillman Barracks is the site of the first Singaporean solo show in a decade for a renowned artist. The artist, who goes by Speak Cryptic, will also be on hand to meet with visitors nearly every day his work is presented in the gallery. The artist is most interested in exploring the idea of tribes and belonging, and his work features stylized tribal elements, like headdresses and patches that might look familiar to people in touch with culture in Southeast Asia.

There’s no time like the present to start examining the meaning of art in your own life by enrolling in an art class. Go to SGArtClass.com to browse all of the art classes available. There is sure to be a class for burgeoning artists of all interests and abilities.

To learn more about the exhibits, including when and where to see them, go to http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/singapore-artists-roll.

0 Graduating art students’ final projects highlighted

With graduation season upon us, a number of students from Singapore’s art institutions are preparing to showcase their final projects and take a leap into the art world. Four projects in particular were chosen to be highlighted among the thousands of students who have worked hard to complete their degrees.

The first project is from an unconventional student — a woman who has designed her own accessories line and run her own business since she was a teenager. Her final project includes a specially designed fashion line that she hopes to implement in her broader company following graduation. She said the line, which features zippers so that the women wearing the clothing can modify how much of their body they wish to show at any given time, was inspired by people’s doubts and wrong perceptions of her. Many have criticized her for being too young, or doubted her abilities to run a business as a woman. She said that she hopes other women will be able to control people’s perceptions about them by wearing her clothing line.

Another fashion project completed by a team of art students includes a fashion line designed specifically for people with disabilities. The students made the clothing fashionable and functional, ensuring that the wearers of their designs will be trendy and classic but comfortable at the same time, particularly when they are seated in wheelchairs. The students chose to use carefully chosen shapes and colors when designing their clothes so as not to distort the proportions of the wearer, especially when viewed in their wheelchairs by another person.

Another student has been working on his final art show for about a year, now, but art has been a part of his life for a lot longer. The student, who has a disorder that disfigures his face, completed a number of large paintings based on traditional depictions of ghosts mixed with his distinctive style. A viewer of his exhibit will immediately recognize the fact that he draws a lot of stylistic inspiration from tattoo artists. The inclusion of densely packed Arabic script of quotes he finds fascinating as the backgrounds of his paintings are an added bonus, as is the fact that his centerpiece is painted on a prayer rug.

The final student’s project is a sculptural and meaningful look at her own journey. She was unfulfilled in a lucrative and stable job, and took a leap of faith to get her degree in art therapy. She felt like her true calling was to help people through art, so she constructed a sculptural tunnel with young adult books as a representation of some of the depressed patients she came across while studying.

It’s never too late to become a student of art. Visit SGArtClass.com to see the wide variety of art classes you can enroll in — from found art to fashion design and everything in between.

To read more about the final projects, including photos of the projects, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/the-heart-in-art.

0 Striking similarities in Singaporeans’ work at Venice Biennale

The three artists representing Singapore at this year’s Venice Biennale didn’t coordinate their exhibits, but stunning and meaningful similarities exist all the same. All three artists examine the role of memory when it comes to tradition and history in the lens of Singapore, an interesting coincidence that only came to light when their exhibits went up at the show, which opened last weekend.

One of the most prominent exhibits by Singaporean artists is the one that features an enormous rattan boat installation, along with audio, video, and written information to provide viewers with more context on what they’re looking at. The exhibit is the culmination of about 20 years of work researching and getting to know traditional communities in Southeast Asia that depended on the water for their livelihoods. The artist learned how to make the traditional boats by hand through his interactions with the communities, and he compiled what he learned about their everyday lives and history in the immersive experience on display in Venice, a city where water travel is also very important.

Another Singaporean artist is taking a look at traditional dance forms, recorded in the back alleys of historical neighborhoods throughout Singapore. These recordings will go a long way in preserving these traditions, which are in danger of dying out because of modernization and the desire to pursue other art forms. However, when the artist first presented this video exhibit, the display space was big enough to allow her to realize her original goal, which was to make the viewer a part of the exhibit with the dancers life sized. In Venice, the exhibit space is much smaller, meaning the dancers are smaller, too. This limitation in space has added an interesting new discussion point in the importance of this exhibit, miniaturizing the dancers and the locations of the film.

The third exhibit examines the life, work, and death of a Singaporean weaver who died while her work was being displayed in London in 1924. The installation features a display of textiles in the midst of being woven together, as well as a video documentary examining the life of the weaver whose works were on display. Since the Singaporean native woman died in London, she was buried there, as well. The artist who pulled the installation together documented her efforts in trying to locate the grave and body of the late artist to try and bring her back to Singapore. The fact that the grave still has yet to be found is just another discussion point.

Add art to your existence by signing up to take an art class today. SGArtClass.com is the perfect way to jumpstart your art explorations. This website offers informational articles, discounted art products, and numerous classes you can enroll in — from 3-D sculpture to oil painting, comic drawing to nail art, and everything else you might be interested in.

To learn more about the three Singaporean artist exhibits being featured at the Venice Biennale, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/charting-new-waters.

0 Singapore sees first art education program for preschool-aged kids

One preschool campus in Singapore is testing out an arts-based approach on learning for its young students, and so far, it has gotten an overwhelmingly positive response from parents of the children and the community in general.

The pilot program will be implemented at all of the campuses for the preschool, if it proves to be successful at this first campus. It includes using art, music, and dance to help the youngsters learn basic facts. For example, when the students learn about the different parts of the face, they are given leaves, sticks, and seashells to construct their own face. It’s this hands-on approach and license to create that really helps them take charge of their own educations.

All facets of the curriculum are on the table to include arts education. Young students can learn languages, mathematics, and basic motor skills from an arts perspective, which helps boost creativity in the children. The preschool campus itself is set up for this very purpose, including workshops for art projects and a gallery to feature the early masterpieces in, and courtyards beside each classroom for outdoors instruction. Since young children enjoy moving around, singing, and creating art projects, the leader of the preschool said that it seemed only natural to develop an educational curriculum around these passions. That way, launching the children into their instructional careers isn’t as much as a culture shock as it could be. The young students can still consider the instruction as play and not be as put upon to complete taxing lessons, worksheets, or projects.

Teachers at the preschool have embraced this project, receiving training from real artists carefully selected by the National Arts Council. Several times a year, the artists visit the school to work as additional instructors, helping them understand the educational components and see what they can do to help improve the curriculum. This way, the art program at the preschool is truly a learning experience for everyone involved — the young students, their teachers, the artists mentoring the teachers, and the students’ parents. With any luck, the program will continue to see success to raise a new generation of students ready, willing, and excited to bring their unique perspectives to schools, their peers, and their future workplaces.

Jumpstart your own art education by taking an art class via SGArtClass.com. Browse the wide selection of art lessons available on SGArtClass.com — from mural painting to recycled art, decorative painting to 3-D sculpture, and everything in between. Our expert teachers have experience instructing students of all ages and abilities, so you can even help your children get ahead in their creative thinking skills by signing them up, too. Art and the practice of it can have surprising benefits across the board, boosting both your performance at work and your children’s emotional wellbeing.

To read more about the new art curriculum for the preschool students, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/arts-based-programme-for-pre-schoolers-piloted-at-my-first-skool-8822622.

0 Singapore Art Museum still great to visit amid revamp

The main portion of the Singapore Art Museum might be closed ahead of a redesign to fit bigger art pieces and installations, but that doesn’t mean the facility isn’t still a wonderful place to visit for its annual Imaginarium exhibit, an artistic feast for the eyes that is always a great bet for families.

Overall, visitors of all ages will enjoy the show. Though children are the main focus, many of the exhibits examine serious topics in a light-hearted way that will appeal to both kids and adults alike. Imaginarium will also include special film screenings, hands-on workshops given by some of the artists whose work will be on display, and craft fair that highlights the youth of the people organizing it — all children. There are a number of exciting exhibits within the show that people visiting it will want to look out for in particular.

Imaginarium will feature a ton of immersive pieces, but perhaps none so much as a special installation that recreates the artist’s memories of living in a lush, jungle-like part of Singapore as a youngster herself. The installation features lighted elements, such as tissue balloons hanging from the ceiling, as well as paper cones and curtains that emulate the dense foliage of a forest. Children will love exploring this wonderland of memory and experience.

Another artist’s installation is equally as immersive, though it treats a more serious topic — trauma. This artist’s work features a giant lizard’s tale that has been removed from the reptile’s body, which is a common enough occurrence in that realm. Lizards will often willingly detach their own tails to escape from predators. Children who visit this installation will be encouraged to create their own tails with messages that will be included in the installation itself.

An especially fun installation will have visitors peeling their eyes so they don’t miss it. A Singaporean artist will be including minuscule bunches of mushrooms that can be found throughout the exhibit space. The same artist recently did an installation with the same premise — only instead of fungi, he recreated bits of trash and other ephemera.

Another work on a smaller scale will be one in which visitors will have to get close to the ground. An artist has created tiny masterpieces that are only viewable when a passer-by kneels on the ground to get to eye level of one of many holes in an expanse of floor. Once down there, examining the tiny artworks, special speakers will pipe in everyday sounds for the visitor to hear.

Perhaps one of the most interactive displays features a robot with markers that viewers can pilot to make their own drawings across an expanse of canvas. The only caveat is that they are competing to control the robot with other people across the globe also operating it.

Sign up for an art class on SGArtClass.com today to ignite your own creativity.

For more information about the Singapore Art Museum’s current exhibition, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/from-bombs-to-mushrooms-5-reasons-to-check-out-singapore-art-8817926.

0 Art from Singaporean artists head abroad

Two art displays from artists in Singapore will be put on the world stage by participating in shows in Paris and Venice.

The first display, which was organized by Singaporean curators, features the art and culture of skateboarders. This show will highlight the work of more than thirty artists from Singapore, some of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, and France, the country where the show is taking place. This is the second year for the exhibit, which is back by popular demand. Last year, tens of thousands of people attended. One designer and artist from Singapore who is taking part in the show shared some of his works from it, and the importance of such an exhibit. He was excited about educating the Western world about skate culture from the Eastern world, which shares both similarities and differences. Collaborating and sharing this information with one another can help enrich the particular culture of skateboarding across the globe, giving people a broader education about different lifestyles. The Singaporean artist contributed five different skateboards on which he had painted portraits that reflected his own views about the skating culture in Singapore. Each one has unique features, though they carry similarities across all of them owing to the fact that they are all in black and white.

The Singaporean art piece heading to Venice is an immersive video production that shows Singaporean performers rehearsing traditional dance routines in the historic back alleys of the country. The exhibit that will feature this video art is part of an exhibit that is being held in conjunction with the upcoming Venice Biennale this year, where another Singapore art installation is going to be displayed with quite a bit of prominence — a feature on the boat culture of a fishing community in the region. The video art display has been shown before at the National Museum of Singapore. While the dancers themselves are important, the preservation of these performances on video also highlights the historically rich scenes of several important neighborhoods in Singapore, including Chinatown and Little India. Traditional dances will never be forgotten as long as there are performers willing to learn them and share them with an audience. In that vein, historically important pieces of Singapore will always be there as long as there is the will to preserve them, even among the forward-thinking progress in the country.

Celebrate your own culture and passions by enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that features numerous art classes you can take. From ink drawing to digital art, photography to oil painting, nail art to comic drawing, there is sure to be an art class to interest every new and established artist. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any previous experience — our teachers will help you develop the skills you need to succeed with art.

To read more about the art shows and the Singaporean artists’ entries, go to http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/singapore-art-and-installations-head-paris-and-venice.