Category Archives for "Blog"

0 Singapore should look to build on successful 2016 in the arts

The year 2016 was a significant one for many reasons for Singapore. The arts scene in the country enjoyed a boost thanks to the government looking to transform Singapore into an art destination. This meant that there were a plethora of gallery and museum events, as well as funding available for artists to create work simply for art’s sake instead of trying to cater to the idea of what might sell. Numbers for several special art events were up, showing an increase in interest for attending art festivals and other events.

However, Singapore is now facing a challenge of how to keep those numbers increasing, bringing art to people who haven’t yet experienced it. This responsibility resides in leaders of museums, galleries, and annual festivals in Singapore, and those positions are facing another challenge. Over the course of 2016, many leaders at significant properties, including the contemporary Singapore Art Museum, left their positions, leaving something of a leadership vacuum. This can be challenging for continuity purposes at the museums, since many new leaders wish to leave their own personal marks on the property, reversing directions the museum was going in previously under the past leader. However, one industry expert says that there isn’t much to worry about, as visitors will determine just what is or isn’t working for them.

Other initiatives to attract new visitors and continue to build on the growing numbers of 2016 in the new year includes new opportunities to interact with art. While National Gallery Singapore reported problems with museum visitors touching paintings that weren’t supposed to be touched, other museums could organize workshops and interactive art exhibits that encourage such hands-on activities. Another draw could include organizing art shows that highlight artists from around the world. This would give Singaporean art fans a window to learn about other cultures without ever having to leave the country. Art organizations could also think about offering artists in residence programs for foreign creatives. That way, there could be more of a cultural exchange between Singapore and other countries of the world, leading to creative opportunities for many down the road.

Are you in a slump at work or at school? Are you tired of doing the same old thing on evenings and weekends? Think about boosting your creative energy and finding something new to do by signing up for an art class today. SGArtClass.com is a one-stop shopping website that includes articles about different types of art genres and discounted art supplies for purchase. It also features an exhaustive list of different art classes to enroll in, each one taught by an experienced instructor. Choose from oil painting, mural painting, decorative painting, and many more. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never held a paintbrush before — art is well within your grasp.

To read more about last year’s artistic successes and challenges still facing Singapore’s art world, go to http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/leadership-direction-public-engagement-remain-challenges-arts-spore.

0 Challenged youths explore feelings with art show

The Singapore Art Museum will be hosting a special kind of art show in the month of January. Children and young people who are enduring chronic illnesses and other health challenges have mined their experiences to come up with artistic gold. The creative products of their labors will be on display at the museum for anyone interested in being inspired through their strengths.

The exhibit is held in conjunction with Project Dreamcatchers, which is a support group for a Singaporean hospital’s department of pediatrics. Established artists and art teachers worked with the young people for the duration of this project, offering guidance and inspiration where needed.

One young artist whose kidney is failing took a comedic inspiration from a social media fad in China that had young women holding pieces of paper in front of them to showcase how slender their waists were. In the Singaporean artist’s take on this, she holds a piece of paper in front of her own body, but the paper has fine ink line drawings that illustrate the inner workings of her body. While the artist might look normal from the outside, her body is failing her on the inside, and a complex structure of pipes and other mechanics might be fixed, or they might not.

Another young artist explores the idea of the constant need for validation among peers on social media. The work itself is holographic, but it seems to contain many additional dimensions, drawing the viewer deeper inside via a trick of the eye and lights surrounding the framed border of the work.

Another facet of the show is a young artist who painted a collection of sayings and motivational phrases on square canvases. Each saying is meant to inspire deeper thought even when we are engaged in mundane things, and was inspired by an ad campaign urging people to unplug from their devices in order to connect with their fellow human beings.

Art can have a multitude of benefits that might not be readily apparent. Other than teaching you a new skill you’ve never mastered before, art can help you work through issues that have been plaguing you, such as worries about your health, stress in the workplace, or disagreements that you have had with family members. Art is often used to help people cope with grief or other troubling experiences, since it might be easier to express feelings through the tactile practice of making art than speaking about them in a clinical setting. Think about signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com to start enjoying all the benefits that art can bring you. Expert teachers are knowledgable in a variety of different art genres — from oil pastel drawing to watercolor painting, and many more. They can either suggest art projects for you to try or help you complete the projects that interest you the most.

To learn more about the young artists and their work, go to http://popspoken.com/arts/2017/01/project-dreamcatchers-finding-beacons-hope-art.

0 What not to miss during Singapore Art Week

With Singapore Art Week coming up, one might be forgiven for being a little overwhelmed at the wealth of art exhibits and programs scheduled for the twelve-day event. There are even festivals within the festival, meaning that there is something truly for everyone. But where do you start if this is your first time going and aren’t sure what to catch? Try out these five highly recommended tours to get started.

Visitors who enjoy a little bit of intrigue with their art should stop by a pop-up museum at Chip Bee Gardens. Participants two at a time receive a folder of information and tour the collection of items in the museum on their own. However, there isn’t a rhyme or reason to why the particular collection of items have been amassed, nor are they traditionally explained as in other museums. It is up to the visitors to put their own meaning and context to the items, which include animal traps, old postcards, and a colonial-era photo album.

Another tour will take visitors to notable locations around Singapore where movies were filmed. This includes locations in an obscure documentary on the late pop star David Bowie, as well as a popular feature film. Participants ride a bus to different locations, and at each of the locations, artists are on hand to recreate the scenes, play music, and otherwise provide context for the tour.

For fans of street art, there will be a day-long festival included within Singapore Art Week to celebrate the style of painting most often done on sides of buildings with spray paint. A dozen Singaporean street artists will be on hand, completing a large mural together. Participants can also opt to go on a walking tour to view other notable examples of street art in Singapore that are important to the genre’s history. If people stay alert, they might even catch a few secret pieces.

For art lovers confident enough to get off the beaten path, a self-guided tour of murals in Little India is available. Just download a special app on your smartphone to be guided through a number of public art pieces in the neighborhood. Go at your own pace and get information that helps provide context for the artwork.

A young Singaporean artist will be hosting a showing of his own work during art week festivities. Check out some of his humorous line drawings, which he completes of people he meets in public.

Art comes in all forms and fashions. If you’ve ever been interested in investigating art a little deeper, think about signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com. From mural painting to line drawing, or caricature art to street art, there is sure to be a class to pique your creative curiosity.

To read more about the best tours to catch during Singapore Art Week, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/art-and-about-5-unique-tours-to-check-out-at-singapore-art-week/3402850.html.

0 Selection of Singapore artists have surprises in store for new year

An art and media organization has taken a detailed look at young artists in Singapore and has compiled a list of ten bright creative minds to watch in the new year. Ranging from visual artists to photographers, musicians, and literary talents, the selection of artists is sure to impress audiences with what they’re working on in 2017.

One of the photographers on the list is notable for taking breathtaking shots of cityscapes. For this young artist, buildings and architecture take on the graceful slope of naturally occurring cliffs and rock faces. In one portrait of a city, low clouds mingle with the tops of skyscrapers not unlike cloud cover on a mountain’s summit. For another photographer, close-ups of mundane objects and subjects become intimate and surreal. The light from a reflection of an object not seen in the frame casts a golden effect on the edge of a bed frame in one shot, making the scene much more magical than it would’ve been otherwise. Another subject lies on her side, a pregnant belly contrasting with knees drawn up. The third photographer in this grouping has particularly focused on migrant workers from Bangladesh. The faces and figures in this series tell the stories of people living far from home and making a living abroad.

Singaporean musicians are also doing exciting new things ahead of the new year. Musical group Disco Hue has been wildly popular, their songs acting as throwbacks to popular ’90s cultural themes. Another group, Exhibitors, have thrilled listeners with heavy melodies and lyrics that still find a way to stay upbeat. T-REX is another group that defies explanation. Formed due to a music school requirement via the drummer, this band has stuck together, covering work from jazz to metal.

Visual artists that should be doing great things this year if their past works are any indication is one painter who is skilled at painting portraits with a twist — the most expressive part of the portrait, the face, is covered with a black box. The portraits themselves are well done in sepias and grays, but the black boxes distract and add commentary in their place. Who were these subjects? Why has their identity been taken? Another visual artist specializes in installations that challenge the concept of reality. One of her installations is a printer suspended from the ceiling, spitting out copies of surreal art.

Literary artists in Singapore have also enjoyed success with recently published novels and popular undertakings like a push to write more poetry.

Would you like to explore your creative side? Check out SGArtClass.com and enroll in an art class today. Even if you’ve never taken any kind of art class before, teachers will be on hand to give you the skills you need to complete any number of projects you’re interested in doing.

To learn more about all of the artists on the list of Singaporean artists to watch in 2017, go to https://vulcanpost.com/599731/10-singaporean-artists-look-2017/.

0 Singapore art fairs adding new attractions

Fans of January’s glut of art fairs in Singapore can look forward to new attractions at some of the nation’s most popular art-themed outings. Intent on drawing new first-time visitors and helping build the confidence of potential first-time collectors, three major events during Singapore Art Week are prepared to unveil new draws to their happenings.

Singapore Art Week will host Art Stage Singapore, Art Apart Fair, and Singapore Contemporary festivals. The art week itself will stretch twelve days to accommodate all of the special events, totaling nearly 100. Art exhibits, workshops, discussion panels, and much more will be on tap to appeal to all different sorts of art fans.

A new feature for Art Apart Fair and Art Stage Singapore will be highlighting works of art that belong to private collections. This is a great opportunity for art fans to see masterpieces that are normally not on display. While none of the artworks will be available for sale, visitors can at least say they saw something that other people who didn’t attend the event may never get to see again in their lifetimes. The founder of Art Stage Singapore said the decision to hold the showing of artworks in private collections after a similar event saw success at Art State Jakarta. The exhibit also plays on just how important collectors are to artists in the Southeast Asia region. While not every fan of art has the means to become a collector, they can at least enjoy art and understand what others are collecting.

The Singapore Contemporary will be giving visitors a window on the art world by hosting collections from artists from as far away as Latin America. Many such works are enjoying a surge of popularity in Southeast Asia, so giving audiences more of what they like is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The exhibit will feature photos priced to sell, giving visitors encouragement to start adding to their own burgeoning art collections. The event will also bring styles of art to people who would have not otherwise had the means to see it, broadening their horizons both culturally and artistically.

Ahead of Singapore Art Week, consider boosting your art acumen by signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website detailing everything from different genres of arts to a wide selection of art classes you can enroll in. From mural painting to portrait drawing, there is sure to be an art class designed to pique your interest. Expert art teachers will help you discover and embrace your inner artist through informative instruction, including background on your art genre of choice and step-by-step teachings on the techniques necessary for you to complete your projects. Teachers can also adapt to your busy schedule by offering classes in the comfort and convenience of your own home.

To learn more about the coming attractions at Singapore’s art fairs, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/new-draws-at-art-fairs.

0 Singapore exhibit highlights different forms of contemporary art

An exhibit at a Singapore venue will explore contemporary art in all its various forms and fashions, including social commentary and masterpieces from different regions of the world.

A triptych — three panels that make up a single work of art — shows three different views of what might be the same face. The first is a face on its side with four eyes. Red and orange raindrops fall around it, and a figure stands on the ear, holding what appears to be an unfurling cloth, or perhaps a cloud. The central panel features the four-eyed face staring directly at the viewer in a more traditional pose. A waterfall or stream trickles from the closed lips, and a figure on the forehead kneels over a bowl. A pair of white flowers bloom from behind each ear. In the third panel, the head is in profile, at the top of the canvas. An abnormally large tongue extends from the open mouth, and what appears to be organs unfurl from the neck.

Another piece features candles suspended from the ceiling, highlighting what could be interpreted as a shrine to memories. Framed photographs are displayed on spindly raised platforms, as well as ceramic cups that could be filled with tea. The overall effect of the installation leads viewers to believe that it is a process of memory they are viewing. We often reminisce over cups of teas, and about people we know or used to know. Each memory itself is a bright flame of a candle lit or extinguished in our mind as we think of it.

Yet another piece that will be on display at the exhibit is an abstract work in dark and rust-like colors. The entire work is encased in what looks like a metal grid, offering texture and a vague sense of foreboding, as if we are restricted from accessing the true meaning behind the masterpiece.

A sculpture that will be a part of the exhibit is an intricate boat floating in space. Constructed from a variety of mediums, power lines, housing, and a smokestack are most visible as the passengers of the large ship, which reflects a vague post-apocalyptic feel.

A hinged box containing a doll-like likeness of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo will also be a part of the collection. Anyone familiar with paper dolls will feel a surge of nostalgia at this piece, which features Kahlo as a doll that can be dressed up with any of the three dresses on display on the other side of the box. The effect can be purely decorative, or it can suggest the way we apply our own views to viewings of art.

Sign up for an art class today via SGArtClass.com to jumpstart your own creative adventures.

To learn more about the art that will be on display at the event, including seeing a sneak peek of the masterpieces, go to http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1834581/instant-replay-arndt-singapores-highlights-from-southeast.

0 Artists explore Fantasy Island as link between Singapore, Batam

A sense of place depends on where you’re from. For example, Fantasy Island, a group of Indonesian islands that are being designed as a draw for ecotourism, are seen as a place for vacations, rest, and relaxation for a majority of Singaporeans. However, for Indonesians, the region is seen as a place for work.

An artist and curator are excited to explore the meaning of Fantasy Island with a new exhibition that will be on display during the Singapore Art Week. The exhibit itself will examine the meaning of borders in terms of cultural exchange and barriers, as well as an exploration of people’s perceptions and interpretations of islands. Work from a handful of artists will be on display at the show, which will also feature discussions, books, and stills from Singaporean television series and films recorded in Batam. The exhibit itself stemmed from a failed trip to explore Fantasy Island via boat. Because they were not authorized to be there, the artist and curator were turned away by guards, explaining that they didn’t have the clearance to set foot on the island. The experience itself, though unfruitful, didn’t disappoint completely. Instead, the imaginations of the artist and curator were set alight at the possibilities of what could be on the island, and they gave themselves over to the various interpretations of that idea.

If a person stands on Batam and looks in a certain direction, they can see the skyscrapers towering in Singapore. However, knowledge of each place is limited, and interpretations can vary depending on where a person is standing and what kind of culture they come from. One photographer whose work will be a part of the exhibit photographed abandoned retail and housing ventures on Batam, showcasing the whims of planners and the pitfalls of a capricious economy.

Another artist will display an installation that explores language and cultural identity. The artist’s great-uncle spoke a language different from the official language of Batam, and influenced the artist by saying that all the people — whether from Batam, other parts of Indonesia, or Southeast Asia — are just different leaves from the same tree.

Art benefits us in many ways. It can give voice to feelings and stories that would otherwise exist only in our minds. It can also help relieve stress and develop creative problem solving skills that can be applied everywhere from schoolwork to your career to social interactions. Explore those emotions and experiences by signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com. There are a number of different classes you can take depending on your preferences, from charcoal drawing to pointillism painting, mural painting to chalk pastel drawing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any artistic experience. Expert teachers are on hand to help shape your lessons into personalized experiences that will make sure your love for art will last an entire lifetime.

To read more about the exhibit, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/singapore-batam-and-the-ties-that-bind-in-fantasy-islands.

0 Singapore artists taking advantage of affordable factory space

With studio spaces in the city center becoming more and more expensive and hard to come by, many Singaporean artists are uprooting their lives and moving in to spaces formerly for industrial business and factories.

While the rent in these buildings in the eastern part of the city are much more accessible, many artists struggle to come up with the money up front needed to make improvements like adding air conditioning, partitions, and lighting. That’s why the artists are teaming up with other creative individuals to split the costs of refurbishment and share the space within.

The efforts of these artists are starting to take hold, and more and more art is being seen in spaces alongside other traditional industrial businesses.

The former factory and warehouse spaces are ideal for artists, one painter who rents the space says. Lots of open space, ready access to light, and few columns obstructing the flow of a studio are necessary for a successful art space. Another pair of artists who share a studio in one of the warehouses often convert their space into an exhibition hall, showing their work and the work of other artists, meaning that the eastern part of the city that was formerly home to industrial warehouses is getting new life breathed into it thanks to these artistic endeavors.

Sharing spaces with other artists has had other benefits from just saving money. Creating art can often require artists to be in their own personal bubble, working alone in a solitary space. But through sharing the space with other creative minds, artists can gain friends, emotional support, and can even bounce off their ideas with other artists, leading to a kind of creative incubator effect. Feedback and encouragement can help artists determine how to steer their existing works that might have stalled out because of brain blocks.

The seemingly endless open spaces at these factory studios brings out the best in artists. One artist turned her space into an art installation itself, stenciled blue and red stars and triangles covering the walls and floor, a variety of mediums like chains, toy basketballs, and colorful wires making something of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Embrace your inner artist by checking out all the art classes you can enroll in on SGArtClass.com. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned artist looking to branch out in other genres that would benefit your body of work or someone who has never had any art instruction in your life. Teachers are adept at instructing at all levels, and you will soon find yourself able to start and complete creative projects you never thought you would. Take a class in anything from found art to installation art, 3-D sculpture to oil landscape painting, fashion design to comic book drawing. There is an art class for everyone.

To read more about Singaporean artists working to transform factory space into creative studio space, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/factory-art-singapore-s-artists-head-for-industrial-buildings-in/3389450.html.

0 Singapore is the perfect place to visit for art fans

Singapore is world renowned for being a destination for lovers of shopping, food, business, and other forms of commerce. But what some people might not realize is that Singapore has become a much sought after destination for fans of art, and it has a dazzling array of possibilities to entertain creative minds.

From multiple art festivals throughout the year to the one-year-old National Gallery Singapore, which hosts the largest selection of Southeast Asian art in the entire world, there is sure to be a gallery, museum, or event to tickle the fancy of any visitor.

The Singapore Biennale 2016, going on now, is a great opportunity to see a large collection of work from both Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. One installation to look forward to is called “Cooking the World” by an Indian artist. The artwork itself is a gigantic sphere of cookware — all different shapes and sizes of pots and pans — suspended from the ceiling of the exhibition hall with clear filament. The pots and pans look almost like a 3-D sphere, and it causes the viewer to wonder about the similarities and differences between the way they prepare food and the way other people prepare food across the world.

Another artwork requires less moving pieces. The sculpture — if one can call it a sculpture — takes its from from five lights pointed toward each other strategically. In the middle, floating vapor and the angles of the lights make the shape of a star. Separate, these ordinary objects might not be considered art. But together, and put to work with a purpose in mind, art emerges from the everyday.

A highly interactive exhibit features a room filled halfway with green, air-filled balloons. Visitors are expected to walk through the space and displace the balloons, participating with the installation.

In the ArtScience Museum, fans of mathematics can catch a display of artworks by M.C. Escher, a mathematician famous for mind-bending illustrations.

Another exhibit requires visitors to descend into it via a ladder. Three towels are spread on a floor illuminated in blues and purples. Visitors are asked to participate by imagining the space as a beach scene, even if the colors and atmosphere suggest anything but. The imagination is almost as important as the artwork itself.

Are you stuck on what to do with your friends to socialize? If your group of friends is tired of doing the same old thing, think about signing everyone up for a group art class on SGArtClass.com. Take fun classes such as portrait drawing or nail art and wow your friends with your newly discovered creativity. Teachers can host you and your group of friends in a common art space, or they can meet you at home. Make a party of your art experience and never be bored with your friends again.

To read more about art attractions in Singapore, go to http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/travel/Singapore-offers-multiple-attractions-for-art-lovers/shdaily.shtml.

0 Singaporean artist incorporates instant noodles into masterpieces

For Cynthia Delaney Suwito, instant noodles aren’t just a delicious comfort food that can be quickly prepared and consumed. Instant noodles are also her preferred medium for her art.

The Singapore-based artist’s latest masterpiece is an ongoing performance art piece. About once every two days, Suwito visits the gallery that houses her work, as a part of a special exhibition for young emerging artists. There, she cooks a couple of packets of instant noodles, making the dehydrated noodles pliable through the cooking process, and uses them to add more rows to her instant noodle tapestry. The edible work of art will be very big by the time the exhibition — and Suwito’s work — ends.

Suwito says that knitting with noodles acts as a commentary on today’s society. These instant noodles are meant to be consumed by people on the go. For many of them, all it takes is a microwave — or a pot of boiling water — to have a quick meal in minutes. However, once Suwito incorporates a fast meal into a slow artistic practice, knitting, she changes the meaning of the convenient noodles into something more thoughtful and lasting. She said that everyone in today’s society should try to slow down for a little while and work against the fast pace that has everyone rushing around all the time, on the go at every waking minute. The noodles tapestry itself is intricate and fragile looking. Suwito says that, in general, knitting is highly relaxing until she realizes one of her noodles is about to break and affect the row she’s working on. She uses all kinds of different instant noodles for her project, though she names one or two brands and types that yield the thickest, most structurally sound noodles for her knitting needles.

This isn’t the first time Suwito has used instant noodles to express her art. Another installation features packets of the comfort food accompanied by stories she solicited about participants’ memories and experiences with instant noodles. Still another project saw Suwito pretending to be an archaeologist and uncovering noodles as fossils, encased in rock or amber. Each piece glows with a special sort of luminescence, as if they are museum-quality pieces behind glass for people to marvel and wonder about.

Art can be whatever you see in your everyday life. From cooking to crafting, even the simple things we do to keep ourselves and our loved ones up and going can be transformed into art just by looking at it differently. Explore art in the world around you by enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com helps connect you with an expert art teacher eager to help you discover art genres and projects that will lead you on an artistic journey. Take classes in everything from found art to contemporary art, embracing the extraordinary in the ordinary. You might never look at normal things in your life the same way again after taking an art class.

To learn more about Suwito’s unique and delicious artwork, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/call-it-noodlework-she-knits-instant-noodles-to-make-art/3367018.html.