Category Archives for "Blog"

0 Homeowner transforms outside of house into art piece

There’s an easy way to make your house stand out from all your neighbors: Hire an artist to paint a mural on its outer wall. That’s just what homeowner Tan Dib Jin did, transforming the blank expanse of wall surrounding his house into a pastoral scene of a kampung with the help of muralist Yip Yew Chong.

Tan decided to get the wall painted because he was tired of looking at its blank expanse. He had originally painted it white, but it always seemed to get dirty, turning the wall — and his house, by extension — into an eyesore. After giving it some thought, he decided that a mural would be a wonderful way to distract from the long wall and dirt, and a great way to bring interest to other people. He said that after the mural was completed, many people started to stop by his house to check it out.

After Tan arrived at the decision that he’d be decorating the wall with a mural, the next step was finding the right artist to complete the task. Tan chose to go with a lesser known artist in order to promote the artist’s work and help him get a leg up in the creative world, and was introduced to Yip through a common friend.

They settled on a scene in a kampung because of Tan’s fond recollections of such life while visiting relatives when he was young. The mural is a wonderfully green treatment of life in the country, including several different type of birds taking flight and investigating a pond reflecting the greenery around them. A father picks papayas from a tree as his son watches. The mural blends with and interacts delightfully with Tan’s real collection of growing trees and plants. There was one omission of kampung life, however: pigs used to run freely, but Tan felt it would be disrespectful to Muslims living in the area to include them in the mural.

Yip recalled several challenges while completing the large mural. For example, heavy afternoon showers washed away a portion of his work, while pesky mosquitoes attacked him in the evening hours. This isn’t Yip’s first mural, however. The self-taught muralist has a total of five murals in Singapore. His other work depicts a household maid washing clothes in a tub, and the scene of a barbershop.

Tan encourages other homeowners to consider brightening their living spaces and supporting local artists at the same time.

Have you always been interested in how artists paint murals? Sign up for an art class on SGArtClass.com to find out for yourself how it’s done. Our expert teachers will take you through the process from start to finish, leading you through the planning stage to the completion of a mural. You’ll learn how to understand scale and such considerations as the most effective paint on a variety of surfaces. Don’t be intimidated by the size of a mural — taking classes will help you tackle your passion.

For more on the mural, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mural-mural-on-the-wall-art-on-show-for-all.

0 Female artists shining strong in Singapore Art Week

Some of the most highly anticipated exhibits at this month’s Singapore Art Week hail from female artists, another shining example of the nation’s push for more art appreciation and awareness. The event itself will include more than 80 events that celebrate Singapore’s blooming creative scene.

One such artist, Jane Lee, has become one of Singapore’s foremost painters. Her works have all done well at auctions, and have also had reasonable success while being shown abroad. Her successful creative year will be on display for others to enjoy as one of Singapore Art Week’s many solo exhibits. The show will detail artworks she created during a recent residency and will also display evidence of her pushing her own creations out of their comfort zone. While Lee is well known for her paintings, she is experimenting in this show with other mediums, including print, paper, and video — for the first time ever. The show will explore themes of entrapment and freedom using a common motif of birds.

Another artist, Donna Ong, will be putting on a show that explores mankind’s interest in tropical jungles. Her work marries vintage type and prints with her own modern artwork to present ideas both new and familiar at the same time. Ong also had a good year, winning several awards and spending a residency abroad in Europe.

Yet another highly anticipated exhibit will be that of artist Belinda Fox. Her show will pay tribute to her travels throughout the Southeastern Asian region, including Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar. Fox’s paintings will treat themes that include the destruction and exploitation of nature through modernization and progress, and the subsequent loss of history through that practice.

Still another artist with a leading exhibition is Melissa Tan. Tan’s artwork includes a highly detailed and unique process that involves tracing watercolor creations with iron oxide. The end result is highly complex and multilayered, giving depth to something that would have appeared simple otherwise. Watercolor and iron oxide works are pressed between reflective steel sheets, adding yet another dimension to her otherworldly masterpieces. Tan’s exhibit will display works imagining the formation of asteroids and planets.

Celebrate Singapore Art Week by thinking about signing up for an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that lists dozens of creative classes for your to easily compare and choose from. There’s no better time than now to pursue a type of art you’ve never tried before — from watercolor painting to portrait drawing to sculpture. Our highly trained expert teachers will help you settle on a focus for your lessons, based on your level of experience and interests, and will schedule classes around your busy schedule. You can choose to meet with your teacher in the comfort and convenience of your own home, or at a common location for your lessons.

For more on the exhibitions that are a part of Singapore Art Week, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1303876/girl-power-the-ladies-are-taking-over-singapore-art-week.

0 Defunct amusement park the site of community art initiative

There’s nothing more distressing than to see prime space gone to waste, companies and people who vacated buildings that gradually become rundown eyesores to the community around them. However, a group in Singapore is working hard to turn such places around, transforming them into sites that people can be proud of once more.

Social Creative is an organization whose aim it is to promote community art initiatives, bringing art to unexpected places. One such place is a defunct amusement park that had become a blight in its surrounding neighborhood. However, once Social Creative and its army of artists and members stepped in, the decaying site was transformed into a void deck art gallery — the first of its kind in the nation.

Social Creative organizes and helps complete such murals, bringing unexpected pops of art in the outside community. One participant says that bringing art to the people who usually don’t get to enjoy it is important. Art belongs everywhere in the world, not just hanging on the walls of a museum in expensive frames. The charity group has painted well over 200 murals in dozens of void decks of defunct locations.

The communities where these artworks appear get a say in the theme and look of the murals. Social Creative works with residents and community leaders to decide on what the end product will look like. Many volunteer to help complete the projects, leading to a sense of pride in the work and the community around it. Once finished, the murals beautify and increase interest in the neighborhoods, even helping to curb vandalism and littering.

The gallery continues to expand, bolstered by awards and the support it has received. Some of the artwork has even been featured in a music video and on a CNN travel story. This past year, the void deck art gallery expanded into additional neighborhoods, featuring murals on everything from pop art to cubism. Other additional void deck art galleries feature scenes of pastoral life and historical moments special to the neighborhoods where they appear. Participants say the murals are important ways to engage and communicate with other people, as well as methods to increase interest in neighborhoods.

If you don’t have a chance to become involved with Social Creative or the mural projects they help organize, think about participating by taking an art class. SGArtClass.com offers a comprehensive listing of dozens of different lessons in a wide variety of genres, including assemblage art, found art, mural painting and many more. Art is a wonderful way to relax while opening different parts of your mind up to creative problem solving. Taking an art class would be a good way to diversify your hobbies and offer a way to build on other skill sets, such as organization, perspective, and more. And if you enjoy one art class that you take, there’s no reason why you can’t sign up for another one in a completely different subject to expand your knowledge.

To read more about the murals and the community art efforts, go to http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/putting-art-heartland.

0 Singapore Art Museum director stepping down from post

After only a couple of years at the helm, Susie Lingham is stepping down from her position as director at the Singapore Art Museum. Another official at the museum gives the reason as Lingham wishing to pursue personal passions, including her own creative projects. Singapore Art Museum will begin looking for a new leader soon while maintaining the vision Lingham set for the facility.

Lingham was a key leader at the Singapore Art Museum, ushering the facility through its corporate transformation. She was also the impetus behind several highly visionary exhibits. The museum continues to tap her creativity for the upcoming Singapore Biennale, which it will be responsible for organizing this year. Many in Singapore’s art scene express regret that Lingham is leaving the contemporary art museum, but remain hopeful that, in some capacity, she will continue to offer her expertise in projects the museum organizes.

Many of those artists discuss just how personable and helpful Lingham was in bringing their artworks to life and helping them reach a broader audience. She was responsible for bringing in young artists to the museum who might not have been entrusted by other curators to carry an exhibition. She also coached and offered criticisms to other artists she’d tapped for an exhibit that explored the meanings of the Singaporean flag’s five stars, leading to the exhibit becoming even more effective. Another artist lauded Lingham for adhering to her own views of what art should be and carrying those ideas over to make shows at the Singapore Art Museum even better.

Lingham is unlikely to simply vanish from Singapore’s art world, another artist predicts. She has been involved with the country’s art scene for twenty years, starting with helping to found a transformative art collective that helped bring art shows and performance arts to the public. These events were also informative, offering forums on a wide variety of topics.

Lingham brought her unique expertise to the Singapore Art Museum, leading creative and academically challenging showings that dazzled visitors to the facility. She made contemporary art accessible to everyone, stimulating their senses through her appealing take on exhibitions. Lingham entered the spot at the Singapore Art Museum without a background in art administration, bringing her fresh ideas to help make the facility even more successful.

Stuck on what to do during your weekends? Are you and your friends in a rut in your social lives? Think about getting a group of friends together to enroll in an art class together via SGArtClass.com. Creating art with the help of an expert teacher in the comfort of one of your social circle’s homes is a great way to do something fun, unexpected and educational. You might even discover a passion for something you’d never considered before, such as acrylic painting, sketching, collage or any other of dozens of artistic genres.

For more on the director’s resignation, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/singapore-art-museum-director-steps-down-after-two-years-at-the-helm.

0 A look ahead at Singapore arts in 2016

This next year will hold many more surprises in store for Singapore’s art scene, including a push to get the public more involved in the creative events, festivals and exhibitions.

One such effort is, in celebration of the opening of two wings at the Asian Civilisation Museum, the public was invited to enjoy a slumber party, sleeping in the museum itself. The facility will look to engage both new and old visitors to the museum with new narratives within its existing exhibits. Upcoming exhibits include an exploration of Christianity in Asia, as well as the path to the creation of Singapore itself. Other improvements to the museum include a new exhibit on Chinese ceramic pieces and a redesigned gallery and lobby area.

The National Museum of Singapore is also due for improvements this new year. In the reopening of its half-dozen galleries, nearly 2,000 artifacts will rotate onto display. Beloved old exhibits, like an installation of swinging chandeliers, will be given new upgrades to keep them fresh and exciting. The chandeliers will glitter with new crystals. Visitors to the museum will also be able to explore a multimedia exhibit on the Southeastern Asian region’s plants and animals as depicted by a historical explorer. The goal for the museum is to offer exciting changes and new programming to draw families and visitors back, time after time, to experience the facility anew.

National Gallery Singapore opened with a bang at the end of 2015, but doesn’t plan on slowing down at all in 2016. Starting this month, a film festival and art initiative will celebrate Singapore filmmakers both new and established. Overall throughout the year, the gallery will host around 60 films for viewers. Other events will include lessons and workshops on art and activities for kids. There will also be special monthly programs to help reflect some of the art on display in the gallery.

Other art museums and organizers are eager to stay active and exciting in the new year, planning a variety of thrilling events. The Singapore Art Museum, for example, is deep into plans for the singular Singapore Biennale, which it is responsible for organizing this year. The event, which was originally intended to take place in 2015, was delayed for one year because of the multiple art events surrounding Singapore’s 50th birthday celebration.

If you’re stumped on what your New Year’s resolutions should be, here’s an easy one: get more art into your life. If going to museums and festivals aren’t your thing, or if you schedule is too busy to allow you the time off, you should seriously consider taking an art class. SGArtClass.com is a simple and convenient way to look at an offering of art classes you can take as your schedule allows. Teachers will work with you to find both a time and location that will work into your schedule for you to expand your mind with creative classes.

For more on upcoming events and revamps in 2016, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/what-to-expect-from/2375980.html.

0 One Singapore Art Week exhibit to celebrate designers, alchemy

The upcoming Singapore Art Week is set to feature an incredible amount of artists and art exhibitions, and “The Alchemists” is one of them. This show will feature a number of talented designers redesigning objects based on the principles of alchemy, a pseudoscience from medieval times that was focused on transforming one substance into another. The end goal of most alchemists was a way to transform ordinary elements into valuable gold — something that never occurred.

However, the magic and imagination involved in alchemy persisted almost into an art form of appreciation, meaning that the collection of designers involved in “The Alchemists” show are transmuting ordinary things into extraordinary design.

This show is also an homage to an Italian group from the 1970s also entranced by the idea of alchemy, designing many avant-garde items inspired by the old practice. This modern group of Singaporean designers are examining the same principles — how to use different materials and methods to transform the design and substance of an item.

A variety of artistic methods were used to complete some of the works in this show. Resin pouring, 3-D printing, ceramics, and many more techniques and mediums were employed to explore how to rethink contemporary items while still paying tribute to the strangeness of 1970s culture. One of the end goals, the show’s curator shared, was to push for a more contemporary approach to modern design.

One example of a product reimagined in “The Alchemists” show is a table created without using a mold. Instead, designers used the principles of gravity, as well as surface tension, and poured resin to form a colorful table. Other ordinary products, like a basket, vase and bowl, are constructed using 3-D printers, a brand new technology that has been emerging in the past few years. Designing more things using 3-D printers is another way to embrace contemporary technologies as a way to help us design new, beautiful and useful additions to our lives. Yet another product designed as a part of the exhibition is a bag that stands up by itself, then collapses flat for maximum storage capabilities.

The curator of the show said that by including designers of all ages and experiences, she hopes to showcase the depth and breadth of design in Singapore.

Interested in redesigning some things in your life? Think about taking an art class to explore all the ways you can do so. Decorative painting is one way to start. You can redesign a table of your own simply by painting designs on it. Visit SGArtClass.com to see all of the different art classes you can enroll in today. Our expert teachers will help you explore the subjects you’re most interested in, from painting to sculpture to animation. Instructors will work with your schedule and availability to ensure you maximize your educational experience.

For more on the upcoming exhibition as a part of Singapore Art Week, go to http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1299728/singapore-art-week-2016-to-highlight-designers-inspired-by.

0 Media organization sets record for pavement art

The Channel NewsAsia broadcasting group has broken a Guinness World Record for longest piece of pavement art, shattering a title previously held in the Netherlands by more than 40 meters.

The sidewalk art, titled “Story of Our City 3D,” was completed by nearly 50 artists, instructors and students. It took nearly two weeks to complete, and stretches almost 150 meters long. The painting features a cityscape of some of Singapore’s most iconic skyscrapers towering into a light blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The piece is a celebration of Singapore’s 50th birthday and pays tribute to the nation’s transformation into a metropolis from a fledgling country. An education minister of Singapore even put the finishing touches on the artwork, painting in Singapore’s flag, which flies at the top of one of the buildings.

What’s even more special about the sidewalk art is that it is 3-D. Using tricks of perspective, the artists who designed the artwork made it seem as if viewers would fall through the sky if they stepped in the middle of the painting. This increases the opportunity for viewer interaction, one official said, adding that many people who have posed for photos on the sidewalk art have pretended to perch on the tops of the high buildings featured in the painting. From some angles, it really does seem as if those viewing the sidewalk painting are in danger of tumbling through the sky.

Another official said that many people are excited to see Singapore in the sidewalk art because they have grown right alongside the booming city. Since the artwork features iconic buildings of Singapore, many will be proud to see not only a unique piece of art, but also a new world record. Guests can visit the sidewalk art for free right now, and it will remain open to the public through the majority of January. Many should go see this groundbreaking artwork while it is available.

Art comes in all different forms and fashions, and the sidewalk painting that broke a Guinness World Record is no different. Explore all the ways art can happen by signing up for an art class today through SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a remarkable website that brings teachers and students together, organizing a comprehensive list of classes that cover everything from installation art to decorative painting. If you’re interested in learning about sidewalk painting, discuss your passion with a mural painting instructor, who will be more than happy to tailor the curriculum to suit your personal interests. Learn about everything from planning such a project to executing it, including the materials you will need to use. You can even experiment with perspective, as the artists who designed “Story of Our City 3D,” and transform a normal piece of pavement into a deep hole full of magic that viewers can easily get lost in.

To read more about the pavement art installation, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/channel-newsasia-sets/2339288.html.

0 Art official’s move highlights Singapore art

A former director of the Singapore Art Museum is putting Singapore on the map by moving to New York to work for an art institution.

Tan Boon Hui is now the director of the Asia Society Museum and was also appointed as vice president of the museum’s Global Arts and Cultural Programs. As a part of his position, he regulates the museum’s collection of masterpieces and leads activities and events that promote its art and culture. The Asia Society Museum is particularly known for its efforts in the advancement of Asian art around the world.

In 2015, Tan headed up a widely praised festival that touted Singaporean art in France. A variety of French cities played host to various art exhibits and shows meant to highlight the best of Singaporean contemporary art and culture. Tan agrees that he’s had a good year, adding that his appointment in the positions at the Asia Society Museum have broadened his artistic goals and reach.

Tan is unmarried and an only child. He lives in New York.

Prior to his new position with the Asia Society Museum, Tan was in charge of the Singapore Art Museum, staying in that position for four years. In that position, he helped new and emerging artists into the spotlight, highlighting Singaporean artists prominently. He also paved the way for the exhibition of contemporary art that was more in your face for viewers.

Tan looks to take advantage of his Asian connections in his role as the director of the Asia Society Museum. He hopes to help organize projects and shows to help to illustrate and emphasize a growing shift around the world to recognize Asian art.

Tan is only the latest Singaporean art administrator appointed to prestigious positions around the world. A former Singapore Art Museum curator is now director at a Paris art museum, and a former Singapore Arts Festival general manager is now the head of a blooming art hub in Hong Kong. Each of these arts administrators, including Tan, do Singapore a service by shining in their various international roles.

Tan says he’s excited for his new position, explaining that he’s spent his entire life promoting and learning about Asian art.

Singapore hasn’t always been known for its art, but that’s swiftly changing with all of the new galleries, funding and events organizers are putting on. You should take advantage of the renewed push and support for art by signing up for an art class today using SGArtClass.com. Our website will help you determine what your artistic passion might be, from oil painting to caricature drawing. Even if you’ve only ever doodled in the margins of your school notebooks, you might surprise yourself by enjoying a more advanced class, such as portrait drawing. Teachers are available to help assess your skill level and offer you projects and tips based on your level of expertise.

For more information about Tan’s move to New York, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/putting-singapore-in-global-spotlight.

0 Art event founder touts creative reach to Philippines

While Singapore’s arts scene is enjoying a booming period of prosperity and unprecedented growth, there are some who say that the Southeast Asian area as a whole is fragmented when it comes to artistic understanding and regional cohesion. One man looks to try and bridge the gaps from country to country by using an art event still in its infancy to help.

Art Stage Singapore, though a relatively new festival, has already seen success in bringing together artists, artworks, and fans of art from around Southeast Asia. In January, the premier art event will be even bigger and better than ever, with nearly 150 art galleries from dozens of countries in the region taking part. This growth comes hand in hand with a brand new feature of the festival — a forum looking to examine the relationship between art and other areas of society, including commerce and broader themes that affect countries.

The common theme for all artworks displayed in the upcoming Art Stage Singapore will be an examination of cities and art in the context of contemporary artworks. Organizers for the festival will also hope to push contemporary art forward by relating it to other, traditionally non-artistic careers and experts to present a broader understand of the far reaches of art.

Lorenzo Rudolf, the founder of Art Stage Singapore, touts the importance of art in cultivating a community. He recently visited the Philippines to promote the festival, showing how essential he thinks it is to develop a region-wide appreciation for the arts. One artwork that will be on display is from a Philippines artist. The assemblage art is constructed from old building materials taken from houses that had been torn down in order to make way for new construction, reflecting on the advancements of society and the history that has the possibility of falling by the wayside.

Rudolf also promotes the idea that because Art Stage Singapore is still a new festival, it is the perfect place to bring new artists to prominence. He goes on to say that Singapore is the perfect place to witness the emergence of art because of the political stability of the country, making it ideal to visit and experience. Even more important, Rudolf says, is if Singapore embraces the idea of a unified artistic Southeast Asian region, making itself the hub of such an inclusive stance.

Start participating in a new and exciting art scene by signing up for an art class today. SGArtClass.com is a well-organized hub featuring numerous art classes tailored to each and every art interest. You can just as easily embrace your interest for assemblage art — constructing art out of found materials — or decorative painting ‚ using art skills to paint decorations on the walls of homes or buildings, or even smaller objects. Your imagination is the only limit to learning to stretch your creativity.

To learn more about Art Stage Singapore and the Philippines, go to http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/215282/art-stage-singapore-founder-brings-message-of-arts-growing-reach-to-manila.

0 Singapore poet calls for other artists to snub state funding

Singapore poet Jee Leong Koh is calling on other artists in the nation to forgo art funding from the government in an effort to stand up to censorship and the influence the state wields over creative endeavors.

Crafting a heated Facebook post, the poet decried recent comments by an official with the National Arts Council. The official, Chan Heng Chee, gave a speech talking about the evolving arts scene in Singapore and the importance of teamwork and compromise between the state and the artists themselves in terms of censorship and funding.

Koh took issue with Chan’s comments, saying that it was clear the state wanted to control artistic expression through its continued funding of artists in Singapore. Koh went on to say that through exerting such control, it proved that the government wished to use its influence to shape artwork that promoted itself while stifling any artists and pieces that might go against the grain. This relationship, Koh continued, would harm creative self-expression and freedom. Koh encouraged his fellow artists to rethink their own relationships with the state and the funds they might receive from the government, explaining that artwork of all topics and viewpoints deserved the same respect whether they were welcomed by the public or not.

Koh himself has withdrawn a submission to a poetry anthology that would require him, in the long run, to associate with one of the government’s arts councils. He said he preferred not to continue projects that would require him to fund his work through money offered by the state.

The Facebook post that Koh made his views public in has garnered much attention online. Several Singaporean artists have sounded off in favor or against Koh’s opinion.

One writer resigned from a committee for a festival because a government group had removed a few children’s books from public libraries over concerns their messages weren’t suitable for their audiences.

Other artists continue to support the state’s influence on the arts in Singapore, saying that with such a fledgling art scene, it is the state’s responsibility to help it grow. Though there may be some hiccups now, one playwright responded to Koh’s Facebook post, it is the responsibility of artists today to continue fighting for artists of the future, as well as the future of art in Singapore.

Embrace your own creative freedom by signing up for an art class today. Through SGArtClass.com, you can easily find a number of art classes in many different interesting genres. From classes on self-portraits to lessons on landscape painting, you can be sure to find the class that fits your own specific passions and pursuits. Classes are developed via expert teachers with your own skills, goals, and scheduling in mind. Develop new techniques you never thought possible or hone the skills you one had before losing focus.

To read more about poet Jee Leong Koh’s call to action, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/singapore-poet-calls-on-artists-to-reconsider-engagement-with-the-state-and-its-arts.