Category Archives for "Blog"

0 Plastic bottles become medium of choice in light festival

Singapore’s sustainable light art event i Light Marina Bay returns next month with all-new — and recycled — artworks guaranteed to brighten the night and spark creativity and curiosity.

The festival, which is in its sixth year, will span three weeks, giving Singaporeans and visitors alike plenty of time to enjoy the exhibits. The special event is a way to promote sustainability, and sustainable art installations strike just the right chord to inspire people to recycle and be more mindful of the way they live. Exhibits that feature sustainable art will be on display from fourteen different countries, including Singapore, that are participating in the festival. This means that sustainable artists will be inspired by their peers from all around the globe, and Singaporeans will get the special treat of learning what recycling and sustainability mean for the rest of the world. In all, 22 exhibits will be on display. Some of the installations will even be constructed by artists and student artists at Singapore’s many institutions for higher art education.

While the festival itself was created to promote sustainability and get the public interested in recycling and other practices, a small group of exhibits are only possible because of the help of the community. These exhibits are made from plastic bottles, many of which were donated by members of the public. Without the donations, the plastic bottles could’ve ended up in landfills or worse — polluting the earth. Now, the bottles will get new life as sculptures.

In one of the exhibits using recycled bottles, visitors can tour lighted bottles arranged in rotatable panels. Impressive feats of engineering during the day, the panels will, understandably, be even more of a draw for visitors at night — including being great photo opportunities.

In another exhibit using recycled bottles, a Singaporean artist has constructed a herd of cattle using milk bottles. It is an interesting commentary on produce, the economy, and sustainability. With the high consumption of food sold in plastic packaging, one could only hope that consumers recycle the packaging after eating the food or drinking the liquid.

If you’ve been looking for a way to get more art into your life but haven’t been sure where to start, direct your web browser to SGArtClass.com at your next opportunity. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that includes everything from articles about different art genres to deeply discounted art supplies for your next creative project. The crowning jewel of the site, however, is the wide variety of art classes that you can simply and conveniently enroll in. No matter where your particular artistic interests lie, there is sure to be an art class that will pique your curiosity. Capable teachers are able to tailor classes to fit your busy schedule, or you could even enroll in online-only courses for maximum efficiency and convenience.

To read more about the sustainable light festival, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/turning-plastic-bottles-into-installations-for-sustainable-light-art-festival-i-light.

0 Opinion: National Gallery Singapore should do more for Singapore itself

One member of the media is calling out National Gallery Singapore in a recent opinion article for being hard to navigate and not making Singaporean art its main focus.

In the article, the writer stated that since the facility itself is called National Gallery Singapore, art from the nation should be its primary focus, as well as educating the public that visits the facility on the history and role of art in Singapore. While National Gallery Singapore does have the largest collection of Southeast Asian art in the world, the writer posits that the facility doesn’t do enough to showcase art uniquely from Singapore, instead focusing on regional and international artists and artworks.

A recent exhibit that focused on the history of art in Singapore was difficult to navigate and find each of the three times the writer visited, she wrote. Maps and identifying signage throughout the museum is severely lacking in some places and haphazard in others, showing that organizers and curators of the museum didn’t plan well for people actually intent on seeing certain collections. For example, in the lobby, the map outlining the organization of the exhibits only includes the names of the individual gallery spaces, which highlights the donors but doesn’t give the visitors any frame of reference for what the galleries themselves contain. In order to ascertain this essential information, the visitor must cross reference the map in the lobby with an additional paper map. Also, the lobby map is confusing and laid out in a horizontal manner, even though each of the layers should be vertical to represent the stories of the actual building.

And the exhibit on Singaporean art itself was a letdown, the writer said. It was perhaps too ambitious, or perhaps the curators became too intimidated by its scope to execute it properly. Overall, the effect was that it was rushed, and that all the moving pieces didn’t come together well enough to present a cohesive enough whole. In comparison, other big-name international and regional artists’ exhibits were breathtaking and very well done. It’s this that makes the writer believe that Singaporean artists and artworks are getting the short end of the stick.

Once inside National Gallery Singapore, the writer notes that it is very hard to get around. The museum itself was made by combining the historic city hall and supreme court of Singapore in a groundbreaking and modern architectural feat. Once inside, however, visitors are treated almost to a maze of hallways and chambers that are increasingly difficult to navigate.

Some exhibits that feature a single Singaporean artist have fared better, the writer allows. But overall, to be a successful museum, National Gallery Singapore ought to provide more context and history for its Singaporean works.

Visit SGArtClass.com today to enroll in an art class to pique your creative curiosity.

To read the opinion article calling for National Gallery Singapore to improve the way it operates and displays Singaporean artworks, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/more-focus-on-singapore-art-please.

0 New additions, adjustments to make 2018’s Sifa an event not to miss

This year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts includes a jam-packed lineup for art fans for all genres and of all ages. Nearly fifty separate events are on tap for 2018’s Sifa, meaning that there will very nearly be literally something for everyone. Sifa has grown in popularity ever since it was rebranded from the now defunct Singapore Festival of Arts.

One of the biggest and most interesting changes on tap for this year’s festival is the addition of student pricing and seating for a number of big shows. In the past, student-priced tickets came with some of the worst seats in the house. However, for this incarnation of Sifa, students have the opportunity to pay just $10 for front-row seats for everything from world renowned plays to dance performances. The idea, organizers said, was to help promote the love of art in future generations, particularly students, who might get the opportunity to explore art throughout their academic careers. And if they were particularly inspired by one of the shows they saw at an event like Sifa, where they got to sit in the front row of the theater without emptying their wallets, they just might become artists themselves, poised to shape and influence life and culture in Singapore and the world beyond.

That’s the idea, anyway — to position students in the best seats to let the excitement sort of ripple outward, organizers said.

A number of plays will be on tap for Sifa this year, along with dance performances, movie screenings, art exhibits, and free circus performances held outdoors for anyone to watch. Traditionally for Sifa, another few days of festivities generally precede it. Instead of having that separate festival, though, organizers folded it into Sifa’s many events. The events include the meeting of a book club, along with free talks and discussions with creative minds and workshops, where visitors can learn valuable artistic lessons from visiting and highlighted artists. A number of these events are affordably priced, meaning that they are accessible for everyone.

Let Sifa be an excuse to explore art’s place in your life — as well as your life in the context of art. Visit SGArtClass.com today to start your creative journey. SGArtClass.com is a one-stop shopping website that hosts everything from informative art articles to highly affordable art supplies to a complete listing of art classes you can easily enroll in. From watercolor painting to ink drawing, caricature drawing to mural painting, comic drawing to nail art, and many, many more, there is sure to be an art class to pique the curiosity of every potential artist. Even if you don’t have much of a background in art, our skilled teachers will be on hand to ensure you learn the proper techniques to complete the projects you’re most interested in.

To read more about the events that will be a part of the 2018 Singapore International Festival of Arts, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/bringing-back-the-buzz.

0 Singapore’s street art scene a true creative journey

When you think of street art, you might be forgiven for not thinking of Singapore right off. To be sure, Singapore has had a tumultuous past when it comes to street art, which is an umbrella term that covers everything from murals to graffiti to public artwork installations. However, the history of street art in Singapore is important and rich with vivid characters and valuable works that have contributed to the understanding and appreciation of street art in both Singapore and the broader world.

In short, the image most people have when they think of a street or graffiti artist is someone in a ball cap with a scarf around their face, running from authorities and working under pseudonyms to conceal their identity. One of the world’s most famous street artists, Banksy, is an example of a graffiti artist whose real identity remains a mystery. Even though artwork by Banksy can be sold for millions of dollars, no one knows who he is.

In Singapore, street artists have a similar background. Singaporean authorities have always frowned on graffiti and anything that harms public property — art included. However, that understanding evolved into tolerance and even acceptance as the art scene developed in Singapore and more people learned to expand what their definitions of art included. Soon, the government began to sanction spots for graffiti artists and regular individuals, as well, to practice.

Still, clashes and misunderstandings persist. Even as recently as in the past few years, acts of public and street art that isn’t sanctioned by the art officials in the government are taken down. And if the artist is known or caught — whether it’s with a spray paint can, a packet of stickers, or a vision for a public artwork — there are ramifications. But Singapore has still come a long way in recognizing the importance of street art, and that could be, in part, because of the hard work of street artists for legitimacy of their medium and canvases.

In the most recent incarnation of Art Stage Singapore, street art was one of the highlights of the event. And multiple festivals help celebrate street art and artists in that world. For example, one recent display included famous Singaporean street artists cutting away small portions of street art in a public display area to show just how thick the layers of paint were. The many centimeters of vivid paint layers goes to show just how important graffiti and street art is to its many practitioners in the country.

Art comes in many forms and fashions. Whether you’re interested in mural painting or graffiti art, found art or recycled art, acrylic painting or oil painting, there is sure to be an art class you can enroll in on SGArtClass.com to more fully immerse yourself in your creative passion with the guidance of an expert teacher.

To read more about the history of graffiti and street art in Singapore, go to https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/against-the-wall-the-journey-of-singapore-s-street-art-scene-9869194.

0 Founding prince of Singapore gets fan art treatment

It all started with a social studies illustration of a musclebound founding prince of Singapore. The rest, they say, is history, including the prince in question.

Thanks to the illustration of a shirtless Sang Nila Utama discovering and naming Singapore, drawn in a super-muscular style that highlights the historical figure’s handsomeness and rugged good looks, the internet has exploded with interest recently. Though the initial image was created six years ago, fans of the image ensured that it remained prominent in the memories of fans of Singapore, history, and art. And when an illustration collective asked the fans to post their own versions of the founding prince of Singapore, they did not disappoint, meaning that the popularity of the muscular illustration will remain well known for years to come.

From smoldering princes to strong princes emerging from the waters to claim Singapore to the interesting addition of a puny Sir Stamford Raffles alongside him, the princely submissions rolled in. Many obviously derived inspiration from the initial artwork, though others took that inspiration in other directions, including into the romantic realm. In one fun work inspired by pixelated images of early video games, the muscular prince looks to be defeating a smaller by comparison Raffles, whose health bar at the top of the work is severely depleted.

The submissions themselves were all collected by the illustration collective and organized and displayed in an online art show. Each and every submission was treated equally, including being displayed on its own page in a gold frame, just like an actual artwork might appear in a gallery or art museum. All of the pieces also included the artwork’s name, the name of the artist, and a short explanation or description of the masterpiece. The body of work explored different thematic mashups of the prince with tropes such as pinup art to superhero characters.

The overall effect of the online art show is less of a serious exhibition and more of a way to poke fun at Singapore’s founding. The organizer of the show said that Singapore’s history is greater than the limited view of Raffles, who is generally credited with the founding of modern Singapore. The artwork can be taken as a tongue in cheek way to downplay Raffles’ contributions and celebrate other corners of Singapore’s history.

Art is a wonderful way to explore the past, present, and future. Visit SGArtClass.com today to browse an extensive listing of art classes you can sign up for. From acrylic painting to comic drawing and everything in between, there is sure to be a class that will pique your creative interests. Even if you have limited art skills, teachers will instruct you in the techniques necessary to complete the projects you’re most passionate about.

To read about the call for submissions of fan artworks of Singapore’s founding prince, as well as to see some of the works that were presented, go to https://mothership.sg/2018/01/sang-nila-utama-muscular-ripped/.

0 Singapore museum calls on public for ideas to marry art, tech

Calling all Singaporeans and permanent residents of the country: The National Museum of Singapore is looking for ideas on how best to marry technology and art in the facility. Submissions will be taken through the middle of next month, and winning submissions will be announced in April, with displays to go live as soon as August. Other guidelines for the submissions, including approximate costs for the proposals, are available online.

As technology advances in modern society throughout the world, many institutions are looking for a way to incorporate digital perks in the way they operate. It’s as much of an effort to keep up with the times as it is to attract new and younger visitors who have grown up with the latest technology at their fingertips in the form of smartphones and tablet computers. The National Museum of Singapore is no different, recently launching a digital effort that looks to boost the amount of technology throughout the facility.

The effort comes in two distinct parts. The first is technology that aims at enhancing the experience of being at a museum. This includes ways to count how many visitors view each exhibit and how long they stay at the exhibit. Having the technology to crunch these numbers could help the museum promote itself by being able to pinpoint popular exhibits as well as plan exhibits in the future with current interests in mind. This kind of data will also help increase visitors’ access to the museum’s collection. Proposals could include accessibility enhancements for the disabled or other people who might have trouble visiting the museum’s exhibits in the traditional manner.

The second part of the call for art and tech mergers goes out to artists and creatively minded people. These artists are asked to make proposals for displaying their masterpieces or projects using cutting edge technology. A recent popular exhibit included virtual reality movies that required visitors to wear immersive headsets to experience, as well as enhanced reality opportunities to explore the collections of museums around the world.

If you’ve always wanted to develop a new hobby that will benefit nearly every aspect of the rest of your life, look no further than SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that hosts everything from informative articles on different art genres to deeply discounted art supplies. The crowning jewel of SGArtClass.com, however, is the abundance of different art classes you can browse through and enroll in as easily as the click of a button. From digital art to mural painting, charcoal drawing to nail art, and everything in between, there is guaranteed to be a class to boost your creativity and ignite your passion for art. Art has been proven to help people cope with stress and trauma, develop creative problem solving skills, and much more. Bring more art into your life today!

To read more about the museum’s call for public input on merging art with technology, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/call-for-ideas-to-merge-arts-and-tech.

0 Indonesian artist’s hyperrealist works take center stage at show

One Indonesian artist is no stranger to the world of hyperrealist painting. Known for his paintings of everyday objects that appear real enough to be actual photos, Erianto will be hosting his third solo show in Singapore. This time, though, he has curated an interesting juxtaposition of hyperrealism with surrealism. Many lines are blurred in this new show, which explores both the idea of single fish in whole schools, as well as artists whose works have been returned to them, unsold. The end result is a thoughtful and arresting collection of work that transcends 2-D or 3-D definitions, inviting the viewer to question just what art means — and whether any of us truly stands out among the billions of other people who occupy this planet.

In one painting that will be on display at the show, two different fish are depicted in a simple layer of ground. The sun shines overhead in a cerulean sky, and in the distance, a rock formation rises. These fish, however, are clearly out of water — and in the artist’s traditional sense of style, figuratively out of water, as well. Because the scene in the middle of the canvas is simplistic, almost like something out of a child’s imagination, and the opposite of hyperrealistic. However, the frame of the painting is what the viewer should be taking into consideration in addition to what is framed. Erianto has worked to recreate the frame painstakingly over and over again, zooming in to the center of the canvas by using border after border. The visual effect is dizzying and interesting. The fish, which should be the subject of the painting, almost become secondary to the framing.

In another painting, the same painstaking framework encroaching inward highlights a single fish in the middle of the canvas. The fish itself is nothing special, though it seems to float on a taupe background beset by vividly colored horizontal lines. It also has a wiggly eye, adding to the sense of surrealism. The frames almost make the viewer feel as if they are falling into the painting, a world in which rules don’t work the way they’re supposed to. Frames aren’t supposed to take centerstage. Fish are supposed to look real.

In a third painting, the taupe background with the vividly colored horizontal lines repeats, creating cohesion among the work. A school of plain white fish seem to be laid out on this background, and clouds and a sun and a blue sky hang overhead. Again, though, the viewer gets a disquieting feeling of something being amiss. The fish might not be underwater, and fish need to be underwater in order to survive.

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To read more about the artist’s work, as well as to preview a handful of artworks that will be on display in the exhibition, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2812016/hyperrealism-in-artificially-in-order-at-element-art-space.

0 Bright, immersive, highly visual offerings at Singapore Art Week

Singapore Art Week has so many wonderful events and programs scheduled that it might be hard to pick which ones to attend. National Gallery Singapore is trying to make that choice easier for visitors by offering dazzling, immersive, and interactive art displays on the biggest of canvases: building facades.

The special programming, which is free, includes a number of different historical buildings in Singapore. A large group of Singaporean visual, multimedia, and sound artists are behind the projections and displays on the buildings. The projections transform the important historical buildings into enormous, multi-faceted art installations. Anyone can come and watch the displays, which play for four hours each night during Singapore Art Week. Different displays are organized for each building, specially designed with history and aesthetics in mind. Places that usually host a myriad of artworks within them will instead be framed as masterpieces, making people appreciate their beauty and significance even more.

In another interactive art installation that turns building facades into gigantic works of art, visitors are welcome to control the look of the display. Designed by an artistic team from Australia, a selection of foot pads influence the output of lights on the building’s facade. As participants jump, stand, step, or dance n the pads, their selections are reflected in the patterns and colors of the light displays on the building. Rainbows of concentric circles stretch and enlarge over the building’s facade, and participants and passers-by alike are treated to a live performance art session.

In another low-cost option available for twelve-hour stretches during the day and night, another Australian creative collective has organized a maze made completely of mirrors. For just two dollars, visitors can find their way through the highly visual puzzle, which is ripe for social media pictures and a fun time for participants of all ages.

If you’re inspired by all the various offerings of Singapore Art Week, then there’s no time like the present to seize on that inspiration and invite even more art into your life. Visit SGArtClass.com to get started on a creative journey of your own, learning about different art genres through informative articles, stocking up on art supplies with our deep discounts, and browsing all of the art classes you can easily enroll in. Even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before in your life, there is sure to be an art class that will pique your own personal interests. From digital art to watercolor painting, 3-D sculpture to mural painting, nail art to comic drawing, and everything in between, expert art teachers are on hand to make sure you have the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the projects you’re most interested in. Go to SGArtClass.com today to unlock your own artistic potential.

To learn more about the interactive public events as part of Singapore Art Week, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/see-the-civic-district-in-a-new-light-during-singapore-art-week.

0 Special art show puts works of special children in spotlight

For many special needs and disadvantaged children, one of the most pressing concerns is their equal access to the same kinds of resources and opportunities as other children. With that in mind, a unique partnership between Singaporean artists and a vulnerable group of children was launched, culminating in a special art show that celebrated the achievements of the collaborations.

For one boy whose work is on display in the exhibition, learning photography from a Singaporean photojournalist unlocked a completely new world for him. The boy came from a broken home after his Chinese mother and Singaporean father divorced, and switching between homes in China and Singapore meant that the boy struggled in English at his school. With his mother working long hours to support the family, it meant that the boy didn’t have a lot of support or help from adults in his life. That was where the photojournalist came in. At first, when the boy would take photos of his surroundings, he wouldn’t be impressed. The home he lives in is humble, situated near a road and other urban fixings, but the photojournalist encouraged him to look again. By teaching the boy artistic techniques for photography, the boy was able to see art in the everyday, including “painting” with light and long exposures, as well as fisheye lenses morphing a regular living room into something more interesting and surreal. The boy’s photographs are included in a special installation that mimics the inside of his family’s home in Singapore, complete with window panes framing the photographs, another testament to how art has changed the boy’s perspective on life.

Another young girl and budding artist has a special installation set up as a part of the exhibition. Just five years old, she has created a character whom she draws pictures of every day — sometimes more than ten pictures a day, all with different scenarios for the character to explore. The character itself is as unique as the girl — it has a large head and tiny body, and gets into all kinds of adventures. Because of the prolific nature of the young artist, there are more than one hundred pieces of art, all featuring the character. The installation includes the theme of a slumber party, where drawing such fantasies might very well take place. The dozens of works of art frame a bunk bed and slide.

It’s never too early to start exploring all the unexpected ways art might benefit someone’s life. Go to SGArtClass.com today to browse the extensive listing of classes available for artists of all ages and abilities. Expert teachers experienced with leading students in a variety of artistic genres and projects are on hand to meet with you on your schedule and even in the convenience of your home. From acrylic painting to figure drawing, classes can be designed around the student’s interests and skills.

To read more about the special art exhibition and the young artists who are a part of it, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/empowering-kids-in-need-through-art.

0 Get a sneak peek of works on display at Art Stage Singapore

Art Stage Singapore is one of the country’s most prestigious art shows, and this year is no different. A number of renowned galleries and artists from around the world will be present, exhibiting artwork that is sure to dazzle and delight the many visitors who will get the opportunity to see it.

One interesting mixed media piece that will be on display is a richly textured composition that includes everything from ephemeral sunflowers and straw to wire and tar. The wild variety of mediums work together to create almost a collage of ideas. Wire and tar are modern mediums, evoking construction and advancement and urban spaces. Sunflowers and straw are temporary, alive, expressing the transience of life and nature. The overall sense of the work is of progress and stillness, juxtapositions that exist, at least for this masterpiece, on the same canvas.

Another classic piece from a classic American artist is interesting not for its complexity, but its simplicity. Completed in part by ink, a grouping of simple pyramids stand around a blue and red target stretching on the ground. Behind the composition, a yellow sun with thick red tendrils stretches out. All of the lines in the work are clean and minimal, and it is up to the viewer of the work to decide what all the shapes and the way they work together mean. Why do the pyramids seem to be waiting around the target? Why is the sun so large? What is targeting the target?

In another, more organic work by the same artist, red, white, blue, and black circles dot a sandy background. One of the circles is actually a coiled black spiral. Bisecting the canvas is a meandering black line, the edges bleeding out. It has been constructed with watercolor, the technique discernible by the application of water on the edges, which give the black pigment freedom to travel. The effect is that of a river seen on a map or from the air, dark tributaries stretching outward to the circles.

In a 3-D sculpture offering from another artist, a generously proportioned woman poses in a seated position, hand resting on a raised knee, one leg crossed over the other. She looks away, into the distance, a hand touching her hair. Though the color of the sculpture is black, it is actually cast in bronze, adding a special weight to the woman. One wonders what she’s looking at, the significance of her stance, the importance of her. Other viewers might simply admire the sculpture for what it is — a beautifully shaped, interesting work of art.

Explore different and new genres of art by visiting SGArtClass.com. At SGArtClass.com, you can read informative art articles, shop for affordable supplies, and enroll in multitudes of art classes to unlock your creativity.

To see a slideshow with some of the notable artworks that will be on display as a part of Art Stage Singapore, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2808753/exhibitors-at-art-stage-singapore-2018.