Though the arts in Singapore have only had a couple of decades to start taking root, they have recently begun to blossom. The Singapore Art Museum was one of the places to help fertilize the growing art scene, and the world is only expected to get broader with the opening of the National Gallery of Art later this year.
Contemporary art, by its nature, can often be divisive and address challenging subjects. However, art as a whole is meant to provoke a reaction, to ignite a thought, and to inspire a feeling in all viewers — that’s the goal. “After Utopia” is an exhibition devoted to encouraging a broad range of thoughts and dialogues about many different topics. That’s evident from the wide variety of artists from different Asian countries represented in the show — from Singapore itself to China.
Within “After Utopia,” art collections are categorized into one of four areas. The first deals with the idea of the biblical garden of Eden, as well as artists’ interpretations of what that may look like for other people. The second is devoted to the idealistic views of the perfect urban center, or what the artists might picture as the best possible city. The third category explores politics, those devoted to political causes, and what it might look like in a world where one’s political aims are all met. The fourth and final category explores the pursuit of a utopia within one’s soul, sought through prayer, action, meditation, and other practices.
One of the most expansive and time-consuming parts of the fourth category is a collection of work from the artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert. Working over the course of a year, the artist carved 365 sitting figures — one for every day of the calendar. Each of the figures is different from the next, and the task itself became a meditation for the artist to complete, a daily ritual that allowed him to retreat inside of himself to explore the ideas of art, creativity, and what it means to create masterpieces such as the ones displayed at this exhibit.
A large, impactful art installation of falling bombs covered in mirrored glass ends the exhibit, begging the question of just what happens to end utopia — or achieve it. Viewers will be challenged to search for the answer both in the museum and outside of it once they’ve left after seeing this worthy exhibit.
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For more information about the exhibition, go to http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/review-boundaries-open-up-in-after-utopia-at-singapore-art-museum-20150831-gjbe6k.html.