Gallery Hopping: Part 1

First stop: Singapore Art Museum (SAM)

71 Bras Basah Road, S(189555)

Mon - Sun, 10am - 7pm

Fri, 10am - 9pm (free admission 6pm - 9pm)

___________________________________________

Art During the Emergency

The Art During The Emergency exhibition centers around the local art scene during the Malyan Emergency between 1948 and 1960. It is also meant as an evaluation of whether the environment of the time affected art making.

The first section of the exhibit was rather much like a history museum exhibit. There were old film reels playing black and white feature films, while the wall was lined with preserved manuals and journals in English, Chinese and Malay. Not exactly what I'd have loved to see, but it provided some context for the artwork that I was about to see.

In the second gallery, there were the paintings and prints made by the local artists. They were mostly muddy brown oil paintings with human figures as the subject matter. Besides the odd odour that greeted me upon entering the gallery, what was immediately apparent was the European influence on the works. There were a few woodcuts that showed influence of Die Brucke, Cheong Soo Pieng's Indian Man with Two Cows which resembled Franz Marc's Deer In the Woods II, and Tay Boon Pin's Workers Resting which reflected a semi-expressionist-realist approach.

Chua Mia Tee

Epic Poem of Malaya

There were also many works that showed the strong influence of communism at that time. Chua Mia Tee's large scale painting is an example, making use of the Communist's proudest tactic of melodrama in paintings to carry propaganda. Tay Boon Pin's painting, Workers Resting, also reflects on the social conditions of the time in a rather oppressive and matter-of-fact matter.

In a separate corner was a collection of smaller portraits by artists like Lee Boon Wang and Tay Boon Pin. They reflected a different slice of life with their realistic renditions of people of different races in posed pictures. Though they were posed, a certain sense of realism still oozed from the eys of the subjects, especially the portrait of the Indian man.

Overall, the exhibition was an interesting reflection of those by-gone days. It is more interesting and accurate in a sense, seeing history first-hand through the perspective of these artists. However, the art styles and techniques are not particularly useful. Though lacking in excitement, I enjoyed this exhibition for it nostalgic flash of the past.

___________________________________________

Art of Our Time

Teo Eng Seng

We're Happy. Are you Happy?

The Art of Our Time exhibition showcases modern and contemporary works by South East Asian artists like Affandi, Tang Da Wu, Le Pho and Zulkifli Yusoff.

This exhibition is really quite massive and spread over a few galleries. It even managed to make Bong and I feel quite lost! We viewed the wide range of Affandi works first, absorbing his thick and disturbing strokes of paint while the sometimes erotic subject matter (The Moment of Beginning) left us jaws hanging. Objects he depicted were usually tra

ditional asian ones, including Cock fights, wild boars and some sort of dragon boats.

Works were further divided according to the nationality of the artist. Artists within a single classification still showed quite a diversity of styles and subject matters. In general, the style was not very unified.

Here are some of my favourite works.

Anthony Poon

Breeze

The curved shapes on this painting are actually 3D reliefs made by stretching the canvas over the curved form (I think). It is an optical illusion as it looks perfectly flat from the front but inspection from the side will reveal it's true form. I think it's smart, and demonstrates the artist's technical mastery with his control over the form of the shape as well as the almost graphic like blending of colours! We were shocked to learn that Poon used acrylics, which dries very quickly and does not facilitate blending. Interesting work!

Tang Da Wu
Dances with Turtles

Made with graphite on paper, Dances with Turtles is part of a series by Tang Da Wu that speaks of foreign subjects. I love the fluidity of the forms and how the woman is so well merged into the composition with the turtles. The sketchy textures created gives the drawing a sense of movement and dynamism which blends well with the uplifting composition.

Fauzan B. Haji Omar
Stratification I

Fauzan's work is made up of coloured panels of different widths. Each is plastered with a collage of strips of torn cloth. The low relief creates a weathered texture that resembles rock from a distance. I liked the subtle juxtaposition of widths and colours, and also the fact that the piece was so long it took up an entire stretch of wall by itself.

There were so many more works worth mentioning! Since it is quite impossible for me to list all these works one by one, I suggest you go down to take a look at it yourself! You won't regret it, I promise. Subjects of the works are mostly quite close to the heart since they have South East Asian influences. No worries about not being able to relate to them. This exhibition's also quite large, so even if you don't like some of the works you will see, there will definitely be something that will please your eye.

If you want to hear more about the other exhibitions at SAM, come back again for the next part of my Gallery Hopping experience!