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    Eri Ōta, Be Healthy II, 2020, lithograph
    © Eri Ōta, Image courtesy of Micheko Galerie and The Culture Story

     

    The Culture Story and Munich-based Micheko Galerie are proud to jointly present “Pop and Beyond: The Diversity of Japanese Art”. This exhibition marks the gallery’s first pop-up project in Singapore, presenting seven Japanese artists who have not shown in Singapore before – Katsumi Hayakawa, Kenichi Yokono Norihiko Terayama, Mari Ito, Toru Fukuda, Eri Ōta (listed by age) and Masako Inoue (age unknown).

    The contemporary art scene in Japan has witnessed a flourishing and diverse range of artistic expression over the past two decades. The exhibition ‘Pop and Beyond: The Diversity of Japanese Art’ explores the work of these seven prominent Japanese artists who have made significant contributions to the country’s artistic production during this period.

    These artists represent a cross-section of the vibrant and innovative Japanese art landscape, showcasing a variety of media and conceptual approaches. Through their distinctive styles and unique perspectives, they offer insight into the unfolding narratives and experiences that have shaped contemporary Japanese art in the 21st century. By examining their artworks, we delve into the essence of Japanese culture, history, and socio-political context, inviting us to engage with and appreciate the depth and richness of this artistic heritage.

    This exhibition aims to provide art collectors from Singapore and the region with an understanding of the contributions of these artists, and to offer them a glimpse into the diverse and compelling world of contemporary Japanese art. For collectors and art enthusiasts, this exhibition provides a valuable opportunity to acquire exceptional artworks that not only exemplify the skill and creativity of these artists, but also offer a dialogue with the diverse Japanese art landscape of the 21st century.

     

    The exhibition opened from 28 October – 29 December 2023.

     

    Artists:

    Katsumi Hayakawa, Kenichi Yokono Norihiko Terayama, Mari Ito, Toru Fukuda, Eri Ōta (listed by age) and Masako Inoue (age unknown).

     

    In Collaboration With:

    Micheko Galerie was founded in 2010 by Keiko Tanaka and Michele Vitucci and puts a strong focus on introducing 21st century art from Japan to European collectors and beyond. Micheko applies strong selection criteria when selecting its artists. Concept, context, continuity, technique and potential for the future are essential for its choices. Micheko Galerie acts as a bridge between its artists and European collectors and institutions.

     

     


    The Culture Story is proud to present its very first artists’ group show; While you are sleeping…

    Sookoon Ang, 2018, Immortality V, Edition of 3

    Curated by Charmaine Toh, this selling exhibition presents the work of four Singaporean artists – Sookoon Ang, Darren Soh, Sufian Samsiyar and Tang Da Wu – they come from different generations with vastly differing practices and concerns. Shown together for the first time, these objects remind us of the sensory power of the work of art and the way they might lead us past our everyday experiences and transport us to a different reality.

    Symbolism and form play an important role for Tang and Ang, who use them to convey abstract emotions from love to sacrifice. They are particularly adept at juxtaposing objects, both found and made, to tell personal stories that resonate with multiple readings. Soh and Sufian’s work appear to be representational, but also play with the edges of materiality and vision via surreal landscapes.

    The dreamlike layering of personal stories and emotions, signs and objects resists rigid interpretation. Instead, there is a fluidity of thought and feeling, opening up a space for what Susan Sontag famously called “an erotics of art”. Knowledge is constructed not from reason, but from myth and imagination.

    “I am delighted to have this opportunity to present and work with these artists. In particular, I am honoured that Tang Da Wu’s sculpture “Oath of Poretti” will be exhibited and presented to the public for the first time. The work was conceived and created in 2008, almost fifteen years ago, yet it is such a contemporary piece, juxtaposing found objects like a brick and saw with a handmade table, which is representative of Tang’s long-standing interest in using everyday objects. I am very curious to see how this impressive sculpture will be received by the art community and the public, and I genuinely hope that it will be acquired by a serious art collector or a reputable art museum.”

     

    Presented by The Culture Story, the exhibition was opened from 20 May till 14 October 2023.

    Read the accompanying exhibition write-up by Charmaine here.

     

    Artists: 

    Sookoon Ang, Darren Soh, Sufian Samsiyar, Tang Da Wu

    Curated By: 

    Charmaine Toh


    Raymond Yap,  2023,  New beginning,  acrylic on canvas

     

    Event details

    Dates: 28 – 30 April 2023 (3 days, Friday to Sunday)

    Opening time: 12pm – 6pm

    Admission to the exhibition is free

     

    The Culture Story has adopted The Red Pencil (Singapore) as its charity and is supporting their fund-raising efforts with a unique pop-up art exhibition. Over 40 artworks donated by more than 30 of Singapore’s young and established artists will be featured in the exhibition, including the likes of Genevieve Chua, Dawn Ng, Boo Sze Yang, Milenko Prvacki and Han Sai Por.

    “Art to Heart: A Charity Art Exhibition” is the first of its kind since The Red Pencil (Singapore)’s inception in 2011, to raise funds to provide creative arts therapy programmes for children, families and seniors in Singapore. Through the funds raised from this event, The Red Pencil (Singapore) aims to provide free or subsidised creative arts therapy services for the less privileged in Singapore, ensuring they are not deprived of the opportunities for clinical interventions that can enhance their mental well-being and resilience to overcome life challenges. The funds will also help the organisation to intensify its outreach efforts to raise awareness of the professional help that individuals can access when faced with mental distress and trauma.

    For media inquiries, please contact Ning Chong at ning@theculturestory.co

     

    Details about Donation:

    Support this fundraising initiative by making an outright cash donation of any value to The Red Pencil (Singapore). Patrons who donate above certain amounts will receive the exclusive donated artworks as a token of appreciation. All donations are eligible for 250% tax deduction.

     

    About The Red Pencil (Singapore)

    The Red Pencil (Singapore) is an Institution of Public Character and a registered charity founded in Singapore with a mission to bring the benefits of art therapy to less privileged children, adults and families who have been through overwhelming and traumatic life circumstances such as life-threatening illness, violence and abuse, for which they may have no words.

    Since its founding in 2011, The Red Pencil has been transforming lives through creative arts therapy. To date, we have empowered 17,600 beneficiaries through the 18,170 art therapy hours that we have facilitated, particularly among children, youth, women, elderly and families in Singapore. Visit www.redpencil.org/singapore for more information.

     

    Participating Artists (as of 17 April): 

    Ang Kian Hoe, Marla Bendini, Boo Sze Yang, Jon Chan, Mark Chan, Chen Chong’en, Chen Yi Quan, Yoko Choi, Chua Chon Hee, Genevieve Chua, Matthias Chua, Yen Chua, Irina Forrester, Han Sai Por, Ho Sou Ping, Law Shu Na, Lynn Lim, Leo Liu Xuanqi, Loi Cai Xiang, Ben Loong, April Ng, Dawn Ng, Ng Joon Kiat, PHUNK, Milenko Prvacki, Kelly Ser, Shen Jiaqi, Wyn-Lyn Tan, Rosalynn Tay, Khairulddin Wahab, Wong Keen, Andy Yang, Raymond Yap, Yeo Tze Yang

     

     


    Shi Hu, Untitled, 1997, mixed media on canvas, Collection of Yeap Lam Yang

     

    An artist, a model, and a collector surround a painted nude. In an instant, a meaningful silence engulfs a passionate encounter. A locked gaze, a trigger pulled: a body collected.

    Collecting Bodies : A short story about art and nudities in Asia gathers stories, histories, and encounters between 26 artists, 31 artworks, and 10 private collections. Presented by The Culture Story and curated by Dr Yanyun Chen, the exhibition considers the intricate and nuanced relationships between the act of representation and the act of collecting. Nudities, in all its plurality, serve as carriers of stories. They ask the artist, the collector, and the viewer: how is the image of a body held; how have we held our bodies in their image, and how have we carried the bodies of others?

    Presented by The Culture Story, the exhibition opened from 10 December 2022 till 14 April 2023. 

    Read Dr Yanyun Chen’s curatorial statement and abridged here. The short story written by Dr Yanyun Chen is available on here.

     

    Participating Collectors

    Lito and Kim Camacho, Cheryl and John Chia, Chong Huai Seng, Jimmy Chua, Linda Neo and Albert Lim, Angie and Ong Yew Huat, Diana and TK Quek, Guy and Henny Scott, Jackson See, Yeap Lam Yang

    Artists’ Names

    Nhek Dim, Cambodia, Gong Lilong, China, Liu Bingjiang, China, Shi Hu, China, Pucuk Cemara, Indonesia, Mangu Putra, Indonesia, Basuki Abdullah, Indonesia, I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, Indonesia, Hashiguchi Goyō, Japan, Itō Shinsui, Japan, Kitagawa Utamaro, Japan, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Japan, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Malaysia, Bagyi Aung Soe, Myanmar, Leo Abaya, Philippines, Federico Alcuaz, Philippines, Elmer Borlongan, Philippines, Cheong Soo Pieng, Singapore, Vanessa Liem, Singapore, Jimmy Ong, Singapore, Theo Meier, Switzerland, Jian Yi-Hong, Taiwan, Liu Hsin-Ying, Taiwan, Ni Jui Hung, Taiwan, Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, Vietnam, Nguyen Van Cuong, Vietnam

     

    Exhibition View

     

     

       

     

     

     

     


    Timothy Curtis, Floating Untied to the Ground No.1, 2019, Oil, acrylic, graphite, wax crayon on canvas

    In Search of Lost Time
    The Culture Story is proud to commemorate its 5th anniversary with an exclusive art exhibition from the Chong H.S. collection. The exhibition showcases 38 works by 26 artists from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and Africa. Personally curated around the theme of portraits, faces, heads, figures and busts, Mr Chong shows snippets of his art collecting journey over the past 30 years.
    Titled “In Search of Lost Time”, the exhibition was inspired by well-known French novelist, Marcel Proust’s (b. 1871 – d.1922),
    seminal novel. It contains seven volumes and its story was, in many ways, parallel to Marcel’s own life story of searching for the meaning to life.
    The exhibition comprises a variety of paintings, works on paper, sculpture, bronze including works by early 20th-century artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891 – 1915) to contemporary artists like Timothy Curtis (b. 1982) and Takashi Murakami (b. 1962). Each piece revisits snapshots of Chong H.S. moments before and after acquiring the artwork.
    Presented by The Culture Story, the exhibition was opened from 12 July 2022 till 30 November 2022.

    Visits are by-appointment only and interested visitors are required to contact the gallery to make an appointment by emailing admin@theculturestory.co. The exhibition is accompanied by an English essay written by Mr Chong and can be viewed here.

     

    Installation View
    Artists’ Names

    Ben Puah, Casper Darare, Chen Ke, Dang Xuan Hoa, David Chan, Futura, Greg James, Helen Downie “Unskilled Worker”, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Jacky Tsai, Jennifer McRae, Jin Zheng He, Khairulddin Wahab, Loi Cai Xiang, Mak Kum Siew, Murakami Takashi, Oh de Laval, PichiAvo, Raya Sorkine, Sandro Chia, Sergei Besedin, Timothy Curtis, Vajira Gunawardena, Vasan Sitthiket, Vhils, William Turnbull


    18 May 2022

    TCS was appointed by Chelsfield Asia Ltd. and ARA Asset Management to undertake the project management and arts PR for the Golden Monkey installation. At 14m tall, the Golden Monkey has made its appearances on other notable buildings like the Opposite House in Beijing and the H Code Building in central Hong Kong. It will be making its final pitstop on the facade of the newly renovated Lazada One building from now till 21 August 2022. This marks Australian artist and ecologist Lisa Roet’s debut monumental inflated public artwork showcase in Singapore.

    Positioned 5 storeys above ground, the Golden Monkey takes the form of the endangered Snub-nosed Monkey found only in parts of China, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Lisa hopes that the Golden Monkey is not only created as a wonder for people to enjoy, but also as an artwork to evoke discussion and debate on climate issues like global warming and deforestation.

    As a testament to Lazada One building’s green certification and in line with Lisa’s passion for sustainability and making a positive impact, the artist has engaged RMIT University to calculate the carbon footprint of this project. Supported by Chelsfield, the project will purchase carbon credits to benefit the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve in Borneo.

    Find out more about Lisa’s inspiration behind the Golden Monkey on her website.

    Photo credits: Chelsfield Asia Ltd and ARA Asset Management


    22 April 2022

    TCS was delighted to host Australian artist and ecologist Lisa Roet to share her insights into her practice and preoccupation with apes, primates and the natural world has transformed her to become a passionate advocate for climate change and environmental sustainability. We welcomed 30 guests comprising of art collectors, art lovers and representatives from the Victorian Government Trade and Investment – South East Asia.

     

     


    14 April 2022

    Ning Chong was invited by National Heritage Board Singapore to participate in a closed-door event to discuss the emergence of NFTs as part of their discussion and plans about growing the National Collection. The event was attended by representatives from Singapore’s leading art institutions and museums. Alongside her fellow panelists who included Dr David Tan (Professor at NUS Law and Deputy Director of the Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Law), technologist Mr Carlos Nicholas Fernandes, art writer and founder of @NFTAsia Ms Clara Peh and NFT artist Speak Cryptic, Ning shared her perspectives on NFTs as a collector, art consultant and gallerist.


    SAW Dialogues 2022 – In Retrospect: 10 Years of SAW

    On 21 January 2022,  Founder Ning Chong will be moderating the panel “In Retrospect: 10 Years of SAW” as part of the SAW Dialogues 2022. Alongside Ning is Emi Eu (Executive Director, STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery Singapore and Project Director, S.E.A. Focus), Low Eng Teong (Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council), and Magnus Renfrew (Founder of ARTHQ Group, Co-Founder of ART SG).

    This panel discussion will reflect on the past ten years of SAW, discussing Singapore’s position as a vibrant arts hub in a regional context. From a commercial perspective, three leading art professionals will share their insights on what makes a successful art week. Who benefits most from Art Week; how do we strike a balance between quality of art versus quantity of programmes; is the current model sustainable? In this pandemic-era, how will Art Week evolve and what can we look forward to in future?

    Watch the Livestream on SAW Digital.

    Find out more at: https://www.artandmarket.net/saw-dialogues-2022-panel/in-retrospect-10-years-of-saw


    Memes, Myths and MachinesGarden Of Internet Delights, 2021 (Artwork credit: ZXEROKOOL/ Jonathan Leong)

    “Meme, Myths and Machines” is digital artist Jonathan Leong aka ZXEROKOOL’s first solo exhibition in Singapore. The show comprises three major new NFT pieces in limited editions coupled with a physical manifestation in the form of an exhibition held at The Culture Story.

    “Memes, Myths and Machines” is representative of the artist’s experiences growing up from a time before the advent of digitalization, social media and meme culture. His art aims to rationalise a world that is evolving faster than ever before; where society is in flux, we are constantly switched on yet look fondly at the past. ZXEROKOOL is influenced by his childhood memories of dial-up internet, Nokia phones, retro video gaming culture and pop culture from the 1980s – 90s till present era, which serve as timestamps along his journey as a digital creator, which has now taken him deeper into the Metaverse. This exhibition aims to attract art lovers, aspiring NFT collectors and people who are curious about digital art and NFT crypto art.

    More information about the NFT series (including the essay by Clara Peh) – www.memesmythsandmachines.com.
    NFT drop can be found here – rarible.com/zxerokool

    The show will open 14 – 23 Jan, 11AM – 6PM, after which visits will be by appointment only from 24 Jan – 20 Mar.