GROUP EXHIBITION

Gajah Gallery is pleased to present Which is Which?, a group show featuring works by artists who hail from two of Singapore’s key arts education institutions: the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and LASALLE College of the Arts.

Curated by John Tung, Which is Which? explores the ways in which the two schools diverge – the results of which have never been specifically explored within an exhibition format. Moreover, the show features a diverse group of artists spanning different generations, offering a rare view of how works of the schools’ alumni have evolved over time.

Although both schools were founded some 50 years apart, with NAFA in 1938, and LASALLE in 1984, both institutions have since been regarded as seminal in establishing lasting legacies within Singapore’s art history. While divergences in their pedagogical approach and philosophies to artmaking remain their touted distinguishing factors, the precise attributes and nuances constituting their distinctiveness are often the subject of conversation, speculation, and debate, both in person and online messaging boards.

Which is Which? mounts a preliminary survey of artists who have passed through the halls of these two institutions. In seeking markers of distinctiveness within these artistic practices, the exhibition examines the impact of arts education on artistic development.