GROUP EXHIBITION

An exhibition that presents a “novel way of being” in a critical time within the local art ecology

The exhibition is part of a wider project titled “Proposals for novel ways of being”. An initiative spearheaded by National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum, it seeks to support the local art community by bridging institutions, independent art spaces, curators and artists based in Singapore. STPI’s proposal for the initiative will span an exhibition and related programming in response to how life has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how one might move forward from it.

STPI has appointed artist Guo-Liang Tan as the guest curator for Strange Forms of Life. This exhibition brings together works by ten Singaporean artists to explore ideas of liveliness and questions of form, in relation to abstraction as a mode of engaging with different aspects of being. With a selection of prints by the late Singaporean-British artist Kim Lim acting as points of reference throughout the exhibition, works by past STPI collaborators Genevieve Chua, Han Sai Por, Jane Lee and Suzann Victor are brought into dialogue with works in a range of media by local artists Zul Mahmod, Sherman Sam, Jeremy Sharma, Guo-Liang Tan and Ian Woo, expanding on the notion of the interconnectedness of form, material, idea and experience. The presentation examines, more widely, the role of abstraction in our world today, and what it might offer us in these strange and challenging times.

On the gallery’s involvement in the wider project, STPI Gallery Director Rita Targui states:

“STPI Gallery is immensely proud to be a part of ‘Proposals for novel ways of being’. Living in unprecedented times, it is crucial for institutions in Singapore to unite and provide meaningful opportunities for those whose livelihoods are deeply intertwined with the arts.

We are pleased to be working with Guo-Liang Tan on this meaningful project. Our contribution to the initiative, Strange Forms of Life, proposes abstraction as a method for us to consider the natural, emotional, technological, and temporal facets of our existence. Our exhibition seeks to bring qualities of empathy and transience to the fore and encourage audiences to stage conversations with one another in times of isolation.

Not only does the ‘Proposals for novel ways of being’ initiative allow STPI Gallery to collaborate closely with and show our support towards the local arts community, it also highlights how contemporary art empowers us in this time of flux. Furthermore, it further provides the opportunity for us to recognise, celebrate and critically position the diverse talents of artists, curators and other cultural workers in Singapore.”

On the significance of Strange Forms of Life and the collaboration with STPI Gallery, curator and artist Guo-Liang Tan shares:

“This is a strange time for many of us. I wanted to use the exhibition as an opportunity to ask what we might want out of looking at art when there’s such a pressure for artists and their works to ‘speak’ and to ‘act’ in the face of the unprepared and the unknown. What I’ve found from talking to these artists and thinking about their work over the past few months is that our sense of being is deeply entwined with one another and in the midst of an unfolding situation, art can perhaps help us think about how we may want to reorientate ourselves to the world differently.”