Woven Walls - Zero, Tr853-1, Antz and ClogTwo

This exhibition runs from 12th September to 26th October 2014 at Fost Gallery over at Gillman Barracks.

Stephanie Fong from FOST is at the forefront of art again. Taking a risk to do an urban art show in a Fine Art Gallery.Some may not think of it as being such a risk, as street art is now more mainstream with Banksy and 'main street' accepting street art, i.e. companies are commissioning street art and assigning places for such art. However, buying Banksy is buying a brand, much like Damien Hirst, and street art is more accepted in the streets as illustrative art rather then fine art. (it's just me being biased... there are also other good street/urban artist like Keith Haring, Adam Neate....)

Zero showed his works of body parts painted in a jarring colour palette with words etched in to lend meaning to his pieces. Not really impressed with this set.I think he has shown some of these works before. He was the recipient of the National Arts Council young artist award last year, he also has a BFA from LaSalle and I think lectures there part time. So maybe can watch him, because the local art godfathers think well of him.

Antz showed two pieces; interesting and good street art. Good. But not great yet.

TR853-1's MerlionN95

Tr853-1 another well-heard-of street artist who is adequately qualified. (Does a street artist really need a BFA?) Seen his works previously with Utterly Art and also presented at Affordable Art Fair. Nice works, but reminds me too much of Banksy works. Also I felt that his works are a bit simple and not sophisticated enough. That's the problem if Street Art creeps into Fine Art; how to read it? Good fine art should be mature and sophisticated without being too juvenile or simple in delivery of message (but the execution of the work can be simple).

ClogTwo's GoldRush

Saving the best for last. ClogTwo. Relatively unknown in the Fine Art Gallery circle. But he has been very active in the urban art and street art scene. He has had multiple commissions to do his street art and has had overseas exposure in the USA and Indonesia. Doesn't have a BFA but graduated from polytechnic with a diploma in Interactive Media Design. (But as said earlier, does he really need a BFA? Unless he wants to go down the Fine Art Route.) He showed 5 paintings of quotes and a triptych called Goldrush. The quotes and Goldrush were really nice and representative of Street Art. The paints done also showed his skill as a painter. If ClogTwo decided to go down the Fine Art/Street Art route, he will do very very well. Really good artist.You should check out his site to see what else he does.Check out this digital illustration of his.

Points for Collectors: ClogTwo - Definite Buy. It's a risk if you are collecting for monetary investment. But with support and he decides to go the Fine Art Route, you will reap your rewards many times over. Some collectors have taken the plunge already and I think a few pieces have been sold (the show only opened two days ago). Tr853-1 I think you have to watch and wait as he develops. Zero can skip this current body of work, but see what he does as the Art Gods in Sg have anointed him.

ClogTwo's paintings of quotes

Vivd Strata : New Representation of Asia II

This exhibition is held at Ota Fine Arts at Gillman Barracks from 22nd August to 11th October 2014.

This is a group show of 7 artists. Yayoi Kusama, Jia Aili, Firoz Mahmud, Qin Qi, Nobuaki Takekawa, Baek Jin Sook and Yeesookyung.

This is a really good selection of paintings and one of Yeesookyung ceramics.

All are of good standard. But Firoz Mahmud works really caught my eye, his use of garish and harsh colours in the paintings surprisingly sat very well and came out nicely. The works by Jia Aili and Qin Qi were also good. Yayoi Kusama's work was easily recognisably her's.

Go and check out these good works.

Points for collectors: All paintings are in the buy category. Firoz Mahmud's works were priced lower. Yayoi Kusama is established and I think they were asking 1/2 a million for her work.

Qi Qin and Jia Aili's works

Firoz Mahmud

Busy Lately

Have been busy lately, so the photos for the previous and upcoming posts will be up soon.

Thanks for the understanding!

III (Celebration Day) - Sherman Sam

This exhibition is held at Equator Art Project over at Gillman Barracks from the 5th to 21st September 2014. Due to the small format in which he paints in, the exhibition/ pieces are hung in the project room.

Sherman Sam is a Singaporean artist based in London, so that he can be nearer to the Queen and the future King George. He is an abstract artist who is more concerned about the ontological aspect of painting, i.e. the painting is the image rather then the painting presenting an image. He is also an art historian and art writer for Ocula, Art Forum and so on. He also is represented by Rubicon Gallery in UK,

These works which he presented this time are lighter, less dense, have less layers and less worked on than the previous works which he presented at Art Stage 2014. I think because he is also in this mantra of counter culture where some art teachers in the UK are proposing that an artist have to put in many hours and work many man hours to get a good painting. So by producing good works with less effort he is trying to prove a point. I guess he is correct... in a way. What I felt and understand from most artists, the actual painting is always very fast. But the planning, the thinking where to start, where to end, the solution to problems... that can take many frustrating months or even years.

Anyway back to the paintings. In one word... excellent. Not superb, but I felt the art stage ones were superb. The paintings are still in the same set up small format, on wood boards and frames which he makes and preps himself.

So catch the exhibition if you can.

Points for Collectors: Strong Buy. If you don't like these works, he has more stashed up. Can always contact the Equator Art Project gallerists to show you others.

You can't depend on depending

Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

Beginning of a great adventure

[after image]My Beautiful... - Susie Wong

This exhibition runs from the 5th of September 2014 to 5th October 2014 at Space Cottonseed gallery at Gillmann Barracks.

You can read the gallery's exhibition write up here.

Basically it's the creation of the image by using old photos, make a tracing then using short strokes of the pencils to give the image its form. Underneath each landscape image is a quote from the author Joseph Conrad. Think that he was the first international author which I read that mentioned Singapore in his writings.

Besides landscapes, she also did her late father and I think cherry blossoms too.

Not too impressed.

Points for collectors: Think can give it a miss.

Her Late Father

Landscape with a quote at the bottom

Cherry Blossoms

Young Talent Programme 2013/2014 AAF in collaboration with Ion Art

This exhibition  allows the winners of last year's award to feature their work. I think the panel of judges include Benjamin Hampe and Boo Sze Yang. It goes on from 5th September to 23rd September 2014 at Ion Art Gallery.

The award is run yearly by the Affordable Art Fair group in collaboration with Ion Art.

The three winners are Hilmi Johandi, Lennard Ong and Noor Iskandar.

Hilmi Johandi presented a rather large triptych (painting) and multiple video displays. He's working on a new body of work "Framing Camellia : Fragmentation of Frames." The work, visually, is in the same vein as his cinema series, and viewers read the sequence from left to right. Good work. The balance of the painting is good and the control of the viewer/sequence of reading of the painting is excellent.

Lennard Ong is doing a study of form/shape, Filament Forest. He extrudes a white resin like thingy via a suspended apparatus.The white resin stuff hardens and takes the shape/form. He then juxtaposes the white 'filaments' against tree barks. Conceptually interesting but not quite perceptually pleasing.

Noor Iskandar presented Paradie. This consisted of a scroll of cloth running from the far wall to the floor, with words on the section on the wall and words at the end of the scroll. Read the writings, not impressed. On the far wall on either side of the start of the head of the scroll are a grid of frames of small fuji instax polaroid- size, empty polaroid photo frames. On these are written various things about how one wanted to die, and perceptions of heaven. On either of the two flanking walls are digital prints of images worked on with 'photoshop'. Interesting. But I am more traditional and thought this would be good if it were painted rather than just worked on digitally. For Digital art if you have the know how and the eye, the results can be achieved. For paintings, you need the eye and hand.

Good young talents. Good Panelist of Judges.

Points for Collectors: Hilmi is a good young talent to watch.

Perception and Delusion

Just went to this exhibition by Ng Woon Lam and Don Low at NTU'S School of Art, Design and Media. I don't know how best to describe it but will try. It's quite a fascinating display that seems to test the concept of merging East and West using watercolour and ink. Chinese folklore characters are the subject of Don Low, while landscapes are depicted by Ng Woon Lam.

One of Ng Woon Lam's pieces is on a single long continuous piece of paper, which is also transposed onto screen in 2D animation. He describes it best in the catalogue: "I am inspired to experiment using traditional brushwork adapted from Chinese ink painting methodology within the 2D animation creating process."

Ng Woon Lam's long background piece

Also on display are sketchbooks with studies by both artists, which gives a glimpse into their planning and thought process.

Ng Woon Lam's Sketchbook

Ng Woon Lams's work

Don Low's Wolverine