Singapore Art Week started last Friday, 19th January 2024. We shared about it on our Instagram, but we also went down ourselves for a short walk around and to see some of the main artists showcased at the Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.
Ho Tzu Nyen’s two decades of work were on display, and it covered a good number of video works and other visual art forms. The first gallery space itself was split into a few main blacked out halls, where his video work was on display, along with some theatrical lights and flashes (a warning for those who might have epilepsy or photo sensitivity).
Along the middle of the first gallery, one of his pieces, Hotel Aporia, takes up a number of tatami mat rooms. You’ll need to take off your shoes, and our own advice is to sit still and watch the video a little longer than you think you should. The narrative of the piece takes a few angles, and it gives an extremely interesting story about Japanese filmmakers during World War 2.
Gallery 2 houses the Time & The Tiger video piece, where two screens are telling two sides of the story. The entire experience takes some time to watch, but I definitely think it was worth the wait. The main focus is a painting of George Coleman being attacked by a tiger. This painting is owned by the National Gallery of Singapore, but as part of Ho’s work, it’s references throughout the video. The piece was enlightening, to say the least.
The last exhibition in the main S.A.M. Gallery was 47 Days, Sound-less, by Nguyễn Thrinh Thi. A multiscreen layout was there, along with a mirror sculpture hanging in the middle. This reflective piece would project different supportive images around the walls of the room, as the observers watched the video installation. Our pro tip: Grab the bean bags and enjoy the entire piece comfortably. It will take some time, and get a view that encompasses as much as possible.
All the works mentioned will continue on for some time, ending in March or April. The S.E.A. Focus works by STPI (Singapore Tyler Print Institute) are the ones that are ending on the 28th, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to review them in time for this post.
Check them out if you can, and let us know what you thought about Singapore Art Week in the comments!
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