A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World by Zhao Renhui
Local artist Zhao Renhui’s fascination with zoology is well-evidenced in this installation of a miscellany of photographs and objects including man-made frogs and even square-shaped apples.
The Peranakan Museum.

Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nuclear Nations by Ken and Julie Yonetani
As a response to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station incident in Japan, the husband and wife duo created a majestic work comprising 31 chandeliers fitted with uranium glasses which illuminate a haunting green tinge.
National Museum of Singapore.

Road to Nirvana by Po Po
This site-specific work covers 1,000 sq. m. of Fort Canning Park, comprising plastic strings, brass bells and iron bars wrapped around various trees, creating a catacomb-like imagery that is at once dreamy and creepy.
Singapore Art Museum.

Sorry for the Inconvenience by Manny Montelibano
A biting political commentary, this. The young Filipino artist through his subversive multi-channel work features a myriad range of public figures like Mao Zedong interspersed with everyday figures like local priests making public apologies—investigating the context of why these apologies were made.
Singapore Art Museum.

Specula by Nguyen Oanh Phi Phi
This installation made from Vietnamese lacquer on epoxy and fibreglass composite covers a whole room. The majesty of the piece is achieved through its spacious layout with cleverly placed mirrors which force visitors to examine themselves as they walk through it.
Singapore Art Museum.

All exhibitions at The Singapore Biennale are on Oct 26-Feb 16, 2014. Various venues, www.singaporebiennale.org. $10.

I’ve been busy travelling recently, starting from England to Finland, Estonia, Naples, Greece and Hong Kong before coming back here. What hit me was that the world has shrunk so tremendously that we can occupy multiple spaces at any one time.

We’ve advanced so significantly in terms of science and bio-technology, but when it comes to human interaction and politics, it seems like we’ve frozen in time. So there is this sense of dislocation that I find dynamic yet problematic.

The Internet and cellphones have changed everything. On the plus side, it has given us physical freedom and more opportunities, but it has also created dissolution among the media, especially for print and magazines.

How do you create context? Everyone in the industry is telling me about the same problem; and now we have emails, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the list goes on and on.

We don’t pay attention to nature or causes that are more enduring as everyone is seeking instant gratification. We need to change our values system and seek a return to beauty.

Life is about the moment when you wake up and you’re able to feel the heat of the sun and you know you’re in it.

The world now is totally eclectic and fragmented.

With art and the gallery, I wanted to create an inter-cultural dialog between artists who are dealing with those issues today.

Singapore was not a player in the art world. When you’re in Europe, the first thing that comes to mind is Paris, and for Asia probably Tokyo. Today, everyone wants to be seen as an arts capital.

Someone once asked me if art should be an investment. I said “no”. She was baffled. I do not like to promote that idea because art has been a necessity form of commodity for expression and the creative process since the caveman. Artworks created then are still right there in front of us. There was no economy or trade then, yet they continued to produce, grow and move forward. Art, after all, comes directly from inner feelings and the interior.

Hollywood films sell like crazy because they’re made for 16-year-olds. Arthouse films like those by Truffaut, Tarkovsky, Rossellini, Godard and Wong Kar Wai still have a very small following. My point is that things that sell are not great art.

I started making films around 2002. I enrolled at the New York Film Academy for adults who are not advanced in the art of filmmaking, but who really wanted to learn the craft.

The tough part about filmmaking is that it requires a lot of money. The cumulative amount is a serious commitment.

Making film is like giving birth. That child is like a style and I would want to have a signature style. My first film was called Poets of Color, a non-fiction tale about an Indian artist living in Soho featuring the likes of Mark Rothko and artists in the scene. I am currently working on Louis Kahn: City of the Tiger about the American architect and why architecture matters. Space certainly dictates behaviour.

The thing about being in New York is that you’re constantly engaged. It may be dense but everyone walks there. No one walks in LA. Singapore is like being in the Botanic Gardens. Unfortunately, the whole world is beginning to look like New York.

I read just about everything; recent reads include Dave Eggers’ best-selling A Hologram for the King. Books that interest me are usually about history, culture, philosophy or globalization, which also explains why I do things in a certain way.

We keep on making the same mistakes over and over again as that is the essential part of the human race. But we’re extremely adaptable too. Human beings are very resilient by nature.

We do not inherit wisdom and experience—we gain it.
 

What’s new and upcoming at Gillman?
Just opened is Yeo Workshop by Audrey Yeo who studied in Columbia as well as Sotheby’s Institute. With her extensive contacts and expertise, the gallery will play a developmental role to grow the local art cycle’s system and industry. I am also looking forward to the Centre for Contemporary Art which will open in October. This special project by the Nanyang Technological University will hold various residency programs with nine studio spaces for artists to produce new works. Then there is Pearl Lam opening in November, which will be concentrating on Chinese art are informed by Western art forms.

Are you making any changes based on the last year?
Based on the feedback that we’ve received from visitors, one of the main issues is connectivity throughout the belt. Right now, discussions are ongoing to fill the existing spaces. So once that is sorted, walking through Gillman Barracks will feel less of a stretch. We also want to keep the nature element here, which is why we’d rather not have too many walkways connecting the different blocks, but we have just created new sign postings so that new visitors will have a better sense of where the galleries are located. There might also be more F&B outlets here in the near future.

Following the successful launch of its first Arts Night Crawl last month, brand new arts center and residency Aliwal Arts Center is set to hold Lit Up 2013, which will further showcase its diverse tenant mix. Part of the National Arts Council (NAC)’s Framework For Art Spaces, that also launched Goodman Arts Centre in the east, some of its most noted residents include street artist SKLO and her collective Rscls, filmmakers Ho Tzu Nyen and Anthony Chen , multi-media artist Brian Gothong Tan and dance group Re-Dance Theatre, among more than 50 other arts groups and artists. We find out more from both NAC’s Deputy CEO Yvonne Tham and the artists themselves on what makes the arts center tick.

What makes the arts center such an exciting project?
Being within Kampong Glam opens up many creative possibilities for collaborations with its neighbors, which include the Malay Heritage Centre, Sultan Arts Village and Objectifs Centre for Photography and Filmmaking. Some of the tenants have mentioned that they have started conversations with the authorities and surrounding businesses/organizations to explore possible festivals in the district and other joint projects.  But it is also the heritage of this area, as well as the small cafes and fashion and creative businesses nearby, that I think provides an inspiring environment for the artists to be working in.

Why is providing spaces like this so important to the NAC?
Aliwal Arts Centre is the second development under NAC’s Framework For Art Spaces. It was important that the properties developed under this framework included a wide range of art spaces, from dedicated workspaces, to shared facilities such as multi-purpose halls and dance/music studios for short-term rental, and even F&B outlets. This is because the needs of our arts community are varied.  For example, having a dedicated workspace is important in helping some young artists and arts groups start up and gain a firmer footing, and hopefully, take off. For some companies that are more established, the dedicated workspace provides a level of stability for them to focus on strengthening their artistic work, and provides them a base to reach out to their audiences.

Will there be more spaces under the Framework program?
We are currently continuing to review the other properties under the old Arts Housing Scheme, and to see how else we can improve on existing facilities and possibly (re)develop some of the properties to better support an increasingly diverse arts sector. The Framework also talks about facilitating co-locations of artists and arts groups in community and even commercial spaces.  One such recent example is the co-location of the Singapore Dance Theatre within Bugis+ Mall, under the Community / Sports Facilities Scheme (CFS) that Urban Redevelopment Authority manages. We are looking to explore more of such arrangements, so as to open more options for our arts practitioners.

What would you say are the biggest challenges the NAC faces in carrying out its mandate?
I think one of the biggest challenges the arts “ecology” constantly faces is that of sustainability. We constantly seek to find the most effective ways to support our artists and arts groups in their development, through our grants and various other schemes. At the same time, a thriving arts scene will also need private and corporate patrons, ticket-buying audiences, and a wide range of arts professionals working in education, marketing, social organisations, and arts venues.

ArtScience Museum

Inspired by a lotus flower, the futuristic ArtScience Museum is an architectural marvel by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie (who also designed Marina Bay Sands®). Its 21 galleries are dedicated to both art and science and international touring exhibitions, including major ones such as Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal in 2012 and Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb in 2013.

Asian Civilisations Museum

This museum is the first in the region to present a broad perspective of pan-Asian cultures and civilizations. Highlights include the Singapore River Gallery, which tells the story of immigrants who lived and worked along the river.

MAD Museum of Art & Design

The Museum of Art & Design (better known as MAD) is situated in a private gallery space within Mandarin Gallery mall and features extraordinary pieces of contemporary art. Founder Jasmine Tay introduced this concept with the intent to make such fine pieces of art accessible to all art lovers, whether they’re amateurs or professionals, buyers or plain observers.

Michael Janssen Gallery

The Michael Janssen Gallery in Singapore aims to showcase the artwork of both up-and-coming and renowned artists from Europe, Southeast Asia and North America, including names like Ai Weiwei, Peter Zimmermann, Meg Cranston and Christoph Steinmeye and many others. Apart from solo and group exhibitions, the gallery also hosts film screenings, talks and performances.

Mizuma Gallery

With a focus on Japanese contemporary art, the Mizuma Gallery at Gillman Barracks represents established Asian and Japanese artists like Keiichi Tanaami, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and Yamaguchi Akira. Opened in 1994 in Tokyo by gallery director Mizuma Sueo, the Mizuma Gallery has made a name for itself at major intentional art fairs like The Armory Show in New York and FIAC in Paris.

National Museum of Singapore

Celebrating its 126th anniversary in 2013, the nation’s oldest museum is the custodian of 12 national treasures including the Singapore Stone, which dates back to the 13th century, and gold ornaments unearthed from Fort Canning Hill in 1928.

Opera Gallery

With a presence in virtually all of the world’s biggest art capitals, from Paris to London, Opera Gallery arrived in Singapore in 1994. At this gallery, not only will you find famous works of art by big names such as Dali and Picasso, but also young, budding talent from Europe, Asia and America.

Singapore Art Museum

Situated along the Waterloo Street Arts Belt and housed in the restored 19th century mission school of the St. Joseph’s Institution, the museum has amassed one of the world’s largest public collections of contemporary Southeast Asian artworks since it opened in 1996.

Singapore Tyler Print Institute

Housed in a restored 19th century warehouse, the largest print workshop in Asia holds seasonal exhibits and sells prints by artists from around the world.

The Substation

This quiet exhibition space showcases contemporary pieces ranging from photography and oil paintings to installation pieces. It’s also the site of art performances, theatre shows and live music gigs.