Art Stage Singapore 2015

Singapore, January 2015 – After viewing thousands of artworks at the fair, only a handful are still strikingly vivid in my mind. Some are your “usual suspects” – or what I describe as household names and some just struck me with their aesthetics or technique or even just colors!

Mrs. King’s Picks:

# 1 – Clean by Mike HJ Chang

This was the entrance arc for this year’s Art Stage and it resembled a Car Wash…To me, it was a reminder to cleanse your mind, be open-minded and have no expectations upon entering the fair. Art without prejudice!

#2 – Sam Jinks’ Sculpture

A small crowd, including two “blushing” teenage boys in school uniforms, gathered around this exhibit. As I was still trying to decide whether she was a live model or a sculpture, a man went up and stroked her buttocks. Then, another elderly man pressed her thigh…at which point, the gallery owner exclaimed, “Please do not touch the sculpture!”

#3 – Kbach by Chan Dany

From afar, it seemed to be just another Khmer inspired artwork. But a closer look revealed Chan’s unusual technique. It looked like he was woven this tapestry with scraps from a pencil sharpener!

#4 – Excursions in Asia by Shintaro Miyake

Miyake quietly sat there over the few days and drew on this gigantic canvas in front of crowds of spectators. No correction, no sketch in front of him. He just sat there peacefully, drawing away!

#5 – Suzann Victor’s Chandelier Swing

Although I must have seen this same installation at National Museum of Singapore a dozen times, I still found Victor’s chandelier installation at Art Stage quite a sight to be admired!

#6 – The Conference by Zhang Mo

This depiction of a conference was so true…every boardroom is a zoo!

#7 – Song-Birds Mist Net by Rebecca Jewel

I loved the medium – a finely woven net used by scientist to catch live birds for research. The feathers were in an array of vivid colors, and a closer look shows that they were not just colors. Each feather had a bird painted on it.

#8 – Subsistence by Liyu (Nanyang Academy of Arts)

Somehow, these rice boxes somehow made me think of all those long hours at work!

#9 – Botero

I know, I know…we all know his works. But look at the scale and symmetry of this voluminous sculpture and the exhibit of Botero paintings surrounding it, the whole presentation was Botero-whimsical.