Singapore Modern: Art in the 1970s

21 November 2002 - 16 February 2003

This exhibition focuses on the modern art practices in Singapore during the 1970s and examines how artists reacted to the changing social, economic and political climate of the decade.  Amidst this changing landscape, young artists imbued with modernist ideals of the West are now returning, having pursued their further studies in Britain and the United States in the 1960s.  Together with those who shared a progressive outlook, they help to shape the new artistic language as a response to technological advances and modern architecture that characterizes the newly emerging modern nation. While Social Realism dominated the art scene of the immediate post-war years, the 1970s thus saw the rise of modern art that is deemed to reflect aptly the progress of a new nation.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Portraits

5 December 2002 – 2 February 2003

Portraits presents Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photographic series of wax models of famous historical figures, set in dramatic black and white in the style of traditional portraiture. The series of photographic works, commissioned by the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, includes the figures of Henry VIII, William Shakespeare, Voltaire, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, Queen Victoria, Oscar Wilde and Elizabeth I, to name a few. Posed in three-quarter view, the photographic works call to mind the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn, Hans Holbein the Younger and Jacques-Louis David. Sugimoto's photographic portraits are works of deep contemplation and exquisite sensitivity, both towards his wax subjects and the photographic medium. The exhibition is jointly presented by the Singapore Art Museum and Deutsche Bank.

20th Century Chinese Paintings from Singapore Collections 

13 February 2003 - 13 April 2003

The exhibition showcases the richness of local collections of 20th century Chinese paintings. Presented as a broad survey of the major developments in Chinese painting within the last 100 years or so, the museum has assembled more than 70 works by the most significant artists of the last century. Works by artists such as Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Xu Beihong, Qi Baishi, Pan Tianshou, Zhang Daqian, Lu Yanshao and Wu Guanzhong provide an opportunity for visitors to appreciate their collective output against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese and world history. There will also be an examination of the contributions made by Singapore’s early artists such as Chen Wen Hsi and Fan Chang Tien , to the Chinese painting tradition.

In addition, the display also includes works with special significance to Singapore, reflecting the fascinating relationship between artists with collectors, fellow artists, patrons and institutions in Singapore.

The President's Young Talents Exhibition 2003

6 March 2003 - 4 May 2003

Second in the series, this biennial exhibition sets out to promote contemporary art practices in the approaches of visual art.  It serves as a platform for launching emerging Singaporean artists practising in various media.  These award-winning artists engage actively in their respective art practices, contributing significantly towards arts development in Singapore.  Highlighted in this exhibition are their substantive bodies of works that attest to their accomplishments and standing in the local art community.

Highlights from the Singapore Art Museum Permanent Collection

24 April 2003 – 28 March 2004

This exhibition, featuring works from the Singapore Art Museum permanent collection, offers four inter-related themes in Southeast Asian art that explore the complex terrains of Southeast Asian modernity: Realism and Social Commitment, Abstraction and the Search for Identities, Continuities in Traditions, and Contemporary Perspectives. Modern and contemporary artists represented in this presentation includes Nguyan Gia Tri, Fernando Amorsolo, S. Sudjojono, Prasong Lemuang, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Kamin Lertchaiprasert and others.

Telling Stories: Works from the Singapore Art Museum Permanent Collection

29 May – 3 August 2003

Galleries 5, 6, 7 and 8

In contemporary art making, artists use different ways to express their ideas and concerns. They seek to evoke responses and at times, even creating unique experiences for their audiences through the manipulation of images and objects. This exhibition explores the diverse approaches developed by four Southeast Asian artists - Simryn Gill, Zulkifli Yusoff, Heri Dono and Sutee Kunavichayanont - to advance their artistic visions.

Science Fictions

6 June - 27 July 2003

Is the world around us really what it seems to be? Or is it possible that what we know as science or history harbours unknown or even sinister realities? With their creative wit, humour and unconventional ideas, see how an international line of artists deals with these questions through paintings, video and installation art.

Interrupt

26 June 2003 – 25 April 2004

An exhibition of interventions, interactivity and the internet, Interrupt presents a cross-section of artist practices engaging in technologies and media. In contemporary culture, we are surrounded by media representations and our lives are augmented by various technologies. Reflecting upon our digital engagements, the exhibition takes a look at the aesthetics of media and code, realpolitik of technologies, imagined spaces and utopian dreams.

Ideas and Idealisations: Art Elective Programme Exhibition 2003

26 July - 24 August 2003

The Art Elective Programme Exhibition is co-organised by Singapore Art Museum and Ministry of Education. The exhibition features students from the very challenging Art Elective Programmes practised in 6 selected local schools and junior colleges. The range typifies the scope and adventuresome nature of the programme’s participants, running the gamut from mixed media, installations, animation, sculpture, design and paintings.

Photographica Australis

14 August – 9 November 2003

Presenting photographic practices from Australia, this exhibition curated by Alasdair Foster of the Australian Centre for Photography assembles a wide range of photo-artists. The exhibition explores the themes of biodiversity of practices, culture and community, ideals of Australian suburbia, extensions from traditions of art vocabularies and negotiations of identity. As a cross-section of contemporary photographic practices, the works reflect a combination of sensitivities developed from post-modern photo-practices and multicultural gestures.

Beyond the Surface: Japanese Style of Making Things

26 August – 9 November 2003

An exhibition representing renown modern designers from Japan. This exhibition, curated by Professor Ryu Niimi, and made possible by the Japan Foundation, presents a redefinition of space through interleaving textures, textiles, photographs and installation. The exhibition features artists and designers, Miyako Ishiuchi, Michiko Kon, Hideho Tanaka, Reiko Sudo, and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Beyond the Surface is part of Design Design, a thematic grouping of a series of 6 exhibitions presenting design, jointly organised by the National Heritage Board’s Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum, and Singapore Philatelic Museum.  The exhibition is proudly associated with DesignSingapore, a national collaborative to promote design excellence in Singapore.

Convergences of Art, Science and Technology ( C.A.S.T )

9 September 2003 – September 2004

Art becomes the medium through which one can contemplate practices and discourse of science and technology, as well as consider its impact on society. Playful and creative expectations of the future invite your response, while hands-on stations provide interaction for technological interface with science and creativity, including student activities held in conjunction with the exhibition at the Art Lab.  This exhibition featured work by artists, in collaboration with scientists, computer engineers and medical professionals.  Their combined wide ranging fields of expertise are a social proposition of a converging future of art, science and technology.

Swedenmade design 4stories

20 November 2003 – 29 February 2004

Swedish contemporary design has firmly established its distinctive identity in today's global context and gain international recognition and market demand.  With a firm emphasis on function, form and material, Swedish designed products are highly adapted to the climatic conditions of Sweden where the environment plays an important role in their conceptualisation and making. Partnerships between designers and the industry has resulted in well thought through products that help create unique identities for companies, strengthening their image and helping them gain a competitive advantage.  This exhibition features works by 13 designers, of which two - Monica Förster and Nina Jobs - are also curators of the show.  The exhibition, swedenmade design 4stories, features prize-winning products from some of the best Swedish designers and producers.  The design of these exhibits are innovative ideas where form, function and material are adapted to and based on Sweden’s changing seasons and its changing climatic conditions.  The thematic display of the objects corresponds to the four seasons where the exhibits are grouped into four inflatable cloud-shaped rooms designed by Ms Förster.

swedenmade design 4stories is part of Design Design, and is proudly associated with DesignSingapore (www.designsingapore.org), a national collaborative to promote design excellence in Singapore.

Tze Peng (Zi Ping)

4 December 2003 to 22 February 2004

This exhibition comprising 65 works will enable the casual visitor to journey through the art and life of the artist, Lim Tze Peng. Born in 1923, a teacher by training and profession, Lim Tze Peng has come a long way since his first solo exhibition in 1970. Now, and still, completely involved in his art, Lim continues to explore calligraphy, Chinese ink and contemporary oils with much fervour. The artist’s landscapes are his forte, as shown in the 1998 Meeting Places in Fleeting Spaces held at SAM. The broader range here intends to capture and share the essence and the spirit of the artist’s practice – one that has permeated his prolific and illustrious career. Compelling for the sheer breadth selected from over 200 recently donated works, the exhibition will visually illustrate the depth of the artist's dedication and skill.

An Invitation to Nature – Exhibition on works by Brother Joseph McNally

24 March 2003 – 21 April 2003

Atrium of The Office of Public Works, Dublin, Ireland

An exhibition co-organised and presented by Singapore Art Museum and National Arts Council, in association with The Office of Public Works, Dublin, Ireland. Featuring 34 of the late Brother Joseph McNally's artworks including 6 from SAM's own collection, this exhibition introduces Brother's native land of birth to the work he advanced and created while he was primarily in Singapore and Asia.

36 Ideas from Asia

14 April 2003 - June 2003

National Museum of Abruzzo, Forte Spagnolo, L'Aquila, Italy

36 Ideas from Asia is a travelling exhibition organised by the Singapore Art Museum under the auspices of the Assocication of Southeast Asian Nations, Committee on Culture and Information. The exhibition features contemporary artists from the ten ASEAN countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos P.D.R., Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.  The exhibition is organized with collaboration from Stiftung fur Kunst and Kultur e.V.Bonn.

Singapore Pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale - International Art Exhibition

15 June 2003 - 2 November 2003

Venue: Ground Floor, Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi - San Vidal, 2893, 30124 - Venice, Italy (near boat station n.1 Accademia)

Location and Space are broad themes that run through the works of artists presented at the 50th Biennale. The myriad forms of expression and variety of issues addressed by these works reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore's contemporary art scene.  The exhibition is jointly organised by the National Heritage Board and the National Arts Council of Singapore.

15 Tracks : Contemporary Southeast Asian Art

11 July – 7 September 2003

Venue: Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo

18 December 2003 – 25 March 2004

Venue: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

15 Tracks: Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, is an exhibition of 15 artists from the 10 Southeast Asian countries. Featuring paintings, sculptures, installation art and video works that reflect the diversity and heterogeneity of contemporary Southeast Asian art, the exhibition introduces Osman bin Bakir (Brunei Darussalam); Phy Chan Than (Cambodia); Apotik Komik Group and Krisna Murti (Indonesia); Khamsouk Keomingmuang (Laos P.D.R.); Hayati Mokhtar and Kumbu Anak Katu (Malaysia); M.P.P. Yei Myint (Myanmar); José Legaspi and Saudi Ahmad (Philippines); Heman Chong (Singapore); Jakapan Vilasineekul and Prasong Luemuong (Thailand); and Dinh Thi Tham Poong and Ha Tri Hieu (Vietnam).  A project of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, 15 Tracks: Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, is organised by the Singapore Art Museum, the Japan Foundation and Tama Art University Museum in conjunction with the Japan-ASEAN Year of Exchange 2003. The exhibition will proceed to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum on December 18, 2003 - March 25, 2004.