Singapore’s position as an Asian arts hub strengthens with Gillman Barracks opening
SINGAPORE, 14 September 2012 – Gillman Barracks – the new contemporary art destination in Asia – officially opens with 13 galleries from 10 countries launching their maiden exhibitions in Singapore.
The galleries at Gillman Barracks will display some of the best art of our time, including works by both established and emerging artists such as Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Heman Chong, Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara and Sebastião Salgado, among others in the ever-changing exhibitions. They will showcase the depth and variety of contemporary art practices and provide regional collectors access to a wide selection of contemporary art in one location (See ANNEX A for opening exhibition details).
Prominent art talent will come to Gillman Barracks to create, exhibit and discuss contemporary art. Top artists such as Christian Thompson and Zhang Enli, as well as curators such as David Elliott, Hou Hanru and Charles Merewether, will give talks at Gillman Barracks over the opening weekend.
Gillman Barracks is a whole-of-government initiative that enhances Singapore’s standing as an Asian arts hub. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) identified the Gillman Barracks site for arts uses because of its unique characteristics. It is jointly developed by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), JTC Corporation (JTC) and the National Arts Council (NAC).
EDB develops Singapore as a vibrant marketplace for arts businesses by building a conducive environment to meet their needs. As part of these efforts, EDB is also involved in the establishment of a contemporary art centre in Gillman Barracks, which will build art-related capabilities through its international artist residency, research, and exhibition programmes.
“Gillman Barracks, an international destination for contemporary art, will further enhance Singapore's position as a world-class city to live, work and play,” said Yeoh Keat Chuan, Managing Director, EDB. “Singapore is now an even more attractive art marketplace with Gillman Barracks. This is complemented by our internationally acclaimed art fair, Art Stage Singapore, and world-class infrastructure such as the Singapore Freeport which is dedicated to storing fine art and high-value collectibles.”
Located on a 6.4-hectare site, Gillman Barracks boasts natural high ceilings, making it suitable for art gallery use. JTC, its master tenant and infrastructure developer, has carried out extensive refurbishment works and the space within the barracks has been divided into various sizes to suit the different galleries’ needs. The development comprises 4,200 square metres of space dedicated to art galleries, and 4,800 square metres to art-related activities such as artist studios and art research centres, as well as three food and beverage outlets.
“Gillman Barracks was chosen to house the galleries as it offers a tranquil environment away from the hustle and bustle of city life. JTC has made a conscious effort to preserve the original colonial buildings dating back to the 1930s, providing a unique historical character to the development. Gillman Barracks is an excellent example of a multi-agency initiative and we are confident that it will develop into a bustling visual arts marketplace,” said Manohar Khiatani, Chief Executive Officer, JTC.
NAC oversees the development of visual arts in Singapore, and at Gillman Barracks, NAC supports local artists and curators’ participation in artist residency and exhibition programmes to produce new works and increase their international exposure. In addition, NAC hopes to encourage greater art literacy and appreciation among the general public, through the range of exhibitions and education programmes available at Gillman Barracks.
“Gillman Barracks is an important addition to Singapore’s visual arts landscape, as it allows for more galleries to take an interest in and help promote good Singaporean talent on the international art market,” said Benson Puah, Chief Executive Officer, NAC.
“It will strengthen our existing infrastructure of museums and arts institutions, adding to the overall diversity and depth of Singapore’s visual arts offerings. Through the public programmes available at Gillman Barracks, we hope all Singaporeans will experience and appreciate the art in meaningful ways, and enjoy this new contemporary art destination in Singapore.”
Starting 15 September 2012, there will also be a special opening exhibition at Gillman Barracks that comprises the works of 16 Singaporean and international artists. As part of its efforts to nurture and profile Singaporean artistic talent, NAC supported the projects of eight local artists in the special opening exhibition curated by Dr. Eugene Tan, Programme Director at EDB, who is overseeing the development of Gillman Barracks.
Using the varied surroundings of Gillman Barracks as the setting for encountering and experiencing art, the exhibition will highlight the new meanings and contexts that a different environment brings to the experience of art.
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About Gillman Barracks
Gillman Barracks (GB) is Asia’s up-and-coming destination for contemporary art. It will be distinguished as a vibrant centre in Asia for the creation, exhibition and discussion of contemporary art. Named after British general Sir Webb Gillman, GB is set amid lush greenery and was once a stronghold to the First Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. The conserved colonial barracks will house galleries and creative businesses, as well as the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA). The international galleries will feature diverse and ever-changing contemporary art exhibitions, while CCA will bolster the region’s visual arts landscape through its international artist residency, research and exhibition programmes. By fostering cultural exchange and creation, showcasing the best and most innovative art of our time, as well as generating discourse and research, CCA will establish Singapore as an important centre for contemporary art in Asia. More information on GB can be found at www.gillmanbarracks.com.
Annex A
| 1 |
Equator Art Projects
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Marcel Duchamp in Southeast Asia
Equator Art Projects Director Tony Godfrey has asked artists to make works that reflected on or responded to Marcel Duchamp. Sometimes called "the father of conceptual art", Duchamp has been the most influential artist in the West. Has he also been the most influential artist in Asia? Expect to see works from a broad spectrum of media, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, performances, videos, texts, photographs, installations, and other assorted odd things.
Exhibition closes 21 October 2012.
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| 2 |
FOST Gallery
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“Untitled” (Singapura #90)
An homage to Félix González-Torres’ deliberate titling scheme but with a tongue-in-cheek reference to Singapore's #90 ranking on The Happy Planet Index 2012.
Exhibition closes 28 October 2012.
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| 3 |
Future Perfect
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We Bury Our Own
Asian debut by mercurial Australian talent Christian Thompson. Thompson's self-portraits are an uncanny montage of colonial and contemporary, re-thinking indigenous identity in the flux of a cosmopolitan present.
Exhibition closes 14 October 2012.
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| 4 |
Michael Janssen Gallery |
“Blended by Desire” curated by Rifky Effendy
This exhibition features works by four young Indonesian artists, Mushowir Bing, Sanchia Hamidjaja, Ricky ‘babay’ Janitra and POPO, whose practices blend street art, cartoon and illustration. The works reflect contemporary urban society that has been increasingly influenced by a pop culture globalized by technology and mass media and address the artists’ urge and pleasure to articulate themselves amid the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life.
Stereomongrel
Michael Janssen Gallery will also present a film by New York-based artist Luis Gispert, in collaboration with LA-based photographer and music producer Jeffrey Reed. The film explores the notions of hybridism and cultural heterogeneity; critically celebrating sub-cultural phenomena and their stereotypes.
Exhibitions close 29 September 2012.
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Mizuma Gallery
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Crossing Gazes
Solo exhibition of the newest pieces in Korean artist Hyung Koo Kang’s series of overwhelming bigger-than-life portraits.
Exhibition closes 18 November 2012.
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| 6 |
Ota Fine Arts
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Yayoi Kusama: Metallic
This exhibition will show an exciting selection of the artist's latest series of paintings. It is the first solo show of Yayoi in Singapore.
Exhibition closes 28 October 2012.
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| 7 |
Partners & Mucciaccia
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From Picasso to the New Roman School – the never-ending cult of beauty in contemporary art
Partners & Mucciaccia Gallery inaugurates its activity in Singapore with this extraordinary exhibition curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi. The exhibition will provide visitors with a wonderful opportunity to experience works by the world’s great contemporary artists, each represented by some of their most distinctive pieces. The achievements of these pioneers of contemporary art will be presented, exploring each artist’s stylistic development and highlighting their role in the most important artistic developments between the 20th and 21st century, including the invention of Cubism, the emergence of Abstraction and the development of Metaphysical art, and into those closely related art movements such as Pop art, Poor art, Spatialism, Conceptual art, and Transavantgarde.
Exhibition closes 30 November 2012.
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| 8 |
ShanghART |
Part , Zhang Enli Solo Exhibition
ShanghART Singapore is delighted to present its inaugural exhibition with a solo exhibition of artist Zhang Enli, who is currently working and living in Shanghai. Through depiction of common objects or landscapes and juxtaposition of completeness and a part, the artist suggests “complicated implications” concealed behind reality.
Exhibition closes 30 October 2012.
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| 9 |
Silverlens
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Beautiful Pain
Luis Lorenzana is a self-taught artist and illustrator who creates his own unique brand of pop surrealist works. He has participated in over 20 group and solo shows in Hong Kong, Germany and the United States. The artist was also a finalist for the Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards, the International Book Illustration Competition and the Metrobank Art and Excellence Awards.
Exhibition closes 14 October 2012.
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Space Cottonseed
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Prelude
Space Cottonseed presents its inaugural exhibition Prelude, which features five artists from South Korea, Singapore and China. The exhibition, as a prelude for the gallery programme, is a showcase that introduces five of the gallery’s artists and their works.
Exhibition closes 21 October 2012.
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Sundaram Tagore Gallery Singapore
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The Big Picture
The intention behind this exhibition is to expose our new Singaporean audience to the powerful impact of photography in the context of contemporary Western art. Photography has acquired a great deal of importance in the contemporary art field through its large-scale presence competing with paintings. Photography has become an extremely important component in the art world, hence Singapore will get to see the work of some of the most influential photographers who have changed the way we see the world.
Exhibition closes 10 November 2012.
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The Drawing Room
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Short Memory
This event surveys the majority of the artists exhibiting with The Drawing Room, and gathers major works that represent dynamic inquiries into artistic formats and practices that happen within the mingling of cosmopolitan and arcane cultures in Manila. The artists' critical and experientially-grounded methods portray a specific Philippines in constant flux.
Exhibition closes 24 October 2012.
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Tomio Koyama Gallery Singapore
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Masahiko Kuwahara , Yoshitomo Nara, Hiroshi Sugito
Masahiko Kuwahara, Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugito are artists whom Tomio Koyama Gallery has been representing since its early establishment. As the gallery's opening show in Singapore, this exhibition will showcase works by the three representative artists of the gallery.
Exhibition closes 21 October 2012.
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