Object lessons in art

FOUR artists with very different practices but bound together by a protean understanding of their landscapes are exhibiting together in While you are sleeping..., a new selling show at The Culture Story curated by Charmaine Toh. The four artists  – Ang Sookoon, Darren Soh, Sufian Samsiyar and Tang Da Wu – hail from different generations. But the artworks they make frequently evoke strong sensory responses in the viewer, challenging their perception of everyday reality.

Ang, for instance, typically creates works that compel the viewer to take a second look and rethink their conception of the object. A loaf of bread might sprout crystalline sculptures, a snow mountain might appear to float above ground. Small ordinary objects might be photographed, blown up in scale and turned into standees, forcing the viewers to question what they are as they reckon with these objects’ intricate cavities and contours.

Similarly, Sufian takes everyday objects and recontextualises them for a fresh perspective. In the case of his work titled Zut Alors!, he photographs the ubiquitous images of plants and greenery typically printed on the hoarding of many construction sites, and displays them as photographs in their own right. The tongue-in-cheek work pokes fun at the illusion of quiet, peaceful natural environments that construction companies try to create with the hoarding – when construction sites are anything but quiet.

As for Soh, the well-known photographer has been lauded for his striking photographs of Singapore’s built environment. But in this exhibition, Soh displays instead his photographs of the natural environment that continues to thrive in Singapore’s concrete jungle. These are the trees, bushes and mangrove plants that typically escape our attention. But Soh, with his keen eye, brings them into focus through his photographs and asks us to examine our surroundings anew.       

Finally, there’s Tang, a pioneer of conceptual art in Singapore. In this exhibition, Tang is showcasing a set of provocative ink paintings as well as a sculptural installation. The latter features three saws inserted into a brick that’s balancing on the edge of a steel table. Push the saws and the brick is capable of swinging on the edge without toppling over, seeming in defiance of the laws of gravity. 

Tang explains that the work is inspired by a painting by Jacques-Louis David titled The Oath Of The Horatii, which depicts three brothers saluting the three swords held by their father. Tang sees the installation as symbolic of the balance between needs and risks one must make in life in order to pursue the arts full-time.

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To visit the exhibition, please e-mail admin@theculturestory.co