Pictures of Geylang

2016 UNTAPPED EMERGING

Visual Arts Development Association, Shophouse 5, Singapore

4 June – 26 June 2016

In response to this open call exhibition that was located at Shophouse 5, I painted a series of small studies of the  neighbourhood of Geylang surrounding the art space. Geylang, unlike most parts of Singapore, is a historic neighbourhood with a reputation for vice. It is made up of old shophouses, clan associations, famous restaurants, dormitories for migrant workers, brothels, and secret society hangouts.

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VADA is proud to present the inaugural exhibition of UNTAPPED EMERGING. The exhibition features nine up-and-coming, Singapore-based artists. Hand-picked by the UNTAPPED Advisory Committee, these nine artists present work in a notably diverse selection of media including metalwork, cross stitch, paper cut, photography, charcoal, new media and painting.

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Advisory Committee Member Martin Constable (Assistant Professor, School of Art Design and Media, NTU) says of the programme, “As an ‘older' artist and a teacher, one inevitably develops an engaged concern for the up and coming generation of creatives. Their world is different to the one that we grew up in; its frames of reference are different as are its terms of success. What young artists need is room for these differences to flourish, and such room is not always so easy to come by. We hope that our art schools could serve this purpose, but even the best art school is a compromise between the needs of the institution and those of its students. The most exciting, and perhaps the toughest, growing environment for any young artist is the gallery. Upon its cruel white walls, work either sinks or swims. For the experience to be valid, it must be allowed to do either, and this is at the heart of VADA’s purpose. In making their selections, the judges were very reassured by the scope of work that was submitted. Clearly our future is in good hands.”