Curated by Charmaine Toh, this selling exhibition presents the work of four Singaporean artists – Sookoon Ang, Darren Soh, Sufian Samsiyar and Tang Da Wu – they come from different generations with vastly differing practices and concerns. Shown together for the first time, these objects remind us of the sensory power of the work of art and the way they might lead us past our everyday experiences and transport us to a different reality.
Symbolism and form play an important role for Tang and Ang, who use them to convey abstract emotions from love to sacrifice. They are particularly adept at juxtaposing objects, both found and made, to tell personal stories that resonate with multiple readings. Soh and Sufian’s work appear to be representational, but also play with the edges of materiality and vision via surreal landscapes.
The dreamlike layering of personal stories and emotions, signs and objects resists rigid interpretation. Instead, there is a fluidity of thought and feeling, opening up a space for what Susan Sontag famously called “an erotics of art”. Knowledge is constructed not from reason, but from myth and imagination.
“I am delighted to have this opportunity to present and work with these artists. In particular, I am honoured that Tang Da Wu’s sculpture “Oath of Poretti” will be exhibited and presented to the public for the first time. The work was conceived and created in 2008, almost fifteen years ago, yet it is such a contemporary piece, juxtaposing found objects like a brick and saw with a handmade table, which is representative of Tang’s long-standing interest in using everyday objects. I am very curious to see how this impressive sculpture will be received by the art community and the public, and I genuinely hope that it will be acquired by a serious art collector or a reputable art museum.”