TacoCat’s Travels #260 (SG): Uncovering Art and Culture in Singapore! 🖼

September 2024 · 9 min read · Singapore

Hey Hive!

Now that I finally finished writing about our Seoul trip from back in Nov 2022, I thought we'd take a break, since it's been 9 months of going through the Seoul content and explore more of my home country!

Don't get me wrong, Seoul was really fun and such a good experience but I just need a break before starting another long travel series.

Anyway, back in March 2023, we went on a date to the National Gallery here in Singapore!

I don't think we've actually ever been to the National Gallery before but it turns out that admission is free for locals so we decided to make a day of it! It's funny since it felt like we were tourists in our own home country.

I didn't even know it at the time but it turns out the National Gallery is right beside the Supreme Court as well.

I'm not sure what to say about the juxtaposition that is but I guess they're both just really monumental buildings and have been around for a while.

I don't really remember what prompted us to visit but I think we had some vouchers to a restaurant in town and Sean had a day off. It didn't make sense to go to town just for a meal so we decided to take a walk at the gallery.

Of course the first place we visited was the gift shop, not on purpose mind you it just happened to be outside the entrance to the gallery.

The shop was actually really cool and there were lots of interesting products showcasing local designs and goods. There were some general items as well but most of them served as souvenirs since this was a touristy place.

We found our way to the entrance and there were kiosks where you could print out your passes. It was pretty easy since we didn't have to make payment so we just scanned our national IDs and we're in!

The actual gallery itself is pretty big though and we had some trouble finding out where to walk to go to the exhibits.

Here's an overlay of the whole building. We were shocked by how big it is was and we weren't sure where we could go with our ticket since we figured some of the exhibits were probably paid to enter.

But we weren't in any hurry though so we figured we'd just explore the place and see what looked interesting.

We took the lift up to the highest floor and there were some shops here.

But since it was still light out we wanted to go check out the roof garden gallery.

We enjoyed pleasant weather that day, it had rained earlier in the morning and by late afternoon the skies were clearer but the weather was still relatively cool so it was perfect for a walk outdoors.

This whole area was pretty deserted at the time but it looked like it was full of bars and conference rooms, so definitely not a place we would visit normally. I can see this place being quite packed with people should there be a big event though.

There was a bar here called Smoke & Mirrors, which from the name I initially thought would be a cool place like a house of mirrors or something, but turns out it was just a bar.

It did have a very nice view of the city skyline though, so it's probably pretty expensive to dine and host events here. But I imagine it's probably for companies hosting guests or weddings.

Across the road there was a friendly football match going on and we stayed there watching them for a bit. They looked like older folks playing for fun but it was still nice to see people enjoying themselves.

Excuse the wild hair—let’s just say it was a bit breezy up there!

After a while we went back downstairs, both to see the garden and because it felt like we shouldn't be there since there was nobody around.

We found our way back to the gallery and came across the first art piece there, called The Regency Made Me Blind.

I guess it's the colourful pictures on the wall that were apparently made of latex prints on self-adhesive vinyl, UV printed on backlit film and laser prints on photocopier paper.

This stairway "garden" is simulated via digitally composited photographs of botanical gardens with colonial origins in Hanoi, Manila, Bogor, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The images were superimposed on brands of colours mimicking Regency era stripes printed on roller blinds, vinyl and photocopier paper, then reverently applied to these walls.

It was truly very impressive as it covered the whole room and I couldn't even tell that it was photocopier paper.

The colours were also very vibrant but also gave off a nostalgic vibe especially combined with the black and white.

The building's interior design is truly captivating, showcasing a harmonious blend of aesthetics and functionality. I wasn't sure if the wings were colour-coded specifically but this exhibit was housed in a nice colour that we liked.

It was this dark grey-green tone and was quite pleasant when paired with the wooden floors and furnishings.

But anyway, this exhibit was actually about the Gallery's history and transformations! It details how the building itself transformed from a British colonial government building and all the important political events that took place here back in the 1900s until Singapore gained independence in 1965. Now the buildings are national monuments are oversee the largest public collection of modern art in Southeast Asia.

I'm personally not too invested in history but it is interesting to see how some buildings have stood the test of time. I think people who enjoy architecture would appreciate this exhibit.

The first exhibition we came across was by Liu Kuo-sung, called Experimentation as Method, which sounded very scientific for an art exhibit.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what this timeline is dictating but I'm guessing it's his life and process as an artist?

Lim Kuo-Sung is an artist who played a leading role in the modernisation of Chinese ink painting, and is known for his courage, intellect and experimentation. This exhibit outlines his trajectory of innovative experimentation from the 1950s to the present and showcases some of his seminal works.

So I guess he mostly does ink paintings and there were quite a few news articles and books about him and his works. They looked really old and preserved though, it was cool to see.

Initially I thought Liu had passed away but he's actually still around at 92 years old and probably still painting! Until today, up to 100 exhibitions and retrospectives have been organized of Liu’s vast repertoire.

It's crazy to think that he's lived through so many huge events in the world and I like that he still chooses to retain traditional Chinese ink paintings.

But of course since this exhibit is called Experimentation I'm sure his style has evolved over the years just like any artist.

I personally really like this ink style but have yet to try it out myself. I think you need special brushes and ink to be able to do it though which makes it difficult to start since there's an inherent barrier to entry.

This next section is Liu's Space series which he did from the late 1960s to early 1970s, inspired by photographs of Earth taken by the first astronauts who orbited the moon in 1968.

It’s fascinating how he beautifully intertwines science and art in such a unique way! I like how some of the frames were purposefully tilted too, which is not something you'd normally see.

These are vastly different compared to the ink paintings from earlier but I think that's why this series became one of his most notable works. The color contrast he employs is truly captivating.

This art piece stands as the centerpiece of the collection, not just for its impressive size but also for the inviting chairs arranged in front, encouraging visitors to sit back, soak it all in, and truly appreciate its magnificence.

Here I am, capturing the moment in front of this stunning backdrop! 😄

It resembles a scene pulled straight from a cinematic masterpiece, reminiscent of the stunning visuals found in Interstellar.

This collection was from when Liu returned to China in the 1980s and visited his homeland, including places rich in natural beauty. He focused on the material nature of ink and paper media using his techniques of tearing paper fibres and steeped-ink to create his portraits of nature.

Here are more clippings of him and his notes.

At the time we hadn't even heard of this guy before, but were really impressed that he got two huge wings in the gallery!

We strolled across the gallery to explore more of his stunning works.

This installment of his nature series showcased truly unique designs that captured the beauty of the natural world.

The artwork was unlike anything I had ever encountered. Liu must have employed some truly unique techniques and tools to create such a masterpiece.

These artworks were particularly fascinating, making us feel as though we were stepping back in time to witness the very scenes they depicted.

Even though I'm an artist myself, I do mostly digital art and simple landscapes or characters. I wouldn't consider myself super artsy so I can't comment on the brushstrokes or mediums he used but we could appreciate it all the same.

I'm not sure how but we actually found ourselves outside after a while. I think there must've been a door from the gallery that led outdoors.

But the funny part was we almost crashed a wedding since we got lost. It was clear that we were not wedding guests as everyone was dressed a lot formally than we were so we we stood out like a sore thumb.