Asian Contemporary Art at Singapore
Collectors’ Stage: Asian Contemporary Art from Private Collections
Singapore Art Museum
14 January 2011 – 17 February 2011
Organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) in co-operation with Art Stage Singapore, SAM is pleased to present Collectors’ Stage: Asian Contemporary Art from Private Collections. Featuring 33 artworks by 18 collectors, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity for the public to view artworks by some of Asia’s most famous and critically acclaimed artists that are kept in the personal collections of eminent private collectors. The exhibition is supported by the Economic Development Board of Singapore, Helutrans and Mapletree.
Presented across three venues – SAM and two sites at the Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Collectors’ Stage: Asian Contemporary Art from Private Collections features works by artists such as Ai Weiwei (China), Fang Lijun (China), Shilpa Gupta (India), Subodh Gupta (India), Liu Wei (China), I Nyoman Masriadi (Indonesia), Nam June Paik (Korea), Yoshitomo Nara (Japan), TV Santhosh (India), Shen Shaomin (China), Agus Suwage (Indonesia), LN Tallur (India) and Zeng Fanzhi (China).
The artworks at SAM explore the undercurrent of tensions in contemporary life, the complexities and challenges of breaks in tradition amidst modern-day urbanity as well as issues of misplaced faith and man’s dependence on technology. Artworks at ARTSPACE@Helutrans in Tanjong Pagar Distripark provide an intimate look into the different facets of Asian society, while those at the Mapletree premises in the Distripark present a chillingly intense view of a near and imagined apocalyptic reality.
Director of SAM, Mr Tan Boon Hui, said, “In recent decades, Asia has occupied the spotlight on the world stage. Its dynamic growth fuelled bursts of artistic production, with artists conveying personal observations about their respective countries and cultures, their place in the world and on the international stage through their practice. The works in Collectors’ Stage give an extensive look at the confluence of cultures across Asia, in the midst of a new artistic era many have hailed as “The Asian Century”. Unified by their common passion for artworks that represent the best in Asia, highly esteemed private collectors who hail from various parts of the world have allowed us exclusive and intimate insight into their prized acquisitions. Collectors’ Stage is more than a viewing of art pieces, it is an insight into the personal stories and motivations behind the creation of these works, and the making of precious private collections. We are extremely grateful to the collectors and lenders for their generous support of Collectors’ Stage, and for enabling audiences in Singapore to experience up close, these remarkable works of Asian contemporary art, which would otherwise not be accessible to many.”
CEO / Director of Art Stage Singapore, Lorenzo Rudolf, said, “Today all over Asia there are talented and creative artists who are absolutely able to compete with their counterparts in the West. However, while in the West most contemporary masterpieces are accessible to the general public through exhibitions in public museums, in Asia the majority of works of
similar calibre are often to be found in private hands. Private collectors play as large a role as public museums and institutions in building up significant and leading collections of Asian contemporary art. I wish to express a big ‘thank you’ to all the esteemed private collectors who have opened the doors of their outstanding collections. It is their generous support that has enabled us to have this spectacular and highly anticipated overview of Asian contemporary creativity.”
Collectors’ Stage: Asian Contemporary Art from Private Collections will run from 14 January 2011 to 17 February 2011 at the Singapore Art Museum, ARTSPACE@Helutrans and Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Other events include curator tours on 19 January and 9 February 2011 respectively.