(Media Invite) Imaginarium: Over the Ocean, Under the Sea (SAM @ 8Q)

Welcome to Imaginarium : Over the Ocean, Under the Sea 2016!

Drum Rolllllllll plssssss…….

In-tro-du-cing……. our Contemporary Artists!

It is our privilege to meet close and upfront our talented artists. Often, I feel it is such a pity we do not have the opportunity to see the faces behind many artworks in exhibitions. This time round, thanks to Singapore Art Museum‘s kind invite, I made sure their faces were captured for us to recognise who in the world is the artist behind each series of wonderful works!

From the Left to Right

1. Ms Jane Ittogi (Chair, SAM)
2. Professor John Miksic (Dept of SE Asian Studies, NUS) 
3. Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Indonesia)
4. Ms Tan Siuli (Co-head, Curatorial SAM)
5. Karina Smigla-Bobinski (Poland/Germany)
6. Krit Ngamsom (Thailand)
7. Mulyana (Indonesia)
8. Yuree Kensaku (Thailand/Japan)
9. Tan Zi Xi ( Our very own Singapore Artist : Follow her by clicking on her name!)
10. Janice Wong  who is not in the photo ( Our very own Singapore Chef Artist: Check her website by clicking on her name!)

1. Mulyana (Indonesia) Artist no 7.

Title: Dimana MOgus? (Where is Mogus?)

This is Mamamia’s FAVOURITE! The painstakingly woven works of Coral Reefs and yummy yellow ‘biscuit’ like stuffed fishes, immediately captured the hearts of big and small alike! The kiddos lunged in with such glee, diving straight to have a whale of time!! It’s like a dream come true to see such gigantic bigger than life sized plush toys available for hugs.

I savoured every turn and spotted the big picture here. Do you see what we see? This reminds my children and I on Swimmy by Leo Lionni. The tiny fishes forming another big entity. The thoughtfully designed wall patterns of tiny teeming fishes on the walls provided an effective interaction between the installation of floating creatures while blending seamlessly with the castaway shadows.

Marvellous mimicry with yummylicious Yarn! The marvellous part is how the artist manages such sharp knitting to pronounce the textures of the corals yet retain the bouncy softness of the body….

2. Krit Ngamsom (Thailand) Artist no.6

Title: Damien, I’m Famished (After Damien Hirst)

The real version

Our Version! AAAHHHHHHH! RUN!!!!!

Title: Bryde’s Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp) 

This is not the actual artwork. It is on top of the largest animal on earth. What a sight! You’ll have to see for yourself. My kids were in disbelief and chuckled upon realising these were tiny urinal bowls. (Grin)

Surrealism Spiced (after Salvador Dali)

This piece of work amazed A. ‘ Mama! Come see this! It’s so amazing. You see just half of the thing, but when you look into the mirror, you can see the whole thing!’ That is indeed such a cool trick and I took the chance to elaborate on it being effective because of symmetry.

3. Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Indonesia) Artists no.3

Title: Suara Muara (The Sounds of the Estuary)

This is an ephereal and music to the ears installation. Kiddos kept bugging me to listen to the clink, clank clonks, the shushes, and the mantras of the past.

SUBMAROOM

Origami station

4.Yuree Kensaku (Thailand/Japan) Artist no.8

Title: Don’t They Know It’s the End of the Whale? 

This wall mural effectively arrests the passerby with it’s whimsical yet subtly disturbing scene of how the great creature might not be so great afterall with human greed.

5. Karina Smigla-Bobinski (Poland/Germany) Artist no.5

Title: ADA 

I was bowled over when I entered into the dark room taken by surprise with this GIGANTIC glowing balloon.  Guess WHAT? IT FLOATS!!! It reminded me of a pufferfish. Karina’s smart fixtures of the big charcoal sticks with this spherical form is a winning combination of pure fun and fine Art! Not surprising, A found this most fascinating and enjoyable. He literally kicked, banged, bounced and charge it creating forceful marks all around. Thereafter, we needed some washing up of hands and faces. (wink)

( Images courtesy of Artist )

6. Tan Zi Xi ( Our very own Singapore Artist : Follow her by clicking on her name!)         Artist no.9

Title: Plastic Ocean

The below photos do not do justice to the powerful installation from Zi Xi. Remember Cloudy with a chance of Meatball? This is ‘raining’ rubbish instead.  The amount of waste is alarming. I will definitely be using this example to remind my children and students how we can play a part to reduce waste in our daily living and habits.

BEYOND THE DEEP BLUE-SHORT FILMS SCREENING

After expending so much energy in the highly interactive exhibition, we were delighted to rest in this quirky and amusing tales. It is THE best amongst all according to A.

7. Janice Wong  who is not in the photo ( Our very own Singapore Chef Artist: Check her website by clicking on her name!) Artist no.10

Title: Underwater Labyrinth 

It was a pity we didn’t manage to enter into this sensational piece! It is supposed to be a feast not only to the eyes and buds, but also to the noses!

(Image from SAM)

Too bad J was not well to join us but I promised to bring him to the exhibition too. So we’ll be back!

Have I whet your appetite for more? What are you waiting for?

Head down to Singapore Art Museum 8Q   and check them out at their Facebook.

DETAILS

14th May – 28 August 2016 SAM at 8Q.

OPENING HOURS : Mondays to Sundays | 10am to 7pm

(Last admission at 6:15pm) Fridays | 10am to 9pm

ADMISSION

Adults : $10

Students & Senior Citizens aged 60 & above : $5

 Children under six  : Free

Citizens/ Permanent Residents : FREE

20% off admission tickets for 20 or more persons.  Visitors can also enjoy free entry to SAM every Friday from 6pm to 9pm and on Open House days. Tickets can be purchased from the Information & Ticketing counter at Singapore Art Museum and SAM at 8Q or from SISTIC. Workshop Fees Apply.

Nearest MRT: Bras Besah. It brings you right to the SAM at 8Q.

Download this Brochure for details on the Artist- led workshops and more!

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