Explore the journey of The Artists Village Singapore through time. Since TAV’s inception at 61-B Lorong Gambas in Sembawang in 1988, this timeline unveils the evolution of Singapore contemporary art and its earlier collective efforts.
1988
Inception of TAV
Singapore contemporary artist Tang Da Wu co-founded the village studio-space at 61-B Lorong Gambas, Sembawang. He invited young artists to work at the studios.
1989
First Open Studio Show
28 January to 12 February 1989
The artists working at the village studios organised the first Open Studio Show featuring 10 artists. Started using the name “The Artists Village” (TAV).
Art Mart
April 1989
TAV was invited to show in the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board’s event Art Mart: Singapore International Shopping Festival, at Cuppage Terrace, Orchard Road.
Second Open Studio Show
27 May to 18 June 1989
TAV organised The Artists Village 2nd Open Studio Show, featuring 26 artists.
The Happenings
31 July to 2 August 1989
TAV was invited to exhibit at the Opening of the Nanyang Technological Institute’s Residence Hall 5, Singapore. TAV named the event The Happenings.
The Happenings II
Septmember 1989
TAV was invited to exhibit at the National University of Singapore, presented and organised by the Raffles Hall and the NUS Architectural Society. TAV named the event The Happenings II.
The Drawing Show
December 1989
TAV organised an art exhibition titled The Drawing Show at Lorong Gambas.
The Time Show
31 December 1989 to
1 January 1990
TAV organised its second thematic show, The Time Show, a 24-hour Continuous Performance Art Show, at Lorong Gambas.
1990
QU Art Support II – The Artists Village Show
March 1990
TAV was invited by Hong Kong QU Art Society to show in QU Art Support II – The Artists Village Show, Hong Kong. Artists Khairul Anwar Salleh, Lee Wen, and Wong Shih Yaw represented TAV in Hong Kong, and did performance piece, Letter A.
The artists who contributed drawings, mixed media works and paintings were Azman Mohamed, Cheng Hoon Leong, Chiew Sien Kuan, Chng seok Tin, Goh Teck Hong, Amanda Heng, Jailani Kuning, Khairul Anwar Salleh, Koh Nguang How, Gladys Lam, Lee Wen, Vincent Leow, Lim Soo Ngee, Low Eng Teong, Hazel McIntosh, Neo Kim Seng, Ng Kiow Ngor, Tan Tian Joo, Tang Dahon, Tang Da Wu, Tang Mun Kit and Wong Shih Yaw.
Closure of the Village Space at Lorong Gambas
March 1990
The artists at the village space moved out, as the land was returned to the government authorities for development. The previous owners had accepted compensations for its acquisitions in 1987. The artists moved to rented houses at the Naval Base area, but could not continue to have public activities at these premises. They continued the search for a more permanent home.
The CARE Show
2 to 24 June 1990
TAV was invited to show in the Festival Fringe of the Singapore Festival of Arts 1990. It presented The CARE Show (Concerned ARtists for the Environment).
Gateway to Malaysia
December 1990 to January 1991
TAV was invited to show in Gateway to Malaysia, presented by the Bangnan Dato Jaafar (a cultural space) in Johore, Malaysia. The artists who participated included Ahmad Abu Bakar, Amanda Heng, Vincent Leow, Jailani Kuning, Tang Da Wu, Azman Mohamed, Shahrul Nizam, Adie Yadonie, Low Eng Teong, Tang Dahon, Mohamed Rafaat Hamzah, Faizal Fadil and Jose Tence Ruiz.
1991
A Sculpture Seminar
28 May to 9 June 1991
In 1991 the National Museum organised the National Sculpture Exhibition, the second national-wide sculpture event in Singapore. Tang Da Wu initiated A Sculpture Seminar, presented at the National Museum Art Gallery, and co-organised by TAV. This included some performances such as the Four Men in One Suit in the streets of Singapore. Four artists travelling to various public locations wearing blue workman’s attire. Tang Da Wu performed They Poach the Rhino and Chop Off His Horn to Make this Drink (1989-91) and Tiger’s Whip (1991).
1992
Official Registration of The Artists Village as an Art Society
12 February 1992
The Artists Village was officially registered as an art society under the Societies Act in Singapore. Its objectives are to foster and develop an increased consciousness of the importance of the arts and their contribution to Singapore society by engaging in active dialogue with the public, through the production and exposition of works of art. With the official registration, The Artists Village and its officially registered artist members became eligible for participation of certain officially funded events and the application for funding and space under the new rules of the National Arts Council, which was established in 1991.
The Space
31 May to 21 June 1992
TAV and the National Arts Council jointly organised The Space, a Fringe Festival visual arts event for the Singapore Festival of Arts 1992, at the old Hong Bee Warehouse. Forty local artists and twenty international artists participated in the event.
Extended Period of Stay at Hong Bee Warehouse
1992
The Artists Village obtained permission and paid to extend the use of Hong Bee Warehouse after the end of The Space on 21 June. The Temporary Occupation License issued by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on state land at the former Hong Bee Warehouse ended on Friday, 8 Jan 1993, when the building was slated for demolition soon after. A few artists created new works during that period, they were Zai Kuning, Dominique Hui for The New Criteria at The Substation; and Tang Da Wu for New Art From Southeast Asia 1992.
ARTS IN U
17 – 19 August 1992
TAV was invited to participate in ARTS IN U, the “1st Arts Festival”, organised by The Visual Arts Society of The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Some TAV members did installation and performance pieces for the event including Vincent Leow, Eve Tan In In, Azman Mohamed and Zai Kuning.
Performance Week
14 – 21 August 1992
TAV members were invited to show in Performance Week, organised by a new gallery called Gallery 21, Singapore. The event marked the first performance art event organised by a private gallery in Singapore. It was immediately after The Space event at Hong Bee Warehouse.
1993
Second Sculpture Seminar
10 July to 23 Oct 1993
TAV participated and coordinated the Second Sculpture Seminar, an event presented by The National Museum and The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and coordinated by Tang Da Wu. The seminar started at the National Museum Theatrette for four Saturdays from 10 July to 7 Aug. Other events like studio visits, artist’s talks and public forums were organized throughout the period.
The seminar ended with an exhibition of works including a performance artwork called Work-in-Process at Selegie Campus Art Gallery of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, from 19 to 23 October 1993. The artists exhibited were Chu Chu Yuan, Knik Pang, Jason Lim, Lin Kai Lie (Kai), Yvonne Lee, Oscar Ng, Eve Tan In In, Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Vincent Leow, Tang Da Wu, Zai Kuning, Shannon Tham, Josef Ng, Clayton Huang, Khairuddin, Romita.
Artists’ General Assembly
25 December 1993 – 1 January 1994
5th Passage Artists Ltd and TAV co-presented Artists’ General Assembly (AGA), including a 25-artist collaborative installation, a video art program, and a 12-hour performance art even
Proposal for Arts Housing Scheme by National Arts Council
August 1993
TAV submitted a proposal to the National Arts Council for a “home”, under the council’s Arts Housing Scheme. The proposal was to use the former Methodist chapel building at Middle Road as a permanent home however the proposal was not accepted. The building was previously used by The Sculpture Square and currently houses Objectifs.
1996
Tour de Art Lah!
26 May to 16 June 1996
The “Art Bus” proposal was organised by the National Arts Council as part of the Singapore Festival of Arts 1996. TAV named the event Tour de Art Lah!, a mobile art gallery featuring 11 TAV artists.
1999
Post-Ulu
28 December 1999 to 16 January 2000
TAV organised Post-Ulu at The Substation, Singapore. It was organised mainly by newer members of TAV who did not experience the early phase of the group and space at Lorong Gambas. It was an occasion for existing members to acknowledge TAV’s history and to find new purpose for such an art society in Singapore.
2000
Art Societies’ Weekend Series – Art Program for Nokia Singapore Art 1999
9 January 2000
TAV participated in the Art Societies’ Weekend Series Art Program for Nokia Singapore Art 1999, Singapore Art Museum. The event coincided with the Post-Ulu show at The Substation. The program included a slide presentation of the history and past activities of TAV by Koh Nguang How; Introduction to Post-Ulu by Lam Hoi Lit, Woon Tien Wei and He Ziyan; Hands-on session for the audience with members of TAV in making drawings for the “2000 Drawings Project” as part of the Post-Ulu show.
AIM: Artists Investigating Monuments
July to September 2000
TAV organised AIM: Artists Investigating Monuments project at various sites in Singapore. The project was initiated by members of TAV, including Woon Tien Wei, Jeremy Hiah, Dennis Tan, and Kai Lam Hoi Lit, after preliminary discussions between artists started in a TAV Forum in Feb 2000.
The objectives of AIM were:
- to invite artistic responses to existing monuments and heritage sites; in this way re-presenting its original meanings as artistic findings.
- to invite artistic response to create new monuments; with contrasting or affiliated practices concerning local cultural ideas
- to gather artists with different professional disciplines to gain awareness of each other’s specialised practices
16 artists responded to the AIM project at three sites including Raffles Landing Site (22 July 2000), The Merlion Park (12 August 2000) and Hong Lim Park (1 September 2000).
Mental Sculpture by Dennis Tan
July – August 2000
TAV organised Mental Sculpture, a solo exhibition Dennis Tan, at The Substation
AIM (Artists Investigating Monuments) Documentation Exhibition
November 2000
TAV organised AIM: Artists Investigating Monuments Documentation Exhibition at The Substation, Singapore
2001
Bye Bye Albert
23 March 2001
The TAV presented a multi-disciplinary art event, Bye Bye Albert (The Coffee Shop Event) at Hock Hiap Leong, an old coffee shop along Armenian Street (opposite The Substation).
Blink of an Eye: Austrian Experimental Film and Video Art
October 2001
TAV and The Substation presented Blink of an Eye: Austrian Experimental Film and Video Art, at The Substation.
The Bali Project
17 September to 13 October 2001
Four members from TAV began The Bali Project, a research & documentary project based on Four Singapore pioneer artists’ visit to Bali, Indonesia in 1952 in search of a new modern art style. The artists who went to Kuta & Ubud in Bali, Indonesia included Agnes Yit, Kai Lam Hoi Lt, Jeremy Hiah, and Woon Tien Wei.
Pulau Ubin Art Camp
27 to 31 December 2001
TAV organised Pulau Ubin Art Camp, a five-day residency on Pulau Ubin (an island), Singapore. Local and overseas artists made artworks on the island for public viewing
2002
Pulau Ubin Day
20 April 2002
TAV participated in Pulau Ubin Day, an event organised by Singapore Environment Council, at Pulau Ubin, Singapore.
See Singapore!
May to June 2002
TAV presented video collection SEE SINGAPORE! in Copenhagen, Denmark and Kassel, Germany.
S.O.S.
11 to 28 July
TAV co-organised S.O.S., a two-man show by members, Jeremy Hiah and Kai Lam Hoi Lit, at Utterly Art, Singapore
A Moving Experience
9 August 2002
TAV organised A Moving Experience (2002), an event to celebrate Singapore’s National Day, on public bus number 65.
Soft: Danger Museum
September to October 2002
TAV participated in soft: Danger Museum, an event held at the Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA) in London, England.
Launch of DM Newsletter #15 and Latest Collections from Recent Travels
5 October 2002
The launch of DM Newsletter #15 (a feature on TAV, produced for soft: Danger Museum), and a gathering of artist-friends sharing stories and documentation of their participation in exhibitions overseas. Held at the TAV office space.
Transmissions #2
25 September to 1 November 2002
TAV collaborates with Danger Museum on this online project continuing from soft: Danger Museum.
Singapore Contemporary Artists Show
11 to 23 September 2002
TAV in collaboration with Vietnam Fine Arts Association organised Singapore Contemporary Artists Show, a group exhibition at Hanoi Contemporary Art Center, Vietnam.
Asiatopia 4: International Performance Art Festival: Bangkok and Chiangmai
18 to 30 November 2002
TAV participated in the Asiatopia 4 (2002), an international performance art festival, held in Bangkok and Chiangmai, Thailand.
B.E.A.U.T.Y.
19 to 31 December 2002
TAV presented B.E.A.U.T.Y. (2002), a group art exhibition of BadEvilAwfulUglyTerribleYucky artworks exhibited at Utterly Art, Singapore.
KTV and The Sunseekers: a year-end gig
25 December 2002
Exhibited at Utterly Art, Singapore.
2003
Fusion Strength
January to February 2003
TAV organised Fusion Strength in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Artists Development Programmes
April to July 2003
TAV organised talks and visits to help artists in their practice.
Public Art Library by The Artists Village at Singapore Art Museum
TAV organised PALTAV@SAM (Public Art Library by The Artists Village at Singapore Art Museum) It was a one-year library project where artworks were exhibited and loaned to public audiences and visitors of the Singapore Art Museum.
STORM
4 July 2003
TAV organised STORM – Pixel Motion Art, a new media public art event.
Art Networking Potluck Party
26 September 2003
The Artists Village presents an informal get-together to share materials gathered from artists and art organisations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia and Thailand.
Unpacking London
6 – 29 November 2003
Exhibited at 12A Perumal Road, TAV exhibited unopened shipping cartons, brought back by Lee Sze-Chin, Lim Kok Boon, and Woon Tien Wei at the end of their studies in London.
The Future of Imagination
6 December 2003
The Artists Village presents a one-day performance art event, held at and supported by The Substation, in celebration of the National Art Council’s renewed support for performance art.
2004
X-Mem Show: A Tree in a Room
15 January to 15 February 2004
TAV and Sculpture Square co-present this solo exhibition by Zai Kuning. Conceived in memory of the late Kuo Pao Kun, this exhibition presented in different media, comprising installation art, video images and performances. There was be an improvised solo, vocal and dance performance on Sunday, 8 February 2004 at 3 pm.
Artists Book Project & Public Art Library
30 April to 9 May 2004
TAV and The Sculpture Square co-organised Artists Book Project & Public Art Library at Sculpture Square.
AIM II – Artists Investigating Monuments (2004)
1 October to 28 November 2004
TAV presented AIM II – Artists Investigating Monuments (2004), in the Home Fronts component of SENI Singapore 2004 at Singapore Art Museum.
RAW
31 December 2004 to 01 March 2005
A solo exhibition by Jeremy Hiah at Your Mother Gallery supported by TAV.
2005
Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, “Ashes! Ashes!” we all fall down
8 August to 1 October 2005
A group exhibition by The Artists Village
Expressing the thoughts and emotions, as well as exploring the term “culture” and the various ways in which media and culture intertwines in the context of youth, 9 young artists from The Artists Village: Lina Adam, Marienne Yang, Yeo Shih Yun, Aidah Dolrahim, Sophia Natasha Wei, Jeremy Hiah, Warren Benedict Khong, Cheng Guang Feng and Dan Lim, present this showcase of works.
AIM III – Artists Investigating Monuments (2005)
August 2005
Singapore artists involved in AIM III project explored the location of the space and looked at monuments and sites around the Sydney harbour. They explored and responded to the history of existing monuments and sites around the Sydney harbour. They worked in collaboration with Australian artists.
2006
Evolution of Kim-Chiam: From Dried Lily Bud to “Rolling Red Dust” (1980-2006)
7 July to 16 July 2006
An exhibition of prints, sculptures, installation, and mixed media Chng Seok Tin, which are based on 25 years of development of her works known as “Kim-Chiam Series” at the TKS Gallery. Supported by: Lions Club of Singapore Oriental, p-10, Printmaking Society (Singapore), Sculpture Society (Singapore), The Artists Village, and Very Special Arts Singapore.
Future Of Imagination 3
10 – 14 April 2006
Presented by Singapore Art Museum and the Substation supported by TAV.
Fetterfield
10 – 14 April 2006
Site-specific Performance Art Event following the footsteps of a highly-critical work by Tang Da Wu, Tiger’s Whip, where artist held court with a crowd of curious onlookers and unassuming passers by in the busy street of Chinatown. Tang performed with his installation highlighting the issue of a controversial traditional medicine. FETTERFIELD produced a series of performance artworks dealing with public spac and alternative sites with the possibility of creating site-specific artworks. Supported by TAV.
2007
Future Of Imagination 4
27 to 29 September 2007
This was presented at TheatreWorks, supported by TAV.
2008
The Artists Village: 20 years On
9 August – 5 October 2008
Presented by Singapore Art Museum at Gallery-Turn-Studio: 8Q SAM. Over 30 artworks and artists’ projects by The Artists Village including installations, video art, paintings, performance art, sculptures, drawings, and more. TAV engendered radical shifts in generating new ways and manners of thinking and making art in the history of contemporary art in Singapore. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of TAV’s establishment and offers historical distance to evaluate and examine the significance of TAV as part of the Singapore Art Museum’s series of exhibitions on artist collectives.
The exhibition is conceived as a metaphor for the memories and histories of The Artists Village, thematically categorised into three periods: 1988 to 1994, 1995 to 1998, and 1999 to 2008. The changing artworks by TAV artists from 1988 to 1994 offer an entry point to understand the artistic activities, objectives, and artistic practices that shape TAV collectively. The tensions, disjuncture, and collision of the individual and collective memories of TAV are captured through interviews of artists from 1995 to 1998. The final period focuses on a new group of TAV artists who signalled their intention to continue TAV’s mission to promote contemporary art and to bring about a better understanding of contemporary art practices.
2009
Drawing As Form
07 to 28 August 2009
The exhibition re-visits the “Drawing Show”, one of the early TAV projects that was held at the Jalan Ulu Sembawang space in 1989. Moving away from the physicality of drawing and focusing on the fundamental basis of ‘a dot… a line… a mark to a form’, drawing here no longer necessarily sits on a two-dimensional space, rather it pushes one to explore beyond the confines that limits creative autonomy in individual artistic practices.
This exhibited works pertaining to questions to the conception, production process and eventual presentation of a ‘drawing’, which is a very basic essential knowledge and skill to artists. Drawing as a practice constitutes the basis of visual language that is crucial to the progression and developmental modes of artists and cultural producers.
Participating artists include Chen Guang Feng (China), Chun Kai Qun , Mideo M Cruz (Philippines), Jeremy Hiah, Joo Choon Lin , Koh Nguang How, Kai Lam, Urich Lau, Lee Wen, Paisan Plienbangchang (Thailand), Bruce Quek, Ezzam Rahman, Angie Seah, Natasha Wei , Marianne Yang, Juliana Yasin and Ranger Mills.
2010
Future Of Imagination 6
7 to 11 April 2010
Sculpture Square, supported by TAV.
2011
Pulau Ubin Artists-In-Residency Programme
August 2011
Future Of Imagination 7
16 – 20 November 2011
Goodman Arts Centre, supported by TAV.
2012
Future Of Imagination 8: International Performance Art Event
August 2012
Goodman Centre, supported by TAV.
2013
Small Singapore Show
24 April – 8 May 2013
A group exhibition organised by TAV at Kanto Artists-Run Space in Manila, Philippines that contemplates the notion of smallness. Paricipating TAV members included Urich Lau, Gilles Massot, Lim Shengen, Natasha Wei, Chand Chandramohan, Ben Puah, Jason Lee, Andrée Weschler, Jeremy Hiah, Arif Ayab (Reef).
The Artists Village Presents
11 to 12 May 2013
An exhibition at The Substation that revolves around the idea of the earlier society and appropriating the works of the founding members of The Artists Village by the current members, as a tribute and to celebrate the 70th birthday of Tang Da Wu. Participating Artists included Andree Weschler, Ezzam Rahman, Gilles Massot, Jason Lee, Lim Shengen, Marienne Yang, Natasha Wei, Urich Lau, Art Clay.
The Artists Village Show
28 November to 10 December 2013
A year-end group exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore to reflect on exhibition-making and the desire to exhibit or ‘show’. Curated by Urich Lau, Ezzam Rahman, Natasha Wei and Marienne Yang, the show features work spanning various media, including works by Tang Da Wu, Andrée Weschler, Cheng Guangfeng, Gilles Massot, Jason Lee, Lim Shengen, Koh Nguang How, Post-Museum, Agnes M K Yit, Urich Lau, Ezzam Rahman, Natasha Wei, Marienne Yang, Chand Chandramohan, Chng Seok Tin, Chua Chin Chin, Ghazi Alqudcy, Jeremy Hiah, and Marcel Gaspar Alston.
2014
Ubin Day 2014
30 November 2014
TAV participated in Ubin Day 2014 and presented The Story of Pulau Ubin in the form of Wayang Kulit.
2015
/*semble*/
7 to 8 March 2015
TAV organised a two-day site-specific exhibition and performance event at the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
(CON)TEMPORARY OSMOSIS – Audiovisual Media Festival Taipei 2015
22 March – 26 April 2015
TAV was invited by TAMTAM ART TAIPEI to participate in the (CON)TEMPORARY OSMOSIS Audiovisual Media Festival in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Participating TAV members included Marcel Gaspar, Jason J S Le, Jacquelyn Soo, Christopherson Ho, Chand Chandramohan, Sophia Natasha Wei Junhao, Ezzam Rahman, Urich Lau, Jeremy Hiah, Gilles Massot.
Ubin Day 2015
13 to 14 June 2015
TAV participated in Ubin Day 2015.
2016
CO-TEMPORARY: Southeast Asia –Taiwan Forum and Exchange Program on the Arts and Culture
9 to 10 July 2016
2017
META-GRAPHY (first exhibition in DECK, Singapore)
10-26 November 2017
Group exhibition on photography that featured works by members of The Artists Village who come from diverse practices and research methodologies. The participating artists all dealt with photography in their work within contexts of technology, structuralism, issues in urbanisation, and the shifting of reality and fiction. Photography requires immediacy and contemplation at the same time, it is both reactionary and relational, it captures both triviality and the solemn. The exhibition looked at photography in the contemporary diversification of expressions, recordings, information, and nuances.
META-GRAPHY 介形–造影 (2nd iteration in Taipei, Taiwan)
10 December 2017 to 13 January 2018
Held in MEME Space 覓空間, Taipei City.
Photography from Ulu to City – The Artists Village 從聚落到城市的攝影 – 新加坡藝術村
10 December 2017
2018
Still Life
6 to 15 April 2018
Held at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries 1 & 2, NAFA Campus 1. Featured the works of 30 artists from The Artists Village (TAV) and revisited the long-established genre of still life in contemporary art in the context of today’s art canon and culture. While ideas and materials associated with still life have evolved over periods and art movements, still life as a subject matter remains fascinating and challenging. The artists examined and explored the relevance and contexts between objects and the world by giving voice to diverse interpretations of still life within their interdisciplinary practices.
Small Singapore Show 2.0: TaiSing Conversation 新加坡小品
2.0:台星對話
5 October – 28 October 2018
Held in Taipei’s Open Contemporary Art Center. The first Small Singapore Show was presented in Manila in 2013, where 10 members of The Artists Village presented works, which consisted of various mediums that contemplate the notion of ‘smallness’ within the context of nation, artworks, and space. The second iteration, Small Singapore Show 2.0: TaiSing Conversation paired up artists from Taiwan and Singapore. They interacted with one another via virtual communication platforms to explore into the subject of ‘conversations’ and how it could serve as a means for discovery, learning and connection. After months of exchanging views on various issues, the artists created works as a response to the conversation they’ve had with one another.
This project aimed to generate an informal albeit critical discussion via virtual conversation, which enabled Taiwanese artists to understand the social conditions and cultures of Singaporean artists. They focused on the gaps between imagination and reality. At the same time, Singaporeans re-looked at Singapore through the lens of Taiwanese artists. Being in a relatively small exhibition venue highlights the key initial concept of the project – exhibiting small works in a small space. This set the challenges and the process of making their works while playing with the jargon of ‘small’
Participating artists: 森嵐工作方圖C & G Art Group + Gilles Massot, 賈茜茹 Chia Chien- Ju + 李志 Justin Lee, 柯姿安 Ko Tzu-An + Lim Shengen, 郭佩奇 Kuo Pei-Chi + 劉威延 Urich Lau, 李勇志 Lee Yung-Chih + Jacqueline Sim, 倪瑞宏 Ni Jui-Hung + 蘇美安
Jacquelyn Soo, 吳其育 Wu Chi-Yu + Ghazi Alqudcy 策展人 Curator: 李嘉昇 Jason J S Lee.
The Artists Village Presents
PORTRAITURE (Singapore)
6 – 15 September 2018
Held at Banksy Gallery, Mox/Katong Point (Level 2). The exhibition was part of a series of shows exploring the different “established” genres in the context of today’s contemporary art. TAV presented a group show featuring 25 artists exploring the topic of portraiture. In both the Singapore and Bangkok exhibition, TAV aimed to examine and re-evaluate “Traditional” portraiture in today’s context.
Participating artist-members include Bridget Tay, Chand Chandramohan, Justin Lee, Nadia Oh, Jason J S Lee, Urich Lau, Ezzam Rahman, Shin- Young Park, Ghazi Alqudcy, Koh Nguang How, Shengen Lim, Agnes Mun Yit, Gilles Massot, Jacquelyn Soo, Mideo M. Cruz, Lina Adam, Ben Puah. Invited artists include Niroj Satpathy, Denise Jillian Tan, Deusa Blümke.
The Artists Village Presents
PORTRAITURE (Bangkok)
1 November – 4 November 2018
Held at Rebel Art Space in Bangkok, Thailand (*ghetto show). Curated by Bridget Tay.
2019
Small Singapore Show 2.1: Tai Sing Conversation 新加坡小品2.1：台星對話
15 – 24 February 2019
Participating artists at Supernormal, Singapore include 森嵐工作方圖 C & G Art Group, Gilles Massot, 賈茜茹 Chia Chien-Ju, 李志 Justin Lee, 柯姿安 Ko Tzu-An, Lim Shengen, 郭佩奇 Kuo Pei-Chi + 劉威延 Urich Lau, 李勇志 Lee Yung-Chih + Jacqueline Sim, 倪瑞宏 Ni Jui-Hung + 蘇美安 Jacquelyn Soo, 吳其育 Wu Chi-Yu + Ghazi Alqudcy. Curated by Jason J S Lee and presented by The Artists Village.
The Artists Village presents
PORTRAITURE (New Zealand)
2 to 25 March 2019
Organised by Park Shinyoung, hosted by Mairangi Arts Centre (Auckland, New Zealand), supported by Auckland Council Creative Communities Scheme. A collaborative exhibition between 16 TAV artists and 16 artists from Mairangi Arts Centre on the occasion of 54 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Aimed at establishing a cross- cultural exchange of ideas around identity and representation. With the steady rise of populism on the global political stage, and the resulting proliferation of xenophobic voices in the mainstream, we hope to provide a counterbalance of positive expressions of cultural identity, by bringing together and celebrating the different ways in which we view ourselves, and thereby learning more about each other.
Participating TAV members include Bridget Tay, Denise Jillian Tan, Deusa Blümke, Ezzam Rahman, Ghazi Alqudcy, Gilles Massot, Jacquelyn Soo Meian, Jason J S Lee, Justin Lee CK, Koh Nguang How, Lim Shengen, Lina Adam, Mideo M Cruz, Nadia Oh, Shin-young Park, Urich Lau.
FLAME HK – The First Video Art Fair in Asia
4 – 6 October 2019
An image is a record of temporality-spatiality, context, memory or fantasy which intertwines real and fictional elements. Nowadays, while the image has penetrated every corner and become part of human lives in the information age, video art with the nature of our era is a medium unique to contemporaneity. Since ancient times human beings have been obsessed with light from fire, image betokens a new flame that attracts human eyes and motivates us to search for knowledge and truth. “FLAME HK,” a video art fair, reconsiders the value of the image of our time and excavates again the expansive field of global video art. Each video incorporates a light of flame that invokes a search of a desirable answer. Hong Kong, a centre connecting Asia, Europe and America, enables more possibilities for video art Participating artists include Ezzam Rahman, Lim Shengen, Sherman Ong, Toh Hun Ping, Weixin Chong, Yeo Shih Yun, Urich Lau at the Ovolo Southside, Hong Kong. Organised by Formosa Art Fair Co Ltd.
2022
TAV Epilogue, Singapore Art Week
14 – 30 Jan 2022
Epilogue (2022) uses the historical trajectory of TAV as an investigative point of contemplation and the goal is to present history not of an academic association but a selective activity and jumping board for conversations and reflections. We hope to present the documentation of choices, pasts, and ways that experiences have demarcated, investigated, presented, and even learned and sought to change perceptions of crucial turning points of what defines history. It is a reimagining of what defines and constitutes history. It will showcase a retrospective of TAV artistic creations and events. Together with recent artworks by current members in response to the question of the end of TAV’s history.
Presented at CSC Changi Fairy Point Chalet 7 and curated by Bridget Tay. Artists include Ezzam Rahman, Bridget Tay, Ghazi Alqudzy, Gilles Massot, Isabelle Desjeux, Jacquelyn Soo, Jason J S Lee, Jennifer Teo, Justin Lee, Koh Nguang How, Lim Shengen, Lina Adam, Shin-Young Park, Sophia Natasha Wei.
2023
S23, Singapore Art Week
6 – 15 January 2023
S23 is a site-specific work that carves out an informal space of rest, congregation, and interaction with artists. A play on ‘S-11’, an old-school kopitiam previously located near the old National Library and The Substation, S23 draws upon the essence of kopitiams to explore the cultural and social functions of such communal spots in a historical arts enclave like Rochor and Bugis. Using LASALLE’s amphitheatre to curate and re-create a public area that artists and art-goers used to frequent, relationships between people are kept non-hierarchical and strangers can become friends by chance.
Co-curated by Bridget Tay, Kelly Khua, and Veronyka Lau. Participating artists include Bridget Tay, C.O.O.E, Dr Foo, Dylan Chan, Eve Tan, Gilles Massot, Isabelle Desjeux, JaiRa, Liana Yang, Lina Adam, Veronyka lau, Smiha Kapoor, Choice Cuts (Drem and Arms1), Naazsedilix, Arif Ayab (Reef), Circuitrip.
Leave Nothing but Footprints
7 to 22 October 2023
The exhibition title alludes to the signages often seen before entering a nature reserve: how ironic are these man-made signs in the national environment. What a struggle to leave no mark wherever we go. As demonstrated in Cynthia Delaney’s work ‘Lost Soles’, humans often leave their trace behind, albeit unintentionally. The works presented include photographs, where the medium is used in different ways, to re-tell the story of a landscape, to allude to our mortality, or for story-telling in documenting performance.
The variety of media on display also includes prints, collages, sculptures, installations, interventions, workshops, and text-based art. The exhibit reflects a variety of experimental ways of knowing the explored landscape. As you walk through the exhibition, you will encounter the artists as explorers, activists, voyeurs, dreamers, and scientists. Some see the land as a source of material for making, while others want to inhabit it and become a part of it. You will be confronted with bodies in the environment or bodies feeling the environment, natural or man-made. You will encounter wilderness where nature took over, you will spot traces left by humans, and you will experience the magical and spiritual of the forest. Curated by Isabelle Desjeux. Participating artists include Anne Molleskov, Cynthia Delaney, Eve Tan, Gilles Massot, Isabelle Desjeux, Jireh Koh, Ong Xiao Yun, Rusydan Norr, Smiha Kapoor, Tan Qian Hui, Tec Lim, Veronyka Lau, Yen Phang, Zulfa. Assistant Curator Zulfa and Isabella. Administrated by Eve Tan.
The Artists Village: Time, Sites, and Nodes
藝術村：時、地、節點
4 Jul–31 Dec 2023
Having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, The Artists Village in Singapore is in a stage of renewal and resurgence after serious consideration of disbanding. Time, Sites, and Nodes is a compilation of videos and archival materials from the collective which proposes a fresh approach to unravelling the collective’s story.
The current membership, which consist of founding members, ad-hoc members, and a new group of artists, revisit the collective’s timeline in order to retrace, deconstruct, and reconsider its narrative. Through retrieving archival materials of the collective and reiterating its past events, The Artists Village explores new implications of care and collectivism, and opens up new modes of collaboration and presentation both in the virtual and the real.
Time, Sites, and Nodes was curated by Koh Nguang How, Veronyka Lau, Yen Phang, Woon Tien Wei, Eve Tan and Bridget Tay.
In Conversation with The Artists Village:
Collectivity, Solidarity, and Networks
與藝術村對談：集體、凝聚、網絡
24 November 2023
The pioneering Singaporean art group The Artists Village dives into their three-decade-long collective practices in Singapore and beyond. Founded in 1988 with Amanda Heng, Koh Nguang How, Lee Wen, and Tang Da Wu as the early members, The Artists Village is known for its in-depth engagement with sociohistorical changes in the late 1980s and 1990s, playing a critical role in introducing performance and installation art in the region.
Members Koh Nguang How and Bridget Tay share their experiences of working in an art collective that spans across generations and unpack the ideas of connection and exchanged dynamics among individuals. This program complements the Special Highlight The Artists Village: Time, Sites, and Nodes, a guest-curated screening programme at M+ Mediatheque, currently on view till 31 December 2023.
The talk was moderated by M+ Assistant Curator Ariadne Long and Curatorial Assistant Christine Lee.
The Artists Village Singapore (TAV) 