ION Art Gallery, Singapore.
28 Apr - 8 May 2011 

Pipal Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 2 – 12 June 2011

Boo Sze Yang, Chiew Sien Kuan, Hoe Say Yong, April Ng Kiow Ngor, Lim Soo Ngee, Soh Chee Hui, Raymond Yap Poh Thiam

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VISIONS OF LIGHTNESS

Friedrich von Schiller, German poet and philosopher’s prologue to his trilogy of dramas Wallenstein ends with the line, “life is serious, art is
light hearted”.

This inaugural exhibition by Artists Alliance SG in collaboration with Utterly Art LLP (SG) supported by ION Art gallery (SG) and Pipal Fine Art (KL) features works by seven established artists from Singapore and Malaysia whose practice in some way, revealed an instinctive understanding of the notion of lightness, physically, metaphorically and philosophically - including lightness as understood as tone/value, as a property of a colour, or a dimension of a colour space - ultimately the recognition for the need to treat their art AND life seriously in a light manner.  Malaysia and Singapore, two close neighbours in South-east Asia, are both multiracial, multi-religious and multicultural nations. Being culturally diverse, both countries face far greater challenges in nation-building than homogeneous societies. Today, it is clear that we no longer live in the age of binaries - East versus West, tradition versus modernity. Globalisation is also rapidly breaking down our vision of a world with clearly-defined national, cultural and linguistic boundaries. The ever-increasing globalisation of economy and commence also leads to the exportation of the western way of life to both countries and the rest of the world. This further elevates the hurdles in the quest for a national identity (in both countries), leading to cultural marginality, an existence on the periphery of two or more cultures; an existence that is tentative and light.

Lightness is unbearable, if we follow Milan Kundera’s thoughts. Zen Buddhism however, teaches that one ought to become as light as being itself and to be able to rejoice in this lightness. 

Presented by: 
Artists Alliance SG & Utterly Art
Venue providers:
ION Art Gallery, Singapore
PIPAL Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Supporters:
National Arts Council Singapore
Arts Fund Singapore