Photos taken on the Nikon DF, 35mm lens
Lets talk about how amazing this is for a minute. Just one hot minute, okay? I was burning two hours, bumming around town with the boyfriend, while waiting to catch Birdman – which is, by the way, HANDS DOWN the best movie of the year even though it’s only January. Seriously, watch it. Anyway, we were looking for a place to have coffee and ended up chancing upon this amazing art exhibition in Scotts Square, and I was completely blown away.
K+, a pop up space on the top floor of Scotts Square, puts on different exhibitions featuring various artists and photographers. We walked in on their first exhibition – running till 15th Feb, this series of hyperrealistic art pieces by Singaporean artist Keng Lye. It seems like all just pretty sculptures until you realise they’re all made of freaking resin. Layers and layers of resin painstakingly piled on to create incredibly realistic scenes of marine life, displaced or otherwise.
I was just so.. flabbergasted. I searched my internal thesaurus for a fitting adjective and I came up blank. We have so much talent right here in Singapore and I am just so ashamed that I have never heard of this Keng Lye man before. Maybe I’m just not connected enough with the local art scene, but boy oh boy am I glad we stumbled upon this exhibition. It’s free, and runs all the way till 15th Feb, after which K+ is bringing in other artists / photographers / etcetera. Definitely drop by if you’re in the area, which come on buddy, you will be. It’s smack in the middle of town.
K+
#03-14/15 Scotts Square
6 Scotts R.d
Singapore, 228209
Of course I abused the exhibition space to shoot a couple of outfit shots. I mean, look at all that white space and natural light. It was begging to be used and abused.
I remember complaining years back while visiting New York that we just didn’t have that kind of access to art in Singapore, that art was either too high falutin for the public to be interested or came at a premium people didn’t want to pay for. I mean, what are our options, really? A weekend at the opera? Catching a musical? Paying to catch a traveling exhibition? That stuff is expensive, and it’s not normal fare for the everyday man. And lets face it – unless you were already into art, either by virtue of your academic field or via an inherited passion, most people just aren’t that interested. They’d rather catch the latest Marvel movie at a fraction of the price.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: it’s wonderful that art has become so accessible and consumable, at least locally. Whether due to my increasing contact with these events or an actual rise in accessibility and interest, it does feel as though it’s a lot easier to reach out and grasp culture now than it was say five years ago. And that’s something we should all appreciate, if not revel in.
K+ is right next to Wild Honey, Scotts Square, for your reference. So you really can just have an afternoon of overpriced brunch and free art. There’s a disconnect somewhere there but if it means more exposure for art in Singapore, then I’m not complaining.
Already looking forward to the next exhibition, and also, a rewatching of Birdman, hopefully sooner than later.
X
♥jem