This November, The National Gallery and ArtScience Museum Singapore are collaborating on the presentation of the first exhibition of Minimalism in Southeast Asia. Initiated by the National Gallery Singapore and spread across both museums, the history and legacy of this groundbreaking movement is explored through more than 130 extraordinary works of art — many being shown in Singapore for the first time.
ArtScience Museum’s thematic exhibition traces the roots of Minimalism back to the 2000 year old texts that formed the basis for Hinduism and Buddhism, and the Zen Buddhist practices of a Japanese scholar who taught many of those now associated with Minimalism. Alongside the work of influential artists such as Mona Hatoum (Lebanon/UK, 1952); Carmen Herrera (Cuba-USA, 1915) and Richard Long (UK, 1945), ArtScience Museum’s exhibition references Minimalism as seen in Chinese Maximalism, contemporary abstraction and conceptualism through the work of Asian artists such as Song Dong (China, 1966); Tan Ping (China, 1960) and Charwai Tsai (Vietnam/France/Taiwan, 1980) amongst others.
ArtScience Museum’s exhibition also includes works that meditate on notions of the Void and ‘nothingness’ – principles that resonate with both Minimalism and science as seen in the work of art-scientist Frederik De Wilde (Belgium, 1975). The importance of minimalist sound and experimental composition is reflected in a dedicated Sound Room as well as in a newly commissioned soundwork by Singaporean artist Jeremy Sharma (Singapore, 1977).
National Gallery Singapore’s exhibition explores the development of Minimal art from the 1950s to the present day, tracing its shift from painting to sculpture, to installations and immersive environments. It features work by some of the most significant artists of the past 70 years, including Mark Rothko (USA, 1903-1970), Donald Judd (USA, 1928-1994); Yayoi Kusama (Japan, 1929); Charlotte Posenenske (Germany, 1930-1985); Lee Ufan (Korea/Japan, 1936); Olafur Eliasson (Denmark/Iceland, 1967); Anish Kapoor (India/UK, 1954); Ai Weiwei (China, 1957); as well as Singaporean artists Kim Lim (1963-1997) and Tang Da Wu (1943).
Throughout the duration of the exhibition, both venues will host music, film and dance events, showcasing the impact Minimalism has had on many other art forms.
Curator: Adrian George
Gallery Artists: Tan Ping, Zhang Yu, Wang Jian
Exhibition Date: 2018.11.16 - 2019.04.14
Venue: ArtScience Museum, The National Gallery, Singapore
More Information info: https://zh.marinabaysands.com/museum/minimalism.html
