Imaginarium: To the Ends of the Earth

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What marvels do the earth hold? How have humans, animals and plants adapted to their habitats? Discover new ways of seeing and experiencing the wonderful world around us, as we journey to the ends of the earth through the eyes of nine artists.

Lie of the Land (2017) by Bounpaul PhothyzanSingapore Art Museum

Bounpaul Phothyzan | Lie of the Land (2017)

It may surprise you to know that these smooth, metal, torpedo-shaped planters are the shells of bombs! They were extracted from the land in different locations all over Laos, where thousands of undetonated bombs, left over from the war, still dot the country. This makes farming – an important trade for the nation – very dangerous and almost impossible. 

Lie of the Land (2017) by Bounpaul PhothyzanSingapore Art Museum

Artist Bounpaul Phothyzan transforms these weapons of destruction into planters filled with ferns, making a powerful statement about the resilience of the human spirit and one’s ability to innovate in the face of obstacles.

Lizard Tail (2016/2017) by Hiromi TangoSingapore Art Museum

Hiromi Tango | Lizard Tail (2016, 2017)

Have you ever seen a lizard lose its tail? Some lizards are known to drop their tails when in danger to distract their predators while they make their escape. Lizards are tough and adaptable creatures, and they can always grow back their tails later. Wouldn’t it be helpful if we could also heal ourselves after emerging from challenging situations?

Lizard Tail by Hiromi TangoSingapore Art Museum

'Lizard Tail' explores the powerful potential of art-making as an agent for healing, as well as mental and emotional development. Brought to life with performances and art-making workshops.

Nipan Oranniwesna, Another Island, 2017 (1)Singapore Art Museum

Nipan Oranniwesna | Another Island (2017)

Embedded in the floor are 598 photographs of Singapore, each encased in a tiny bubble. Like a constellation of dew drops, these images of our urban landscapes, natural landscapes, and scenes of the everyday are miniscule and almost imperceivable from a distance. 

Another Island (2017) by Nipan OranniwesnaSingapore Art Museum

Beneath these tiny bubbles, whispers emerge from the floorboard – sounds and voices from Singapore that were captured by the artist, like train doors closing or people sharing stories about the land that is their home.

Another Island (2017) by Nipan OranniwesnaSingapore Art Museum

Another Island (2017) by Nipan OranniwesnaSingapore Art Museum

The Origin: The Tree and Me & The Unborn (2017) by Nandita MukandSingapore Art Museum

Nandita Mukand | The Origin: The Tree and Me &
The Unborn (2017)

Trees live extraordinarily long lives; can you imagine the number of stories they would have overheard from people walking beneath them over the years? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could hear the stories they had to share? In this work, the artist contemplates humanity’s place in the urban and natural realms.

 

The Origin: The Tree and Me & The Unborn (2017) by Nandita MukandSingapore Art Museum

Inspired by the old trees along Singapore’s East Coast Park, 'The Tree and Me' – made of newspapers coloured with natural dyes such as henna, turmeric and coffee – stretches out within the space. This ‘tree’, like the old trees of East Coast Park, carries within it the stories of generations.

The Origin: The Tree and Me & The Unborn (2017) by Nandita MukandSingapore Art Museum

Another work, 'The Unborn', envelops the space, and was inspired by the seeds the artist encountered on a walk through the Spanish wilderness in Catalonia. Comprising close to 25,000 seeds and pods primarily from pine and cypress trees, this work is a reminder of the miraculous potential of new life that seeds carry.

In unison, the two works share a story of man’s life in an urbanised environment which remains inevitably intertwined with nature.

My Wonderful Dream (2017) by Eko NugrohoSingapore Art Museum

Eko Nugroho | My Wonderful Dream (2017)

'My Wonderful Dream' imagines lands without borders – where fantastical characters float freely across islands and continents, and where people recognise the similarities rather than differences within each culture. With our yearning for advancement, and with the pressures of rapid change introduced by globalisation and technology, is a harmonious world achievable or is it just a dream?

My Wonderful Dream (2017) by Eko NugrohoSingapore Art Museum

My Wonderful Dream (2017) by Eko NugrohoSingapore Art Museum

My Wonderful Dream (2017) by Eko NugrohoSingapore Art Museum

Wanderland (2017) by Mary Bernadette LeeSingapore Art Museum

Mary Bernadette Lee |  Wanderland (2017)

Be transported into a ‘forest' of interactive hanging flora and floating fauna! Comprising manual levers and shadow play, this immersive artwork evokes vivid memories and imaginings of our experiences with the natural environment – be it a trek through the tropical rainforest or a stroll through a park.

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

Unchalee Anantawat | Floating Mountain (2013, 2017)

Inspired by memories of her dreamscapes, 'Floating Mountain' expresses the artist’s certainty that there are indeed other worlds – be they dream-worlds or universes that humans have yet to explore. Perhaps it is only with the powers of our imagination that we will be able to visit them. 

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

Floating Mountain by Unchalee AnantawatSingapore Art Museum

LICENSE2DRAW (2014/2017) by UuDam Tran NguyenSingapore Art Museum

UuDam Tran Nguyen |  LICENSE2DRAW (2014 – 2017)

This robotic drawing machine is activated via the L2D mobile application, and can be accessed and activated from anywhere in the world – highlighting how our once vast and uncharted world has now become ‘accessible’ with one simple ‘click’. But along with the conveniences of technology comes the responsibility of the individual as well as the collective unit to extend social decorum into the realm of the internet.

LICENSE2DRAW (2014/2017) by UuDam Tran NguyenSingapore Art Museum

'LICENSE2DRAW' creates a sketch with your instructions by dragging marker pens across a sprawling canvas.

UuDam Tran Nguyen, LICENSE2DRAW, 2014 - 2017 (2)Singapore Art Museum

Where am I (2017) by Calvin PangSingapore Art Museum

Calvin Pang |  Where am I (2017)

This minuscule installation encourages close observation and a sense of awareness about our surroundings, piquing our wonderment and curiosity. Sited in oft-overlooked corners of the museum, 'Where am I' is a series of clustered mushrooms painted in vivid colours. This whimsical work attempts to illustrate how surprises come in all shapes and sizes, and can be found even in our most well-trodden routes – and the delight one experiences in making these discoveries.

Where am I (2017) by Calvin PangSingapore Art Museum

Where am I (2017) by Calvin PangSingapore Art Museum

Where am I (2017) by Calvin PangSingapore Art Museum

Credits: Story

LIST OF EXHIBITED ARTWORKS

Bounpaul Phothyzan
'Lie of the Land'
2017
Aluminium, soil, seeds
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Art Museum commission

Hiromi Tango
'Lizard Tail'
2016, 2017
LED lights, textile, wire, photographs, video
Site-specific installation, dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist

Nipan Oranniwesna
'Another Island'
2017
Mixed-media floor installation comprising photographs, epoxy, artist-recorded sounds
900 x 500 cm
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Art Museum commission

Nandita Mukand
'The Origin: The Tree and Me & The Unborn'
2017
Newspaper, vegetables, grass, henna, turmeric, coffee, cypress seeds, pine cones, assorted seeds and pods, wire, fishing line
Site-specific installation, dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist

Eko Nugroho
'My Wonderful Dream'
2017
Wallpaper, fiberglass, paper, plastic, cotton fabric
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist

Mary Bernadette Lee (Mrydette)
'Wanderland'
2017
Cotton textile, applied print illustration on textile, wire, rattan, bell chimes
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Art Museum commission

Unchalee Anantawat
'Floating Mountain'
2013, 2017
Paper mache, wood, fibreglass, resin, yarn, rope, acrylic paints on metal structure
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist

UuDam Tran Nguyen
'LICENSE2DRAW'
2014 – 2017
L2D robot, L2D app, electronics, Arduino software, webcam cameras, IP cameras, canvas, colour pens, Mac laptop
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist

Calvin Pang
'Where Am I'
2017
Dried white beech mushrooms with pigment ink, baking soda
Dimensions variable
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Art Museum commission

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.