Tension by House of VSE

The key themes of “Tension”, “Expose”, “Pull”, and “Skin Deep”, what comes to your mind? From a personal daily perspective, work or artistic perspective, what does each word means to you? A truly amazing art experience and exhibition that is at the highest level of international Biennale arts standard, invoking an inner spirit inside us, challenging our human perception, and connections, with life, living, society, culture, arts and many other areas.

On a personal. professional and creative (as a photographer, visual storyteller, writer myself) note, I had a (almost personalised) very immersive, interactive, experimental hands on experience with the “artworks” and in-depth chats with the artists Wei and Karolina, as well as with Gary. 

“Tension” and “Expose”

My first phase of my experiences were getting to know about “Tension”, something that I am facing in multiple facades across various front, from personal, to the running of my photography business, as a creative in a judgemental, digital/social media world, against people who judge me and like to tell me what to do/what I must do, and many more. 

Have I “Expose” myself to my own vulnerabilities that I faced from my exposure to other people, society, from my own personal and professional challenges to improve and breakthrough my limitations, capabilities and boundaries? Where can I go from here? How can I move on to the next few levels while facing the onslaught of “Tension” from the outside world?

Beginning of Something Experiential? 

While I was immersing myself, exploring into the various arts experiences, I slowly returned back to the real world. It’s not over yet, this is just the beginning of something experiential (and maybe something more of an artistic/creative enlightenment), I would explore further and deeper into the key themes of “Tension”, “Expose”, “Pull”, and “Skin deep”, sharing more in-depth thoughts, feelings and emotions from myself, as well as getting artists Wei and Karolina thoughts and views on those key themes, in an upcoming article sometime down the road.

Tension is brought to you by House of VSE (@houseofvse), featuring artists Wei (@weidoesntmatter) and Karolina (@karolinaprom). If you like to experience this immersive, thought provoking, mind opening and interactive artistic world of Tension by House of VSE, please reach out to them!

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R6 Mark II Explorer Series Production * 

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Who is Very Small Exhibition?

Artist Wei, the creative mind and soul behind Very Small Exhibition. You might have seen, heard or interacted with his colourful pop-up artworks display. My first experience with Very Small Exhibition was the Malay Heritage Centre x Very Small Exhibition supporting World Mental Health Day in 2021, followed by Bring LOVE Everywhere in Singapore at East Coast Park, the prelude to his huge personal project bringing LOVE around Singapore. 

As I continued to follow and document Very Small Exhibition through their Bring LOVE Everywhere in Singapore, I began a new artistic visual storytelling journey. If you to know more in detail on this, this story “How I Met/Follow/Support Very Small Exhibition & Bring LOVE Everywhere” would reveal more. 

Oh yes, you might have heard of this pretty recent viral contemporary arts exhibition that they worked and collaborated with Japanese artist Yui Ozaki, where they explored and discovered your inner “Chin-Chin” world.

Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition

“Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition” is a new series of public space art exhibition by Artist Wei from Very Small Exhibition. They are going around Singapore at different neighbourhoods, collaborating with different artists at the respective neighbourhoods that they lived in. This is a pop-up artworks exhibition, just one night only each time. 

Just one night only, just a few hours, catch it if you can! With this “Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition”, it marks the start of another creative arts visual storytelling journey for me, I just hope that I am able to document and photograph all (if not most of them) of this ongoing Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition series artistic journeys by Very Small Exhibition. 

Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition 1

Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition 1 took place in the Mountbatten heartlands, at a small alley walkway in a private residential estate. A series of different coloured illuminated stones placed together in a wavy form, lighted up by the light emitting umbrellas, formed by artist Wei vision and feel. 

When you view the wavy colourful artworks, what could be story behind it? What does it mean to you? How does the various colours and artworks join from one to the other? Is it therapeutic for you to feel and connect with, by placing yourselves in between the two artworks and connect them together with you?

Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition 2

Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition 2 took place in the Simei HDB heartlands, with artist Joanne Lim from Joanne Lim Studio collaborating with artist Wei. 

The light emitting umbrellas came into play again, lighting up the drawings with chalk on the floor. This is Arts in Your Neighbourhood, it’s fun, interactive, letting people (from young and old) unleash their creativity and artistic talent in drawing with chalk. For some of us, it’s back to school days, for a younger generation, this might be the first time playing with chalk. 

Drawing and painting, whether with chalk, not only is it fun for the children, it’s also fun for the adults, that we saw when we were there. Arts can be a form of therapy, something that we might need it more than we ever know, in our stressful and pressure cooker living environment, swarmed by digital media and social media sharing.

It was more than just fun drawing, we met new people, make new friends, chatting and sharing a common interest in interactive arts and craft.

Since I am pretty bad at drawing, I will use my photography and visual storytelling talents instead, to bring out my creative arts visuals stories to the world. 

Is Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition coming to my neighbourhood?

That’s a very good question! I don’t have an answer to this question, I am just as curious as you, on when and where would Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition is going to visit, and is there any artist that is going to collaborate with Very Small Exhibition? 

Do remember to follow Very Small Exhibition on Instagram and Facebook Page, for their updates, where they are going to pop up with their bright, colourful and interactive artworks. 

Collaborate with Very Small Exhibition in my neighbourhood?

Should I collaborate with Very Small Exhibition as a collaborating artist, combining my photography + light painting with artist Wei’s bright and colourful artworks?

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R6 Mark II Explorer Series Production *

The post Your Artist Neighbour Exhibition by Very Small Exhibition appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Who is Yui Ozaki? 

Yui Ozaki is a Prague-based Japanese artist, her artworks express her playful and curious personality.

Yui-san loves to explore gender, sexuality and comedy through her artworks and in the form of various mediums. Her colourful visual artworks contain and deliver hidden meanings, allowing her to express her artistic vision and challenging the societal norms in the world of art. 

Yui-san uses her superpower humour to raise awareness about gender stereotypes, breaking down barriers to create a timeless and uninhibited connection with her audience of all ages. Her artworks serve as a form of commentary on the taboos that we see and feel in society today. She hopes to inspire people through her artworks to let it go, the inhibitions holding them back and embracing the inner creativity, inner playfulness, bringing out the fun and joy trapped inside them.

Through her contemporary and colourful artworks, she strives to spark meaningful conversations with her audience, encouraging viewers to question the status quo. 

Explore, Interact, Discover and Engage with Your Inner “Chin-Chin” World

The world we live in, the human race and we human beings have our own set of stereotypes, thinking, biases and mentality, from gender, culture to societal. How much do we know ourselves the biases that we have inside our heart, mind and soul without us really knowing or understanding the meanings behind it?

Through the contemporary art medium platform, this is the time for you to explore. We can learn and unlearn about our stereotypes, thinking and biases. Probably in everyone of us, we all have our own inner “Chin-Chin” world, that we may not have known or realised. Would you like to explore, interact and discover your inner “Chin-Chin” world? Once done, how would you like to engage with your inner “Chin-Chin” world?

Touch the cute piece of artwork hanging in the gallery, unzip it and discover for yourself, what is the message for you inside that artwork? 

When you enter into 7879 Gallery and Clayworks, you can’t miss this tall and big colourful rainbow artwork on the right side of the entrance. This is a hallmark of artist Wei from Very Small Exhibition, whose Bring LOVE Everywhere artwork attracted heartwarming support and fanfare (Check out my story on how I met/follow/support Very Small Exhibition and Bring LOVE Everywhere). 

Artists Yui and Wei combined their artistic talents and strengths together, to produce this iconic artwork symbol, bright, colourful, friendly and huggable. 

While you are reading the write-ups on the various contemporary artworks on display, I would like you to engage and interact with them. What are some of the societal thinking, biases, mentality and challenges in relation to gender and its stereotypes? 

How do you feel about the issues, the stereotypes and biases that are entrenched inside us? How can we take the steps to change for the better of ourselves, the society and the world?

Breaking through our own biases and stereotypes

Whether you are viewing Chin-Chin ちんちん – Yui Ozaki 2023 Art Exhibition in person at the gallery, or on social media platforms, when you are viewing the artworks for the very first time, there will be something that comes into your mind immediately, you know it yourself and I would let you decide for yourself how you want to describe your thoughts and experiences. 

We all have our own stereotypes and biases entrenched deeply inside us. We need to break through our own biases and stereotypes. Therefore when you are viewing Yui-san thought provoking artworks, tell yourself to put aside those stereotypes and biases inside you, approach the artworks deeper and further into the stories behind them, understanding and discovering the issues that the society is still facing today.

From gender issues, inequality and challenges, societal expectations on arts, work, how we live, the world might have changed and transformed over the centuries. The world is still far from perfect, each one of us still can play our part to be the change, to make the change, break the barriers, stereotypes, biases and mentality.

In a modern digital world swamped with internet and social media consumption, arts and culture could be one of our key elements that the world needs as we navigate into a new future.

I met Artist Yui Ozaki!

I met artist Yui-san at the official opening event, she was very friendly, more than willing to share about her stories, thoughts, feelings and experiences on what goes on behind her various artworks on display. 

Thanks to Wei and Gary from House of VSE, it was a great experience chatting with creative artists from other creative genres across from my photography and visual storytelling.

Personally, I appreciate exchanges with artists from other creative disciplines, as maybe some day, I might be inspired to embark on my own cross/inter-disciplinary artwork production along with my photography and visual storytelling.

Chin-Chin ちんちん – Yui Ozaki 2023 ART EXHIBITION

Exhibition Details

• Dates: 7th April to 2nd May 2023
• Hours: 1pm to 8pm (Closed on Mondays)
• Venue: 105 Desker Road #01-01

“Chin-Chin” is brought to you by House of VSE and 7879 Gallery and Clayworks. Yui Ozaki is represented by House of VSE, if you have any enquiries, please contact House of VSE.

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R50 Explorer Series Production *

The post Explore and Discover Your Inner “Chin-Chin” World appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Just like this Rainbow illumiNation by Very Small Exhibition celebrating one year of Very Momentary Exhibition at Paya Lebar Quarter. Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel, the rainbow arch waiting for us as we move towards it?

It was comforting and encouraging, I reckon many of us shed tears of joy as we can start to embark on the next steps to further opening up Singapore. You can read on ChannelNewsAsia, in full: PM Lee’s address on Singapore’s new phase towards living with COVID-19. At an appropriate time, I might just reflect and recollect my personal, emotional, mental, struggles in both personal and business, and along with my visual story telling together in another article, over this past 2+ years of living, struggling, surviving, learning and growing from this global pandemic. 

We can finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel, it’s a huge step even, we are not totally out of the woods yet. Many of us would be looking forward to travel out out of Singapore for a break in other countries, we have been cooped up too long on our small island country. 

I don’t wish to make any travel plans or commitments at this stage, I am coming up with some travel plans in mind, maybe a short trip (3D2N or 4D3N) in Q2 or Q3 2022, a long (1-2 weeks) trip during Q3 or Q4 2022.

Would I be able to get my travel photography and writing commissioned works? Or travel media trips? I am keeping my fingers crossed. 

I am just like this Grey Heron perched on the Old Jurong Railway Bridge, eagerly looking up and getting ready to fly away, traveling and exploring in other parts of the world again. 

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R3 Explorer Series Production *

The post 24th March 2022 – Start to see light at the end of the tunnel appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Well well, how did I started following and supporting Very Small Exhibition? My first encounter  with them was at Malay Heritage Centre in October 2021 – Malay Heritage Centre x Very Small Exhibition support World Mental Health Day, thereafter I began my adventure following and supporting Very Small Exhibition.

If you would like to know more about my journey with Very Small Exhibition, I wrote it down my story here on “How I Met/Follow/Support Very Small Exhibition & Bring LOVE Everywhere”. 

From 1st to 31st March 2022, come on down to Paya Lebar Quarter and check out Very Small Exhibition new exhibition and a 4m long wall collage of Instagram photos celebrating 1 year of Very Momentary Exhibition.

Paya Lebar Quarter x Very Small Exhibition 

Rainbow illumiNation – Celebrating 1 year of Very Momentary Exhibition 

Dates: 1st to 31st March 2022

Location: PLQ Parkside (new exhibition) and PLQ Mall Level 2 (4m long wall collage of Instagram photos)

With friends Belinda and CK, we went down on the exhibition’s opening day, continuing our support for artist Wei and Very Small Exhibition light art installations transformation of public spaces into rainbow spectrum, and finally taking a group photo with artist Wei! Thereafter, we explored the new exhibition at PLQ Parkside, doing light painting long exposure photography with the Very Momentary Exhibition rainbow illumination artworks, with me doing most of the light painting artworks action while Belinda and CK took photos on their cameras.   

Congratulations to artist Wei of Very Small Exhibition on this milestone, celebrating 1 year of Very Momentary Exhibition! Thank you for featuring some of my photos of Very Small Exhibition and Bring LOVE Everywhere on your 4m long wall photos collage! It’s been my honour, a pleasure, to see my photographs printed and be a part of this photo collage, a part of the 1st year of Very Momentary Exhibition.

May Very Small Exhibition continues to bring bright, colourful rainbow illumination, light art installations, spreading joy, love and a beacon of light for the whole world!

 *** A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R3 Explorer Series Production ***

The post Rainbow illumiNation – Celebrating 1 year of Very Momentary Exhibition appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Malay Heritage Centre x Very Small Exhibition support World Mental Health Day

My maiden encounter with Very Small Exhibition was at Malay Heritage Centre in October 2021 – Malay Heritage Centre x Very Small Exhibition support World Mental Health Day. 

The topic on mental health is an area that I am concerned about, having been through some difficult times placing a strain on my mental and emotional health.

Bring LOVE Everywhere by Very Small Exhibition

This was the trial run done by artist Wei in November 2021, to Bring LOVE Everywhere by Very Small Exhibition around Singapore at a later date in January 2022. I was literally and physically chasing “Love” at East Coast Park, had a great time doing light painting with the LOVE artwork. 

Very Momentary Exhibition 2.9 @ 312A Clementi Avenue 4

There have been a number of Very Momentary Exhibitions produced by artist Wei prior to this edition 2.9. This took place in my neighbourhood Clementi, my first Very Momentary Exhibition, starting from the 40th floor, walking downwards. 

When you looked across from adjacent blocks or from afar, the whole 40 staircase column that was brightly lighted up with rainbow illumination artwork, it sure looked amazing!

Bring LOVE Everywhere in Singapore 

Very Small Exhibition announced in December 2021 that they were going to Bring LOVE Everywhere in Singapore in January 2022. I published and shared about their big project over 6 nights.

After looking at their route map and plans, I decided to drop by and support them when they reached my neighbourhood. 

On the 5th Night (27th January 2022), they started off from Clementi (Firefly Park) in the evening. I decided to drop by and support, had a chat with artist Wei, accompanying them on a short walk with bringing LOVE to Singapore Polytechnic before I said goodbye to them!

On the 6th Night (28th January 2022), I went down to Merlion Park where the LOVE artwork would be at. I was there for the Very Momentary Exhibition @ Merlion Park! The Merlion Park and Jubilee Bridge were illuminated with rainbow colours. It looked really amazing and it was definitely very memorable. 

Two nights of Bring LOVE Everywhere in Singapore, it was a great experience to participate in short segments of its entire big adventure.

Very Small Exhibition x Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

The most recent one was in February 2022 – Very Small Exhibition x Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel present River of Life. The facade of Grand Copthorne Waterfront facing the Singapore River was lighted up, the changing rainbow light illuminations flowing into a River of Life. 

Supporting Local Artists

In my earlier articles that I published, Round up Jan 2022 and my Yearly Theme 2022 (Photography and Travel), I mentioned about doing personal projects, helping out, supporting and working with fellow local artists from other creative fields in this Year 2022. 

I would try my best, supporting, giving them a shout out, helping out, collaborating and partnering in whatever ways possible. 

Since I met Very Small Exhibition in October 2021, I started following, supporting them, as well as “chasing” Bring LOVE Everywhere on that memorable nights at East Coast Park, Clementi and Merlion Park.

I haven’t fully sit down to curate and share more photographs of Very Small Exhibition and Bring LOVE Everywhere into an album on Flickr. I am planning to do it, sometime down the road. Do keep a lookout!

Do support local artists and creatives in Singapore if you can! Follow Very Small Exhibition and Bring LOVE Everywhere on their social media platforms!

Very Small Exhibition

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verysmallexhibition/ 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/verysmallexhibition 

Bring LOVE Everywhere

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bringloveeverywhere/ 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bringloveeverywhere 

Website: http://www.bringloveeverywhere.com/ 

The rainbow illumination light artwork installations and Bring LOVE Everywhere don’t just mesmerise me visually, the theme of spreading love resonates a deep chord inside me, spreading light, love and compassion to people around us, especially in such trying and difficult times over the past two years (and still counting) due to the ongoing global pandemic. 

Let’s spread more bright colourful lights to shine and light up the journeys that we are embarking on, let’s also spread more love and compassion to those around us, Pay-It-Forward and Pass-It-On, making a difference and impact to people around us.

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