This is an initiative led by STPI – Creative Workshop and Gallery, supported by the National Arts Council, it’s also the anchor event of the Singapore Art Week. This third edition has both physical and online showcase with two offerings, S.E.A. Focus Digital and S.E.A. Focus Curated. A new integrated experience for local and international audiences to encounter and deepen their appreciation of Southeast Asian art. 

Project director of S.E.A. Focus and executive director of STPI Emi Eu says: “In such a critical time, I am truly grateful that we have been able to organise the third edition of S.E.A. Focus in this meaningful hybrid format. The knowledge that audiences, artists and other stakeholders on a global level are able to experience and appreciate the digital and in-person offerings brings me great joy and encouragement. This dynamic showcase would not have been possible without the collaborative spirit of the participating galleries and artists, as well as the dedication and commitment of my team; I owe a great debt of gratitude to them. We will continue to work hard on realising the project in its entirety.”

For those in Singapore, you can visit S.E.A. Focus 2021 for an in-person contemporary art experiences including hyper-horizon, the physical exhibition of the S.E.A. Focus Curated. It’s held at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, there is curated selection of artworks as a seamless exhibition experience unlike the typical art fair presentation with segregated booths.

During the media preview, we had a short tour of some of the curated contemporary artworks on display, the stories behind the artists’ works, meanings and thoughts behind it. Although I wasn’t able to throughly view, absorb and learnt more about each artists’ artworks, there were some that caught my attention, trigged and provoked my thoughts on various issues and matters. 

Last year 2020 had been a very difficult time for the whole world as we were battling (and we are still continuing the battle against it this year 2021) the global pandemic. Not only were our livelihoods affected, our mental and emotional well-being were also affected. Even though not many of us are artistically talented in painting, sculpting etc, we can connect with the arts through our eyes, heart, mind and soul, whether it is in its contemporary art or traditional form. 

If you are in living and based in Singapore, I would encourage you to visit S.E.A. Focus 2021 at Tanjong Pagar Distripark and immerse yourself into the world of contemporary art by talented artists from Southeast Asia. 

Allow the contemporary artworks masterpieces to engage you in person when you are viewing them, through thoughts and conversation on arts, history, heritage, culture and society issues.

Let art takes over, immerse yourself and engage with the contemporary arts scene at S.E.A. Focus 2021. 

For more information and details on S.E.A Focus 2021, please visit their website and social media pages below:

Dates: 22nd January 2021 to 31st January 2021

Opening hours: 1pm to 8pm

Website: https://seafocus.sg/ 

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

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

YouTube: S.E.A. Focus

Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/sea-focus 

The post S.E.A. Focus 2021 appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

S.E.A. Focus 2021 has twinned offerings being presented for the first time – S.E.A. Focus Curated and S.E.A. Focus Digital.

S.E.A. Focus Curated

This would be an immersive, physical showcase taking place in Tanjong Pagar Distripark, where works of art from participating galleries are presented in a space designed by architect Randy Chan of Zarch Collaboratives. The show, titled hyper–horizon, is a response to the waves of change and possibility seizing Southeast Asia as it seeks to spur urgent focus on the place and vitality of art in testing times. The showcase can also be experienced virtually through the S.E.A. Focus website, seafocus.sg.

S.E.A. Focus Digital

This would be an online platform staged exclusively with Artsy, leading online fine art marketplace and Main Online Partner of S.E.A. Focus 2021.

S.E.A. Focus 2021 will feature leading Singapore and international art galleries, including A+ Works of Art (Kuala Lumpur) and Gallery Side 2 (Tokyo), which will be taking part for the first time. The returning galleries include: Art Porters (Singapore); Art Seasons (Singapore); CUC Gallery (Hanoi); FOST Gallery (Singapore); Gajah Gallery (Singapore, Yogyakarta); Mizuma Gallery (New York, Singapore, Tokyo); Nova Contemporary (Bangkok); Richard Koh Fine Art (Kuala Lumpur, Singapore); ROH Projects (Jakarta); Silverlens Galleries (Manila); Sullivan+Strumpf (Singapore, Sydney), The Columns Gallery (Seoul); The Drawing Room (Manila); Wei Ling Gallery (Kuala Lumpur) and Yavuz Gallery (Singapore, Sydney).

Project director of S.E.A. Focus and executive director of STPI Emi Eu says: “Pulling off a major showcase of contemporary art in these unprecedented times is challenging, but with the support of the art community in Southeast Asia, we are thrilled to be able to launch a new edition of S.E.A. Focus that pushes boundaries. The integrated onsite and online art experience allows S.E.A. Focus to become a global meeting place where collectors, artists, galleries and the public can engage with one another. We look forward to welcoming visitors, online and in-person, to S.E.A. Focus 2021, and celebrating the best of contemporary art in Southeast Asia with them.”

S.E.A. Focus Curated and S.E.A. Focus Digital will also be complemented by an engaging line-up of VIP programmes, public talks, and a series of panel discussions that will be made available online for audiences from all over the world to attend and access.

Information and details on S.E.A. Focus 2021

S.E.A. Focus Curated

Date: 20th to 31st January 2021

20th and 21st January 2021 (VIP Preview)

22nd to 31st January 2021 (Open to all)

Venue: #01-55, 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065

S.E.A. Focus Digital

Date: From 20th January 2021

For more information and details on S.E.A. Focus 2021, please visit the following links below:

Website: https://seafocus.sg

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

YouTube: S.E.A Focus

For arts and contemporary arts lovers in Singapore, do share this event information with your fellow arts and creatives friends! Pay-It-Forward and Pass-It-On! Sharing is Caring!

* Information and pictures courtesy of S.E.A Focus and Ogilvy *

The post Coming soon! S.E.A. Focus 2021 in January 2021! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

How did this name “Proposals for Novel Ways of Being” come about?

Go back a few months back in time, do you remember the initial name of the global pandemic that is now universally known/classified as COVID-19? Proposals for Novel Ways of Being bears reference to the earlier name of the virus “2019 Novel Coronavirus”, a sombre yet hopeful reminder that this COVID-19 is not the world’s first global pandemic or the first crisis the world has encountered, nor will be it be the last. This would be a reminder for the human race, the society, to seek, adapt and adopt new ways of being.

National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum have come together to launch a new local initiative of unprecedented scale and scope, a project that see museums joining forces with 10 other local art institutions and independent art spaces and collectives to present a series of exhibitions and programmes, in both physical and online environments, featuring the works of over 170 local artists and cultural workers. Presenting “Proposals for Novel Ways of Being”, a united response by the visual arts community to the changes brought by the global pandemic COVID-19, a wide range of art experiences exploring new ways of living in a world forced to change by this pandemic and imagining new possibilities for the future.

Elaborating on the compelling reasons behind the development of the Proposals for Novel Ways of Being initiative, Dr Eugene Tan, Director, National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum says, “As we grapple with the “new normal”, we consider how art can respond to the global pandemic and propose new possibilities for our changed world, as well as how it can inspire hope in these times. As national art institutions, we ask ourselves how we can show solidarity with the local network of independent art spaces, institutions and collectives to engage and support members of the art community, and how we can highlight the role that art can play in times of crises such as the current pandemic.”

The Programme Partners of Proposals for Novel Ways of Being include seven institutions: ADM Gallery, NTU School of Art, Design and Media; LASALLE’s Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore; National Gallery Singapore; National Museum of Singapore; NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore); Singapore Art Museum; STPI, and five independent art spaces and collectives: Coda Culture; Grey Projects; INTER-MISSION; soft/WALL/studs; and The Substation.

To support the wider network of art professionals and practitioners, Programme Partners have invited independent guest curators to each propose projects that involve up to 15 artists based in Singapore. The projects presented can include new commissions or existing works, and may take the form of physical or digital exhibitions, and include programmes such as talks, performances and community engagement events.

Audiences can look forward to

• Coda Culture’s exhibition, which brings together artists who produce works using found objects;
• National Gallery Singapore’s range of works by a diverse group of emerging contemporary artists, which embody poetic contemplation;
• National Museum of Singapore’s series of digital works created in collaboration with artists and creatives, which respond to the pandemic;
• NTU CCA Singapore’s showcase of experimental works by artists who engage with sound, bodily movements and performances;
• Singapore Art Museum’s presentation of contemporary artworks that reflect on the passage of time and various acts of care-taking; and
• soft/WALL/studs’ suite of interconnected activities and projects that navigate the themes of (dis)repair, maintenance, and cultivation by artists and curators, presented on digital platforms and at their physical site.

For more information on Proposals for Novel Ways of Being, please visit novelwaysofbring.sg and keep a lookout for the various exhibitions and programmes taking place soon between August 2020 and February 202.

As a fellow creative in the photography circle, I am able to relate the situation that other arts and creative industry folks are going through. Let’s give them the support and encouragement during this difficult time arising from the global pandemic situation.

We are all in this together as a nation. The journey ahead is still going to be more turbulent and choppy. Let’s all be #SGUnited together facing this global crisis and overcome it!

* Information and picture courtesy of National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum and Ogilvy Singapore *

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