S’pore art archive project heads to Korea

SINGAPORE — A veritable treasure trove of information on Singapore art has found its way to Korea. Prior to its official opening in November, the National Gallery Singapore is currently presenting artist-archivist Koh Nguang How’s Singapore Art Archive Project, comprising a wealth of materials on the local arts scene, at the Asia Culture Centre (ACC) Library Park in Gwangju.

The exhibition is up to mark the opening of the Library Park this month and will run until February next year.

Koh will also be taking part in a three-month residency at the ACC beginning mid-November, where he is set to focus his research on three Singaporean artists: He will examine the artistic development of The Artists Village founder Tang Da Wu, as well as the archives of Cultural Medallion recipient Chng Seok Tin and pioneer artist Shui Tit Sing.

Koh’s archival project began with newspaper cuttings he had collected from 1980 as a junior collage student. “I was doing art as a subject, so naturally my focus was more on art-related articles. I continue to collect newspaper cuttings to this day,” he said.

For the display at the ACC, he had worked with National Gallery curator Charmaine Toh.

“At National Gallery Singapore, we have used Koh’s important research as a resource in curating our opening exhibitions and it has helped us to contextualise many works in the exhibition, providing new insights into our own collection,” she said.

Koh’s exhibition will not be the only work providing a Singapore presence in a Korean city this month: Visual artist and film-maker Ho Tzu Nyen’s stage production Ten Thousand Tigers, which was first shown at the Esplanade, is also being presented as part of the opening festival of the Asian Arts Theatre event. MAYO MARTIN