SINGAPORE — He may have passed away three decades ago but pop culture icon Andy Warhol is still very much in the public eye.

He is, of course, best remembered for his pop art, such as his rendering of colourful Campbell’s Soup cans or Marilyn Monroe portraits. But his New York studio, dubbed The Factory, was the place to be, and one could always find some of New York’s most colourful characters of the day — including music group The Velvet Underground and model/actress Edie Sedgwick — decamping there.

However, starting this weekend, Singaporeans can catch a glimpse of a lesser-known aspect of the fashionable art icon: As the “forefather” of the present day social media-style images.

“You can call it the first Instagram account, the first selfies before the Internet was even formed,” quipped Ryan Su, who is responsible for putting together the photographic exhibition Andy Warhol: Social Circus at the Gillman Barracks.

Working closely with prolific art curator Khim Ong (best recognised for her work at Art Stage last year), the 27-year-old Singaporean decided to put together and feature the largest collection of Warhol’s Polaroid images to be shown in Asia. Trainee lawyer by day and private art collector by night, Su admitted that he was bitten by the art bug in 2012 when he purchased his first Warhol Polaroid from a London-based art studio, which has since closed.

“This is my first show. It’s a small individual effort, I’m not a museum, but these Polaroids are specially curated. They are the actual pieces, not reproductions,” Su shared as he showed glossy portraits from his own collection and from an overseas source.

Regarded as an essential link and an important aspect of Warhol’s work since his famous pop art silkscreens derived directly from the Polariods, Andy Warhol: Social Circus displays well-preserved portraits of flamboyant personalities such as Bianca Jagger, Diana Vreeland, Andre Leon Talley and Keith Haring, who basked in Warhol’s inner social circle in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. Pretty much like images you might see on the globally popular social media platform, Instagram.

“All these pictures are deliberately styled by Warhol — they are posed and arranged, the strong camera flash whites out skin blemishes — just like Instagram photos today, so it is very relevant to young people. We want visitors to see Warhol’s social connections and think of your own in 30 or 40 years.”

Shifting his treasured collection from the “bullet-proof, missile-proof temperature-and-humidity-managed storage room” at Christie’s Fine Arts Storage Services to Gillman Barracks for this free exhibition wasn’t that easy, but Su expressed earnest dreams about sharing art and its creative process with fellow Singaporeans. He also said he would take the curated show to Hong Kong and Shanghai in March this year.

Guided gallery tours are available and Warhol’s fans can pay homage to the late celebrity artist decked in his iconic fright wig and dark glasses. Art lovers can also enjoy the gems to be found in the library section of this exhibition, along with a recreation of Warhol’s Silver Factory, with its quirky aluminum foil walls as well as the room’s main centerpiece, a close replica of Warhol’s infamous red sofa.

Silkscreen printing on canvas tote bags and Polaroid portrait sittings are also available for free. Selfies can also be taken in The Silver Clouds room, which allows visitors to capture interesting photo moments with small swirling helium-filled Mylar balloons.

It’s a whimsical homage to a time when a gentle soul by the name of Andrew Warhol, with a love for dramatic wigs and mysterious sunglasses, floated a cloud of silver foiled balloons out of his window in a lofty prayer of inspiration and release.

Experience Andy Warhol: Social Circus from Jan 16 to 29 at Gillman Barracks, 47 Malan Road #01-26, 11am to 7pm. Admission is free.