Arts Picks: Hor Kwok Kin’s photography, The Culture Story’s Second Sex, Epigram’s closing events
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Photographer Hor Kwok Kin's Burning Seashells (1963, Gelatin Silver Print) is on show at artcommune gallery.
PHOTO: HOR KWOK KIN
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The Gaze Of Time: Photographs By Hor Kwok Kin
Malaysia-born photographer Hor Kwok Kin’s second solo show is a trip back in time.
The 85-year-old was a chef by trade, but photography was a passion he pursued even as he ran a zi char stall. Unable to afford proper processing facilities, he converted a toilet into a darkroom and concocted his own formula to develop his film negatives.
Like fellow blue-collar contemporary Lui Hock Seng, Hor shows a keen eye for the shadow play and classical compositions that turn a mundane scene into a light painting.
Burning Seashells (1963), with a worker hauling a basket framed by an attap roof, presents a romanticised view of labour; while the dramatic vertical composition of Peninsula Plaza (1960s) centred on a construction crane captures a city’s rapid urbanisation.
His attention to quotidian detail recalls Singaporean painters’ similar focus on everyday life. Orange Selection (1960), with its samfoo-clad aunties picking through oranges at a roadside stall, could be a Chua Mia Tee painting with its saturated shades.
A small section of nature photography is a change of pace, but it is Hor’s documentation of Singapore’s changing landscape that offers the most rewarding viewing experiences.
Where: artcommune gallery, 01-01 Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road www.artcommune.com.sg
MRT: Bugis
When: Till Dec 18, noon to 7pm daily
Admission: Free
Info:
The Second Sex
Lee Bul’s Perdu CLXXXI is one of the works on show at The Culture Story.
PHOTO: THE CULTURE STORY
Named for the landmark 1949 book by French feminist Simone de Beauvoir, this exhibition brings together more than 20 works by 16 Asian female artists. They range in age from 23 to almost 90, and include well-known names such as South Korea’s Lee Bul and Singapore’s Han Sai Por, as well as younger faces like Hong Kong’s Angela Yuen.
De Beauvoir’s contention that women are undervalued still holds currency in today’s art world, where the most famous, and therefore expensive, names are male.
The diversity of the works in this show, curated from the collection of art gallery The Culture Story co-founders Chong Huai Seng and Ning Chong, demonstrates the scope and vibrancy of women artists’ practice.
Seeing artworks in conversation is always an intriguing process, and Mr Chong will be giving a guided tour on Dec 14 at 2.30pm, so visitors can get the collector’s perspective too.
Where: The Culture Story, 03-06, 2 Leng Kee Road theculturestory.co
MRT: Redhill
When: Dec 14 to May 30, visits by appointment only; Jan 17 to 26, 11am to 5pm daily except Sundays
Admission: Free
Info:
Epigram Coffee Bookshop @ SAM
The Epigram Coffee Bookshop at the Singapore Art Museum in a June 2023 photo.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
Home-grown publisher Epigram Books’ outlet at Tanjong Pagar Distripark is closing on Jan 26, but there are still things happening at the space.
Authors Ritu G. Mehrish and Nimisha Tailor will be in dialogue on Dec 14 at 2pm, discussing Breaking The Barriers: Women Leading The Future. This book talk is free with registration at str.sg/tM8T
The bookshop, the only one in Singapore to specialise solely in SingLit titles, is also holding a closing sale. This is the perfect opportunity to support home-grown authors by picking up some books for Christmas.
Epigram’s titles are being offered at a 30 per cent discount, while other titles have a 10 per cent discount. The sale is on till Dec 22.
Where: Singapore Art Museum, 01-02 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road str.sg/6w79s
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
When: 11am to 6.30pm daily
Admission: Free
Info:
