Museum treats
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Two different experiences await museumgoers this week as pandemic restrictions ease in Singapore. Instagram magnet Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) opens its first international outlet, while the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) presents a thoughtful new show on gifting. MOIC is all about experiencing the space, while SAM, as a museum that "disappears", spotlights art and artists.
Singapore Art Museum presents The Gift
The German word for gift also means poison.
Dr June Yap, Singapore Art Museum (SAM) director of curatorial, collections and programmes, offers this intriguing tidbit when introducing the museum's new show.
"In culture and custom, gifting is the embodiment of a relationship. It is paradoxical - a gift is not supposed to be economic, but what appears to be generous is also burdensome, vexatious and poisonous," the 48-year-old observes.
The Gift, which opens tomorrow at the National Gallery Singapore's Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery, explores the complexities of gifts in art-making and collecting.
The show is the product of an unusual partnership with three other arts institutions - Galerie Nasional Indonesia, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Thailand and Nationalgalerie - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - which was initiated by the Goethe Institut.
Instead of the institutions contributing works to one exhibition that will travel to various venues, each museum has curated a selection of works from their own, and one another's, collections.
This unusual format might seem pandemic-friendly, reducing the logistics involved in transporting a travelling exhibition, but Dr Yap says the idea began in 2017, "very casually, very informally", with fellow curators from the other institutions.
The showcased works are wide-ranging, investigating a slew of different themes, ranging from Indonesian artist Ahmad Sadali's abstract depiction of mountains in Gunungan Emas (The Golden Mountain) to Singaporean sculptor Tang Da Wu's tribute to famed Thai conservationist Seub Nakhasathien.
There are thought-provoking connections to be teased out from the works, from cultural borrowings by artists to the purpose and histories of state collections. But Dr Yap says visitors should not be intimidated by the perceived difficulties of contemporary art.
"Contemporary artists are here to push aesthetic boundaries. When the audience comes in, just take what you will from it. Maybe it affects you now, maybe it affects you in five years' time. That's okay."
While this exhibition is scheduled to end on Nov 7, Dr Yap adds: "The project doesn't end here. This is just like a stream. We're dipping in at one point, we might dip in again."
The show has also unearthed some seldom-seen works from SAM's collection, such as Malaysian sculptor Anthony Lau's Space Eggs (1970), which he created after watching the moon landing in 1969.
SAM curators consulted Lau's daughter for advice on how to display the work, as there were no photographic records. She recalled seeing her father experiment with layouts on their living room floor, so the work is shown on the ground.
Dr Yap says: "The whole point of collections is also to present them. It's also about looking at them from a present-day perspective."
SAM director Eugene Tan recently announced that the museum's aim is to be a museum that "disappears", foregrounding the artists and their works. Dr Yap adds that this is where SAM's new space at Tanjong Pagar Distripark will come in. "Hopefully, we can have more experimental projects.
"Working together with the National Gallery allows us to look further into this area because we can have, on the one hand, a gallery with historicising perspective, but on the other, we can also have in SAM the contemporary processes that are taking place right now."
THE GIFT
WHERE National Gallery Singapore, Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery, 1 St Andrew's Road
WHEN From tomorrow till Nov 7, Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am to 7pm; Fridays, 10am to 9pm
ADMISSION Free for Singapore citizens and permanent residents; regular gallery entrance fees for foreigners
Three highlights
1. The Caretaker by Donna Ong (Multimedia installation, 2008)
A cubicle with multiple drawers and images of antique dolls references a Friendship Doll Project in the late 1920s which aimed to promote goodwill between the United States and Japan. Unfortunately, many of the dolls exchanged between the two countries were destroyed or lost when World War II broke out. Ong's project resurrects the memory of this gift gone awry.
2. Solidarity by Dolorosa Sinaga (bronze, remade in fibreglass, 2000)
This row of women with linked arms and one raised arm was inspired by the May 1998 riots in Indonesia which resulted in more than 1,000 people being killed and at least 168 reported rape incidents. The shoulder-to-shoulder configuration suggests these women are presenting, literally, a united front against attacks.
3. Monument For Seub Nakhasathien by Tang Da Wu (wood and plaster, 1991)
Singaporean sculptor Tang is known for being environmentally conscious. This is a tribute to famed Thai conservationist Seub Nakhasathien, who killed himself at age 40 after an uphill battle to save Thailand's natural heritage. The title belies the modest scale of the work, which acknowledges the neverending toil of Seub's task with its image of a small boat heading upstream. Dr June Yap, Singapore Art Museum's director of curatorial, collections and programmes, says the museum had built a nice plinth for it, but Tang rejected that display as the work is meant to highlight struggle.
Cool surprises at Museum of Ice Cream Singapore
The Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) Singapore has the biggest sprinkle pool to date of its three locations.
At 570 sq ft, it can host up to 20 people at a time even with safe distancing measures.
The Instagram sensation opens in Loewen Road today, delayed only slightly by the pandemic.
Founders Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora tell The Straits Times via e-mail that this first international branch took three years to develop.
"Museum of Ice Cream inspires imagination and creativity for everyone, and we cannot think of a more fitting place to do this than Singapore - a melting pot of vibrant and diverse cultures and the region's well-loved food paradise."
The outlet spans 60,000 sq ft over five buildings in the Dempsey area. The founders say: "We were most drawn to Dempsey because we saw a unique opportunity to transform a historical building with rich heritage into the region's first flagship location outside of the United States."
MOIC, which began as a pop-up in New York in 2016, expanded to other American cities on the strength of its social media success. There are branches in New York and Austin, though the San Francisco outlet has closed due to the pandemic.
Covid-19 has been a challenge for MOIC, which positions itself as an "experium", a portmanteau coined by its founders combining "experience" and "museum".
MOIC Singapore's head of Asia-Pacific T. Pirakash, 32, says it is sticking to a reduced capacity of 25 per cent, instead of the 50 per cent allowed at attractions under the newly relaxed rules. Safety is a priority, he says. "We've doubled up on our cleaning routines."
Which brings one back to the famous sprinkle pool. Staff members will sanitise the pool with a mist spray every two hours. The museum has also customised a machine usually used to clean baby carrots to deep-clean the sprinkles weekly.
The pool might look big, but it is fairly shallow and diving is discouraged although photo-taking is encouraged.
Despite the museum's reputation as an Instagram magnet, Mr Pirakash says it wants to encourage real-world interaction. "It's not just about how pretty the place is. It's about developing a relationship with the people who come through the door."
Hence the Singapore outlet has customised its offerings to the local context. There is a room with oversized versions of potong ice cream, a local popsicle, sprouting from the walls and floor.
The famed Housing Board dragon playground gets an MOIC makeover, and the ice cream flavours on offer in the five treat rooms feature offerings such as pulut hitam and lychee bandung.
The ice cream, developed in-house, also come in dairy-free and vegan options so that all visitors can try the cool treats. Mr Pirakash says the current plan is to rotate flavours every three months and once the logistics have been worked out, more flavours will be added.
The museum is also collaborating with local brands, ranging from beer from Brewlander to athleisure wear from Kydra.
"We want to showcase what Singapore is. The idea is that when tourism opens up again and people come here, they are going to learn about Singapore," he says.
Programming will also be ramped up in the coming months, if conditions allow. Mr Pirakash says possible programmes include date nights, which have been popular at MOIC's American outlets as well as a "no phones" night, which offers discounted tickets to patrons who check in their phones for the duration of their visit.
MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM SINGAPORE
WHERE 100 Loewen Road
WHEN Thursdays to Sundays, 10am to 11pm, closed from Mondays to Wednesdays
ADMISSION $42 a person, package deals available
INFO str.sg/3wHX
Three highlights
1. Scream's Diner
One of five treat rooms serving ice cream. There is a little Easter egg hidden in the telephones mounted on the walls. Pick it up to hear a special message from a Hollywood star.
2. MOIC Sprinkle Pool
There are diving boards, but beware as the pool is only 60cm deep. But it is where you can stage the perfect shot for the 'gram, by tossing sprinkles into the air against MOIC's signature pink walls.
3. Disco
Shed your inhibitions in this mirrored space, similar to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's Infinity rooms, tucked behind a discreet black curtain. Disco hits play on a loop and you can boogie all you want.
Inside the Museum of Ice Cream str.sg/ice18
Correction note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of athleisure brand Kydra.
