The Prudential Singapore Eye exhibition

IN THIS WEEKLY COLUMN, WE VISIT MUSEUMS AND ART SPACES AND HIGHLIGHT WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE IF YOU HAVE ONLY AN HOUR TO SPARE

1 HAKUCHIZU (2011). PHOTOS: TEPPEI KANEUJI
2 LA DIVINA COMMEDIA (2014). PHOTOS: YUNHEE LEE
3 FLOWERS AND PEOPLE – DARK (2014). PHOTOS: TEAMLAB
4 SECRET, INTERIORS: CHRYSALIS (19) (2006). PHOTOS: DONNA ONG
5 BEYOND THE BLUE. PHOTO: JANE LEE
6 DRUNK IN THE MORNING (2013). PHOTO: JUSTIN LOKE
7 PING PONG GO-ROUND (2013). PHOTO: LEE WEN
8 MASTER PLAN (2012). PHOTO: JASON WEE

This contemporary art exhibition, partially curated by T.O.P. of K-pop group BigBang, is into its final weekend, before travelling to the Saatchi Gallery in London. Prepare for a sensual and evocative experience, with surreal installations and trippy videos from up-and-coming Asian artists. The Prudential Singapore Eye exhibition also features 17 of the best Singaporean contemporary artists, pushing artistic boundaries with a range of media, from solidified paint that flies off the walls to monoliths that dwarf visitors.

Where: ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands MRT: Bayfront When: Till Sun, 10am - 7pm, last admission at 6pm Admission: Ticket prices vary, go to www.marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum

Richard Neo


1 HAKUCHIZU (2011)

By Teppei Kaneuji, mixed media, dimensions variable

One of the signature pieces of the exhibition, Hakuchizu (White Map) sees seemingly disjointed objects randomly arranged or piled on one another. The objects are transformed into a tranquil landscape after being sprinkled with white plaster powder, meant to simulate snow. It shows how objects can be connected in the most unexpected ways.

2 LA DIVINA COMMEDIA (2014)

By Yunhee Lee, ceramic, set 1: 20x120x15cm, set 2: 160x200x15cm, set 3: 120x120x15cm

Korean artist Lee takes inspiration from Dante's magnum opus of the same name, but remixed with a female protagonist searching for happiness and peace, and told through intricately sculpted detail in ceramic honeycomb- shaped tiles, complete with horrifying scenes from hell.

3 FLOWERS AND PEOPLE - DARK (2014)

By teamLab, interactive digital work, dimensions variable

Japanese art collective teamLab harnesses the power of technology to create a constantly shifting field of flowers. Using motion detection technology, viewers can either cause the digital flowers to bloom or wither, based on their proximity to the work.

4 SECRET, INTERIORS: CHRYSALIS (19) (2006)

By Donna Ong, furniture and readymades, 250x250x150cm

The only Singaporean artist to be featured in both the Singaporean and international sections of the exhibition, Donna Ong creates an obsessive, Frankenstein's monster-like environment, imagining what it would be like if a little girl fixated with making her dolls come to life had all the materials she needed. Not for the faint-hearted.

5 BEYOND THE BLUE (2012)

By Jane Lee, mixed media, 250x190 x200cm

Subverting the medium of traditional painting, Lee flicks paint at her canvas to strategically create a three- dimensional painting that collapses under its own weight, spilling out onto the floor as if in mid-attempt to flee the metaphorical prison of the wall.

6 DRUNK IN THE MORNING (2013)

By Justin Loke, oil on canvas, emulsion, wood, wax, lacquer, 171x10.5x150.5cm

Going solo, Justin Loke of cheeky art collective Vertical Submarine paints scenes from Stanley Kubrick's 1975 film Barry Lyndon. He frames the paintings within even more frames, challenging the perspective of spectatorship and how people view a work of art.

7 PING PONG GO-ROUND (2013)

By Lee Wen, performance and mixed media installation, 580x76cm

This work made headlines during the recent SEA Games here, when the SEA Games organising committee put up a horseshoe-shaped table tennis table resembling Lee Wen's installation at the Sports Hub. Lee views the performance aspect of sports as an art and invites viewers to be a part of it and play ping pong at this quirky table.

8 MASTER PLAN (2012)

By Jason Wee, installation, dimensions variable

Artist, writer and curator Jason Wee puts his architecture degree to use, crafting an abstract, unnamed city of overbearing geometric black shapes. There is something simultaneously playful, yet deeply unnerving about this imaginary physical space.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 26, 2015, with the headline The Prudential Singapore Eye exhibition. Subscribe