YOU CAN TOUCH IT
The Straits Times - Life News, Tuesday, November 24, 1998
by Clarissa Oon
Part of an international line-up, The Blue Tree is made of painted fibreglass and steel, and is by Australian Adrian Mauriks.
Go ahead and touch, get a feel for art
The exhibition to welcome the millennium is not just for people who know about art, but for everyone
SINGAPORE will blossom into a city of sculptures as part of its plans to bid goodbye to the 20th century and welcome the new millennium.
Some 250 pieces will be unveiled around the city next May, ranging from one the size of your thumb to two awesome works as tall as 2_ storey buildings.
Crafted from materials ranging from bronze to bamboo to rice, there are works by nearly 150 sculptors from 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. They will be located at about 25 outdoor and indoor venues.
The three-month-long exhibition, called Volume & Form, is being organised by a private gallery, Andres Contemporary Art, at a cost of about $1.5 million.
Lending its support is the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as part of its year-long MillenniaMania celebrations. The event will also be part of next year's Singapore Arts Festival in June.
The Dutch director of Andres Contemporary Art, Mr Jonathan Benavides, says: "It is not just for people who know about sculpture, but everyone from children to elderly people."
In fact, at most places, you will be able to go right up and touch them, as they will not be cordoned off. The sculptors include internationally established names like New Zealand's Chris Booth as well as leading Singaporean practitioners such as Ng EngTeng and Han Sai Por.
All the works are related to nature and the environment. Booth's Pumice From The Mountains consists' of four pieces, with the largest some 9m high.
And a granite work by South Korea's Kim Chang Gon called, A King, will also stand at a height of almost 2_ storeys. It is being shipped here separately in two pieces.
By contrast, the smallest items are a group of "wearable sculptures" made from gold, enamel, copper and silver by Korea's Jang Mee Yeon.
Mr Benavides says he is not certain yet where the enormous structures will stand but thinks they will probably be somewhere in Orchard or Bras Basah roads.
He also plans to hold lectures and seminars and a competition for young South-east Asian sculptors, as well as hands-on activities for children. There will also be performances by sculptors, as well as on-site concerts and poetry readings.
Mr Benavides relocated his gallery from the Netherlands to Singapore two years ago. It has placed works by renowned sculptors at public buildings such as Suntec City and Republic Plaza at Raffles Place.
"I hope the event will raise people's consciousness of sculpture as art, and not as scrap or as second-rate after painting", he adds.
STB's assistant director of the industry development in the arts and entertainment, Ms Christine Khor, says: "It will be a big draw for international art lovers, entrepreneurs and tourists, and raise the profile of local sculptors in the art world.
The economic recession, however, has made it difficult to attract cash from companies. Still, Mr Benavides hopes that Volume & Form can be an annual event. For next year event, he plans to invite sculptors from the Pacific Rim and the Americas. But he stresses that Asian sculpture will always be the mainstay of the programme.
