[Press Release]
Amanda Heng
We Are the World – These Are Our Stories
7 January – 25 February 2017
Opening: Friday 6 January, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cultural Medallion recipient Amanda Heng kicks off STPI’s 15th year exhibition calendar and Singapore Art Week 2017.
We Are the World – These Are Our Stories is a highly unique presentation of a single work comprising twelve personal stories of twelve individuals. This is the performance artist’s first-ever solo gallery exhibition unveiling a never-before-seen work; a definitive milestone in her prolific career which spans over two decades. Heng applies her collaborative and process-driven approach to printing and papermaking techniques, pushing the STPI Creative Workshop team to create art beyond the Creative Workshop space, a first for STPI.
The inception of this work began with Let’s Chat, Heng’s iconic performance piece, where she engaged twelve participants from all walks of life in a conversation over cleaning beansprouts. Each person chose a treasured object or heirloom as a starting point of conversation. Through this, Heng drew out values central to the individual and that became the foundation of each story. This close engagement with the public is critical to Heng’s practice; her works are noted and celebrated for their universal relevance in highlighting social issues, especially vanishing values and the disintegration of the social fabric in the face of modernity. We Are the World – These Are Our Stories embodies the earnest spirit of this pioneer female artist in bringing about social change—through creating art that has meaning for the ordinary man and woman.
For this collaboration, Heng propelled the STPI Creative Workshop team to venture beyond the Creative Workshop space; she wove QR codes into each story to include digital mediums into the work—yet another first for her. As STPI Chief Printer Eitaro Ogawaputs it, this work “extends the territory of collaboration to communities, bringing communication from the artist to the public to another level. It was a different way of working and making artwork (for the STPI Creative Workshop team), and it stretched our ability beyond the knowledge of print and papermaking.” We Are the World – These Are Our Stories is a chef-d’œuvre, packed with break-throughs and bold innovation. This is the first time that both Heng and STPI embark on a project that extends beyond the traditional artist residency and the physical institution itself.
STPI (Booth A12)
Art Stage Singapore
12 – 15 January 2017
STPI (Booth A12) returns to Art Stage Singapore with a presentation of works by stellar local and international artists, including Han Sai Por (Singapore), Do Ho Suh (South Korea/UK), Rirkrit Tiravanija (Thailand/USA), and the late pioneer artist Chua Ek Kay (Singapore). This diverse presentation encompasses a wide range of materials that challenge established mediums of print and paper. From Do Ho Suh’s seminal thread drawings and ongoing Rubbing/Loving series, to lithographs and paper pulp paintings from the eminent Chua Ek Kay; these works are a luminous testament to STPI’s relentless pursuit of innovation and artistic breakthroughs.
