Roy Lichtenstein, Reflections on the Scream, 1990.
Collection of Singapore Art Museum.
Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.
(c) Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.

This jubilee year, STPI is proud to present its annual special exhibition titled As We Never Imagined: 50 Years of Art Making, a broad showcase of over seventy works that demonstrate the development and potential of print and papermaking over the last five decades, taking reference from momentous collaborations of the 20th century – namely between printmaker Kenneth Tyler and the biggest names of his time such as Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Frank Stella and more.

As We Never Imagined celebrates art making in Singapore by featuring contemporary works that were conceived and made at the STPI creative space, along with prints from the National Collection, paying particular emphasis on some of STPI’s best collaborations with notable artists of our generation.

That the medium of print could ever reach such soaring heights was unimaginable fifty years ago – not in the bustling art hub of America in the sixties, not in Southeast Asia – certainly much less in Singapore. America may have seen the renaissance of print as a formidable art form aging shape with the creativity and technical bravado of Tyler’s collaborations. But the establishment of institutions and creative workshops like STPI in 2002 has enabled the proliferation of expression and approaches especially in Asian and Southeast Asian art, contributing to the wider dialogue of contemporary art in the 21st century. As celebrations for SG50 abound, As We Never Imagined considers the inimitable explorations and trail of art making that the homegrown institute has taken, paving its own journey in propelling the medium to greater scales and conceptual frontiers, while adding to an enduring legacy of collaborative projects definitive of our time.

TALKS & PANEL DISCUSSIONS
In conjunction with the Annual Special Exhibition, STPI will be organizing a series of talks with industry specialists, starting off with master printmaker Eitaro Ogawa on Saturday 13th June at 2.30pm. The talk will serve to enlighten audiences on STPI’s print techniques, as well as the process of working with some of the best-known figures in the fine art industry. It will be held in the STPI gallery and the admission is free.