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Our Programmes Artist-in-Residence Exchange
The Artist-in-Residence Exchange (AiRx) is a residential and cultural immersion programme under the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and British Council Singapore (BC) partnership for artists to reflect and research their practices for a period of up to three weeks in Singapore and the UK.
AiRx invites two artists to engage in a dialogue and create new solo works and a collaborative piece. The works are currently shown in an exhibition held in Singapore and subsequently in the UK.
The programme aims to create more opportunities in bridging communities in Singapore and the UK through collaborations and the exchange of ideas.
The Singapore International Foundation-British Council MOU
On 18 May 2011, the SIF and BC entered into a two-year partnership to promote cross-cultural understanding between the people of Singapore and the UK through arts and cultural exchanges.
Under the MOU, the partnership enables the exchange of ideas and perspectives amongst artists, curators, academics and thought leaders of Singapore and the UK through residential exchanges, artist collaborations, cultural organisation partnerships and distinguished artist visits.
This partnership with BC marks a significant addition to the SIF’s growing global network of institutional partnerships aimed at promoting understanding and forging relationships between Singapore and world communities.
Michael Lee
Curator, artist, lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Artists Michael Lee (Singapore) and Bob Matthews (UK) took part in the inaugural AiRx in June and July 2011. Lee was in London from 11 June to 2 July on the Royal College of Arts’ (RCA) Post Experience Programme. His residency there included:
- delivering a public lecture on art and architecture at the RCA
- carrying out his ongoing research
- actively engaging with artists, printmakers and designers
Bob Matthews
Curator, artist, lecturer and fellow of the Royal College of Art, London
Matthews was in Singapore from 16 to 30 July. His residency included:
- utilising the workshop spaces and facilities at Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) and :phunk Studio
- delivering a public lecture on David Hockney at STPI
- spending time with architecture firm Studio Milou, Singapore to learn more about their conversion of two Singapore heritage buildings into an art gallery
Besides creating new solo and collaborative works, Lee’s and Matthews’ cross-cultural experiences and collaboration have been documented in a catalogue, contributing to a global discourse on landscape, community and urban memory.
The artists’ respective residencies and the resulting exhibition were organised in partnership with Give Art and are supported by the National Museum of Singapore, New Majestic Hotel, Town Hall Hotel, Royal College of Arts, Rhema Events and Arts Services, INDCreative, Framehub, STPI, :phunk Studio and Studio Milou, Singapore.
This AiRx programme is the first initiative under the memorandum of understanding signed between the SIF and BC in May 2011.
A result of Lee’s and Matthew’s residential exchanges is Utopias, an exhibition premiering the solo and collaborative works developed during the artists respective exchanges.
In Utopias, the artists draw from personal meditations on utopian ideologies. Lee imbues iconic architecture with human characteristics, memories and a sense of solace for human failings, while Matthews explores eco-utopias where natural landscapes provide a romantic and almost divine escape.
The exhibition presents the personal reflections of, research by and dialogue between the two artists following their participation in the inaugural AiRx.
The exhibition is curated by Tolla Sloane of Give Art, and comprises 28 works comprising photographs, digital prints, watercolours, a model and a site-specific installation. It will travel to London in 2012.
Limited edition digital prints of ‘Documents of Contemporary Slumber’ – part of the artists’ collaborative series The Great Levellers – will form part of the contemporary art collections of Town Hall Hotel in London and New Majestic Hotel in Singapore.
Exhibition details
Date: Friday, 25 Nov – Sunday, 18 Dec 2011
Time: 10am – 6pm
Cost: Free admission
Artists and curator’s tour
Date: Saturday, 26 Nov 2011
Time: 3 – 4pm
Venue: National Museum of Singapore, The Atelier, Level 3
Cost: Free admission
Registration for the artists and curator's tour has closed. Thank you for your interest!
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The Singapore International Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 1991. Its mission is to build a better world through shared ideas, skills and experiences, so as to uplift lives and create greater understanding between Singaporeans and world communities. Read more about SIF…
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