Ground-breaking artworks from 1970s on display at National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore launched two exhibitions on Thursday evening to inaugurate its Concourse Galleries, involving ground-breaking artworks in Southeast Asia from 1970s, some of which have not been seen by the public for more than 30 years.

The exhibition entitled "A Fact Has No Appearance: Art Beyond the Object," which will run from Friday until June 19, brings together works by three key artists in Southeast Asia, namely Tan Teng-Kee, Redza Piyadasa and Johnny Manahan, for the first time.

While the other exhibition "Earth Work 1979," which will open to the public from Friday until May 29, recreates the original exhibition by artist Tang Da Wu at the National Museum Art Gallery in 1980.

In the 1970s, new approaches towards art-making had a strong impact in Southeast Asia. The two exhibitions try to present thoughts of the artists in that period via selected artworks.

Visitors can experience Tan Teng-Kee's 1979 outdoor exhibition with video in "A Fact Has No Appearance: Art Beyond the Object." Tan's outdoor exhibition is known as "The Picnic," which features a dramatic fire sculpture, and is regarded as the first "happening" to have taken place in Singapore.

Tan told Xinhua that different people have different understandings of arts at the media preview on Wednesday. He said that's the reason why many of his artworks have no titles, which he said will confine the viewer's thoughts, and the essence of arts is openness of spirits.

Artworks of Redza Piyadasa, who is famous for using text in art, can also be seen at the exhibition. The late artist co-organized Malaysia's first ephemeral art exhibition called "Towards a Mystical Reality" in 1974.

Meanwhile, visitors can get a glimpse of Johnny Manahan, the first artist in the Philippines to work with video art. The exhibition displays not only his video works, but also abstract paintings and media articles about his art.

"We aim not only to explore the history of modern art in the region but also to revive important artworks that no longer exist physically," said Low Sze Wee, director of Curatorial and Collections of National Gallery Singapore. Thus, comes the exhibition "Earth Work 1979".

This exhibition is a recreation of Tang's original showcase in 1980. This marks the first time the public can view artworks such as "Gully Curtains" since it was first presented, as well as "The Product of the Sun and Me" and "The Product of the Rain and Me" which were destroyed after the 1980 exhibition.

National Gallery Singapore, which has been beautifully restored and transformed from the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, opened its door to the public in November 2015. Endit