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Curatorial Talk by Low Sze Wee: “I Make up Things All the Time

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Curatorial Talk by Low Sze Wee: “I Make up Things All the Time LEE WEN UNTITLED (RAFFLES), 2000 VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION OF AN INTERACTIVE SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION AS PART OF THE A.I.M. (ARTISTS INVESTIGATING MONUMENTS) PROJECT PRESENTED BY THE ARTISTS VILLAGE ON 22 JULY 2000 AT RAFFLES LANDING SITE IMAGE COURTESY OF KEN CHEONG CURATORIAL TALK BY LOW SZE WEE: “I MAKE UP THINGS ALL THE TIME. I’M AN ARTIST, NOT A HISTORIAN.” - SOME REFLECTIONS ON CURATING ARTIST AND EMPIRE TUESDAY | 17 JANUARY 2017 | 5.30 TO 6.30PM NGEE ANN KONGSI AUDITORIUM, BASEMENT 1 | NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE, CITY HALL WING 1 ST. ANDREW’S ROAD, SINGAPORE 178957 The remark in the title above was made by Yee I-Lann, one of the contemporary artists whose works are featured in the exhibition Artist and Empire, currently on show at the National Gallery Singapore. In Nov 2015, Tate Britain presented the exhibition Artist and Empire: Facing Britain’s Imperial Past, which generated considerable public attention in the United Kingdom. Some applauded the museum for tackling a sensitive topic, whilst others criticised the show for not sufficiently highlighting the exploitative excesses of colonialism. When the National Gallery Singapore opened the show in Singapore in Oct 2016, it used the London version as point of departure, and examined key themes from the perspective of a former colony. This was done by incorporating voices by contemporary artists, as well as modern artworks produced by local artists during the period when the colonies were moving towards self- determination in the 20th century. The eventual outcome was Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies. This talk will highlight the curatorial thinking behind the reconfiguration of the exhibition for a Singapore audience, and the fruitful dialogue which resulted from the partnership between the two museums. PROGRAMME REGISTRATION 5.00PM Registration RSVP your attendance to Ms Vaisshnavi at 5.30PM Talk by Mr Low Sze Wee, Director [email protected] (Curatorial, Collections & Education), National Gallery Singapore Registration deadline : 6.15PM Q&A Session 12pm | Tuesday | 17 January 2017 6.30PM End of Programme ABOUT THE SPEAKER Trained as a lawyer, Sze Wee graduated with a Masters’ degree in History of Art from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1999. He joined the Singapore Art Museum in 2001 where he eventually became its Deputy Director (Curatorial and Collections), responsible for developing the museum’s art collection and overseeing curatorial development. In 2009, he was appointed as Deputy Director (Curatorial and Collections) for the National Gallery Singapore. In 2012, he completed a two-year secondment to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, overseeing heritage policy. Currently, he is Director (Curatorial and Collections) of the National Gallery Singapore. Since 2001, he has curated many exhibitions in Singapore and abroad, including 20th Century Chinese Paintings in Singapore Collections (2003), the Singapore pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale (2003), Embracing Infinity: Works by Tan Swie Hian (2004), and The Story of Yeh Chi Wei (2010). He has also contributed more than 20 essays on Singapore and Southeast Asian art for various publications. In 2007, he was given the NHB Research Award in recognition of his contributions to research on Singapore and Southeast Asian art history. Three of his exhibitions have also garnered the annual NHB Exhibition Awards. They comprise Convergences – Chen Wen Hsi Centennial Exhibition (2007), The Big Picture Show (2008, co-curated with Ong Zhen Min) and Xu Beihong in Nanyang (2009, co-curated with Chow Yian Ping). ABOUT CULTURE ACADEMY The Culture Academy was established in 2015 by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to groom the next generation of cultural leaders in the public sector. Guided by its vision to be a centre of excellence for the development of culture professionals and administrators, the Culture Academy’s work spans three areas: Education and Capability Development, Research and Scholarship and Thought Leadership. In these areas, the Culture Academy provides networking opportunities, platforms for exchange of creative ideas and offers professional development workshops, public lectures and publications to nurture thought leaders in Singapore’s cultural scene. Some of our key collaborators include the Smithsonian Institution, the Reinwardt Academy, Asian National Museums Association, AusHeritage, institutes of higher learning and other government organisations within and outside Singapore..
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