Gillman Barracks is the first We asked five of its tenants to precinct in Singapore dedicated to consider the development of contemporary art. Often compared Gillman Barracks to date, and to to fine art clusters like 798 in share highlights from recent and Beijing and New York art districts upcoming programmes. These Chelsea and Soho, it hosts eleven include gallerist Matthias Arndt’s galleries: ARNDT, FOST, Mizuma, experience of presenting the first Ota Fine Arts, Partners & Mucciaccia, exhibition by Gilbert & George Pearl Lam, ShanghART, Sullivan + in Singapore, and Prof Ute Meta Strumpf (as of June 2016), Sundaram Bauer’s view on the achievements Tagore, Yavuz and Yeo Workshop; and challenges of the Residencies the NTU Centre for Contemporary Programme at the NTU CCA Art Singapore; and educational Singapore. These reflections are organizations Art Outreach and accompanied by contributions Playeum. Since its inauguration in from four Singapore-based arts 2012, it has provided a platform professionals that explain the for artists, curators and collectors significance of the precinct from Singapore and around the internationally and locally, and world to share new work, research its possible future. and exhibitions. —Melanie Pocock KALEIDOSCOPE ASIA Editor-at-Large MATTHIAS ARNDT AUDREY YEO STEPHANIE FONG DIRECTOR, ARNDT FINE ART FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR, FOST GALLERY YEO WORKSHOP Gillman Barracks hosts Prior to Gillman Barracks galleries from Europe, Gillman Barracks still has we did not have a cluster of Australia and Singapore, work to do in terms of international contemporary a geographical mix that reaching a wider general art galleries with an art immediately makes it an in- public, but is a treasure institute on the same site. ternational arts destination. trove of artworks and As the Western art world The cluster also has ener- ideas. At Yeo Workshop moves its attention towards getic programme of open- we try to develop new per- Southeast Asia, Gillman ings, activities and talks. spectives and experiences. Barracks will likely become Singapore’s art landscape is One such project was in one of the key entry points rapidly developing through September 2015, when we to seeing art of the region. the individual and entrepre- brought elements of artist Likewise, the galleries in neurial efforts of galleries Mike HJ Chang’s studio to Gillman Barracks have and various platforms like the gallery, which raised brought in wonderful Art Galleries Association issues related to artist stu- exhibitions from outside of Singapore, Art Stage Sin- dios, production and space the region: Prof Ute Meta gapore and the Singapore constraints in Singapore. Bauer, Director of the NTU Biennale.To bring our own In April we will present Centre for Contemporary example, for Singapore Art a group exhibition includ- Art Singapore, has pro- Week 2015 we produced ing Maryanto (Indonesia), grammed exhibitions by an extensive exhibition of twenty-six new works by Gilbert & George, titled “Utopian Pictures.” The TENANTS OF GILLMAN BARRACKS INCLUDE artists attended all major 11 ART GALLERIES (ARNDT, FOST, MIZUMA, events during the week and OTA FINE ARTS, PARTNERS & MUCCIACCIA, their talk at LASALLE College of the Arts sold out PEARL LAM, SHANGHART, SUNDARAM in record time. TAGORE, YAVUZ, YEO WORKSHOP, AND In terms of our future pro- SOON SULLIVAN + STRUMPF); 3 NON-PROFIT gram, we have just finished ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE NTU CENTRE a book titled WASAK! Filipino Art Today with FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, ART OUTREACH German publishers DIS- AND PLAYEUM—CHILDREN’S CENTRE FOR TANZ. To support the book CREATIVITY; AND 7 RESTAURANTS AND CAFES. we produced an exhibition of eighteen influential artists in the Philippines at our new space in Berlin Quynh Dong (Vietnam), artists like Tomás Saraceno ► gallery space had to be everyone when we heard history drawings. Current- that will tour internation- Santi Wangchuan (Thai- and Joan Jonas. transformed extensively: the gasps of wonderment ly we are trying to track ally. In Singapore we will land) and Zul Mahmod One of our recent highlights many of the works could from visitors who entered down some of the works present works on paper by (Singapore). We will also would have to be Donna only be completed on site. the gallery! that have been acquired celebrated Philippine artist be launching a printmak- Ong’s solo exhibition “My Of course, the schedule was Most recently, we have at auction to be shown in Jigger Cruz in August, and ing residency programme Forest Has No Name” in thwarted at every turn by commissioned respected the accompanying exhi- an exhibition by FX Harso- in Yogyakarta to connect January 2016. More time unexpected circumstances, art historian and curator bition. I am excited to no in October during the with our neighbours in was needed to install the but there was a great sense T.K. Sabapathy to write be launching the book in Singapore Biennale. ■ Southeast Asia. ■ exhibition because the ► of accomplishment for a book on Jimmy Ong’s June 2016. ■ ► Its Public Resource Cen- KENNY LECK MIZUMA SUEO tre, a library specialized in CO-FOUNDER, BOOKS- DIRECTOR, MIZUMA contemporary art with a fo- ACTUALLY AND SINGAPORE GALLERY cus on the Southeast Asian ART BOOK FAIR region, and Artist Resource In the context of the wider Platform, an archive of As a bookseller and East Asian region, the art audio and visual material publisher, I organized the scene in Singapore has from over 90 artists from Singapore Art Book Fair, not yet fully entered the Singapore, serve as other a challenging but invigorat- international stage. Yet I entry points to the region. ing experience whose first have seen several Singa- The Residencies Pro- two editions were hosted porean artists whose work gramme allows for a by the NTU CCA. possesses qualities com- diverse network of artists, I think the presence of parable to those of some curators and researchers Gillman Barracks has of the best artists working from Singapore and beyond highlighted a need for globally. These artists are to meet and to engage with more well-thought-out and not very well known in each other’s practices. One better-operated art spaces. Europe or America, but example is London-based I see varying opinions about only because there have Singaporean artist Erika the role and development not yet been opportunities Tan’s project, Halimah-the- of the precinct as a healthy to reach an international Empire-Exhibition-weaver- discourse, which shows that audience. Speaking from who-died-whilst-performing- people are beginning to our own experience, I think her-craft (2015). think more about how orga- one of our most interesting projects to date was Angki Purbandono’s Prison Art Programs. The project, held STEPPING OUTSIDE OF GILLMAN BARRACKS, at the Class IIA Narcotics SINGAPORE'S VIBRANT ART SCENE IS Penitentiary in Yogyakarta DISTINGUISHED BY INTERNATIONALLY in May 2013, explored how prisoners can be rehabilitat- RENOWNED CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH ed through art. Heri Dono’s AS THE NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE, solo exhibition, which we SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM, INSTITUTE OF presented in Singapore CONTEMPORY ARTS (ICA) SINGAPORE AND until January this year, was another highlight: his works ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM, AND PROMINENT confront various contra- EVENTS SUCH AS THE SINGAPORE BIENNALE dictions within contempo- AND THE SINGAPORE ART BOOK FAIR. rary society incorporating influences from traditional Indonesian cultural forms such as wayang shadow PROF UTE META BAUER international contempo- NTU CCA Singapore is a The NTU CCA Singapore nizations can come together puppetry, to produce works FOUNDING DIRECTOR, NTU rary art was a significant platform for experiment- recently announced its to support the arts. I think that resonate international- CENTRE FOR CONTEMPO- expansion in the local art ing with varied ways of third cycle of artists-in-res- galleries and organizations ly. Looking forward—Ken+ RARY ART SINGAPORE ecosystem. It also acts as a presenting contemporary idence for 2016–2017 with at Gillman Barracks should Julia Yonetani will have a hub for creating synergies art, not only through twenty artists and collec- continue to do what they solo exhibition with us in The establishment of Gill- in the dissemination of its exhibitions, but also tives from Singapore, Asia, have been doing. I believe June this year, following man Barracks as an arts art to a wider public, and through its residencies and for the first time, art- the content being developed the success of their pre- precinct for the presen- for addressing a growing that include artists, cura- ists from Africa and South by the galleries is growing sentation at the Singapore tation and production of market for the arts. tors and writers. ► America. ■ in strength and maturity. ■ Biennale in 2013. ■ BALA STARR SENG YU JIN, MICHAEL LEE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF SENIOR CURATOR, NATIONAL ARTIST AND CURATOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS GALLERY SINGAPORE SINGAPORE – LASALLE International art all year COLLEGE OF THE ARTS Gillman Barracks brings to- round is, for me, Gillman gether galleries with diverse Barracks' key contribution The art scene in Asia is strengths: FOST Gallery to Singapore's art scene. becoming more and more features Singaporean artists You no longer need to wait plural. With local scenes like Chun Kaifeng and for specific periods when opening outward, Asia- Song-Ming Ang; Yavuz Gal- the biennales or art fairs based artists can increas- lery has presented works are on to see quality con- ingly expect better oppor- by Po Po from Myanmar; temporary art from around tunities for their work and and Mizuma Gallery has the world.While recent Gillman Barracks is one pursued its interest in cases of galleries discon- of the engines behind this Indonesian artists. These tinuing leases may be changing environment. In galleries produce an exhibi- discouraging for some—I the last year I’ve particular- tionary dialogue that maps miss both Phillipine gal- ly enjoyed the large number contemporary art practices leries, Silverlens and The of programmes by visiting in Southeast Asia.