tag:peatix.com,2011:1 2019-10-30T21:58:52+08:00 Peatix Latent Spaces tag:peatix.com,2014:event-51877 2014-09-27T14:00:00SGT 2014-09-27T14:00:00SGT

Learn to Translate Observation into Marks on PaperThe artist Michelle Lim has been invited to guide participants on basic still life drawing and she will be present on the following Saturdays: 13, 20 and 27 September (2 to 4 pm)Michelle believes in the possibility of a genuine experience of things and asserts that art has to be functional and connected to everyday life. Her work has been exhibited in Singapore and internationally. Her recent collaborative work, Larga Distancia, was shown at SUBTE Gallery in Montevideo, Uruguay.---Looking Closely at ThingsA Still Life Drawing Project by LATENT SPACES Featuring the Mystical Figurines of Haw Par Villa’s Sculpture CemeteryHaw Par Villa has been attached with the label of kitsch for too long, and we think it is important to shift beyond such labels and look at the sculptures at Haw Par Villa as respectable cultural artefacts. At LATENT SPACES we frequently come across visitors who lament that there is nothing interesting to see at Haw Par Villa. Perhaps, they come to the Villa expecting a similar kind of entertainment value derived from Universal Studios theme park or a Hollywood blockbuster jam-packed with CGI effects. On the contrary, we think Haw Par Villa provides loads of visual treats. For a start, we can examine the expressive faces and poses, the painted textures as well as the compositional astuteness that condenses mythical epics into succinct configurations of arrested figurines. Maybe visitors just require a slight hint on how to look and engage with the rich material culture at the Villa. The sculpture cemetery is a cordoned off zone in Haw Par Villa where damaged sculptures are stored. The zone is rumored to be haunted and the sculptures possessed by spirits. It is an open secret on the internet and thrill seekers have come from far and wide to sneak into the zone to catch a glimpse. Although abandoned and broken, the sculptures gain alluring textures and mystique through years of weathering and are beautiful artefacts worthy of fixated attention. Taking place at LATENT SPACES from 6 September to 19 October 2014, Looking Closely at Things is a still life drawing project in which these abandoned sculptures are excavated and turned into subjects of drawing.Still life endows trivial material things with care, transforming the insignificant into the invaluable through intensified awareness. The excavated sculptures will be composed with a variety of commonplace things such as chairs, tables, potted plants, clothes, etc. to open up a stimulating dialogue between past remnants and contemporary daily life. Visitors to our gallery will encounter and interact with participants making drawings of still life arrangements and are encouraged to try their hand at drawing as well. Gradually over the course of the project, finished drawings will accumulate, and returning visitors will see development over time.Looking Closely at Things instills a decelerated mode of attention and immersed absorption. Contemporary culture places us in a constant state of distraction. We are permanently searching for the next excitement, unable to sit down and do a singular task with focused effort. Drawing is an art form that is practically achievable by anyone if they can discipline themselves to patiently concentrate with the task at hand. By mastering the skill of looking, it opens up our visual world. We become conscious of underlying order and subtle details, nurturing an intimate relationship with our material environment. There is no right or wrong in a drawing. Everyone looks at things differently, interpreting and translating the visual data into marks on paper in their individual ways. What we are interested is observation and its articulation through the medium of drawing.