What makes some of these local or global creatives tick? In this weekly column, artist Ang Song Nian share his many inspirations and obsessions.
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1. THEBOOKSHOW: Founded in 2014 as part of a class that I teach at the NTU School of Art, Design and Media, THEBOOKSHOW is an intiative which serves as a platform to provide opportunities for artists interested in self-published artist books and the photobook medium. THEBOOKSHOW organises open calls, curated exhibitions and awards, and also participates in both local and international art book fairs regularly.
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2. Plants: Trips to plant nurseries started since young, and that probably informed the observation and curiosity that I developed for potted plants, and more importantly — the strange relationship between us and plants, in which manipulation, mass production and control affects the way we consume and interact with the perceived “nature” that we come across in the urban landscape.
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3. Jurong Lake Gardens: Jurong Lake Gardens, where my latest work When A Tree Becomes A Forest (2021) is situated. Comprising of 195 wooden structures stylised as the chinese character 木 (mù), this site-specific installation is as part of a commission by the Public Art Trust featuring 14 text-based public artworks across eight parks in Singapore. Right across from my installation is It Takes Time (2021), also one of the fourteen newly-commissioned artwork by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao Renhui.
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4. Bonsai plants: Tending to my bonsai plants provides the proximity, in contrast to the distance that I tend to maintain with nature in my practice.
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5. Nature and art: It’s always a luxury to be with both nature and good art at the same time. This work is Stone Coppice (2009) by British artist Andy Goldsworthy, is a living growing changing sculpture at the Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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6. His daughter: Observing my three-year old daughter while playing hide-and-seek.
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7. Fill-in-the-blanks: [Editor’s Note]: Seriously, Ang Song Nian has purposely left this caption blank. Go figure!
Once you’re done with this story about artist Ang Song Nian and his obsessions, click here to catch up with our March 2021 issue!
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