TWO new art galleries in Singapore stand pretty far apart; one's in the heart of the city near Chinatown, the other out in Mandai, close to the national zoo. But they have something in common - both try to take on a wider social purpose. They are built along business models that are slightly different from conventional galleries, so it'll be interesting to see how they progress.
fill-your-walls, located at Tanjong Pagar Road, identifies promising local artists and then helps them every step of the way as they create, show and sell their work. It is both a studio and a gallery, and its managing partner Angeline Chan susses out emerging artists, provides them with painting materials and space, offers them a website to upload images of their art, and helps them organise exhibitions. All this is done on a 'pre-investment' basis - artists who really don't have the financial means need only pay back the gallery when they start selling their work.
Artist assistance
'Artists in Singapore often find it difficult to compete with regional artists,' said Ms Chan, who is aided in her work by artist and instructor Chankerk. 'We provide them with a number of platforms to develop and grow. We aim to have a network of galleries across the country, which would also provide collectors with opportunity to be familiar with new artists and to follow their progress.'
fill-your-walls has so far attracted about 115 artists, almost all of whom are based in Singapore, said Ms Chan, a former senior executive at BP. The gallery features artworks with prices ranging from $60 to $5,000.
The website, www.fill-your- walls.com, currently features about 240 pieces. Many of the artists also use the online service to describe their artistic philosophy, comment on the works of others, and give feedback and advice to each other. The website functions like many popular online communities, ranking the artworks according to 'Most Viewed', 'Most Rated', and so on. There is a 'Hall of Fame' section where participants can vote their favourite pieces from a particular exhibition.
Accessible art
'We want art to be accessible, and we want to give space to artists who would otherwise never be picked up,' said Ms Chan. Of the more than 100 artists, about 20 have been identified as being 'highly committed and with a unique style', and these are given special focus by the gallery.
Zhou Jixuan, for instance, has spent the last four years pursuing the fine arts and developed a distinctive style of strong colours and bold lines, as evident in her current series involving dolls.
Over in Mandai, the CharKOL gallery is not so much concerned with giving artists a leg-up, as with ensuring that its endeavour expands to support those in other sectors who are in need. The gallery is attached to a cafe and a shop which sells goods sourced from the region. For instance, the store works closely with Gat, which buys craftwork and other goods from Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam and tries to sell them in as advantageous a way as possible for the local producers.
CharKOL also appears to want to build its shows around themes with a social message. Its inaugural show, entitled The New Conceptual, draws inspiration from the birth of conceptual art, when artists created works that were essentially unmarketable as a protest against over-commercialisation. The show features 10 local and international artists including Susie Lingham and Amanda Heng.
Curator and co-founder Vincent Twardzik Ching said that the idea for CharKOL was born out of a dinner conversation between him, his wife Chor Leng and his friend Khoo Peng Ean. 'All of us are aware of issues, which we support through volunteer work and life experience,' said the Canadian.
'Leng and I have worked with children in poverty and crime-stricken neighbourhoods in Canada, Peng Ean has worked as a volunteer tutor in ESOL, giving training in English as a second language to a Russian refugee in Boston.'
Still, at the end of the day, all galleries have to run on money. 'CharKol is a profit venture. Like many new businesses, our gallery is funded through our own contributions and through the purchase of shares by family, friends and colleagues.'
