Blurring The Lines
My last art museum experience was at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in March. As I stepped into a museum for the first time in six months, I wondered. Has the pandemic altered my museum experience? Have museums adapted to new platforms to better engage visitor’s experience?
Written By: Tawfiq Ismail
Pictures By: Tawfiq Ismail
The pandemic has shown that art museums are not spared. It is precisely because of the pandemic that we need more art to give a sense of comfort and lift our spirits up. When the National Gallery announced a one-year free membership for Singaporeans in August, I grabbed the opportunity to visit them. There are three new exhibitions on public display – Time Passes and An Exercise of Meaning in a Glitch Season (AEOFIAFS) both of which will be on public display until 21 February 2021. There’s also the ArchiGallery, a new permanent display in the museum.
So are the three new exhibitions worth the hype? Both of the temporary exhibitions feature new artists and independent curators exploring our current navigation and experiences amidst the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. For me, the main standout from the AEOFIAFS exhibition has to be 3 GHz, an installation done by Clara Lim. It uses a discontinued microwave oven alongside a montage display of local advertisements from the 1980s.
3 GHz by Clara Lim,
I liked Clara Lim’s exhibition because it had a throwback pop-art vibe with its use of neon lights. The exhibition, however, came with a twist to warn viewers of the dangers of our wasteful habits specifically through consumerism and media habits. Though I noticed that some visitors were too engrossed with the Insta-worthy installation that it has overshadowed the public service announcement the artist was trying to convey.
On the other hand, the Time Passes exhibition deconstructed the experiences we have all gone through during the lockdown period. The installations used more variety of elaborated materials compared to the previous exhibit, ranging from rattan, wood, glass and soil.
Interventions by Diana Rahim
Diana Rahim’s Interventions was my favourite. It explores the artist’s solutions on hostile architecture found in Singapore, often designed to regulate public behaviour and maintain order. While there was no actual or physical installation of alternatives to hostile architecture, she provided photographs of remodeled hostile architectural elements that she made side by side.
It took me some time to absorb the meaning of the installations of the temporary exhibits and many of the installations have a tendency to use linguistic jargons.
ArchiGallery is the new permanent gallery at Level 4. The gallery provided more insights on the architectural history of the two buildings. The Tympanum seems to be the highlight of the exhibition as it explored the history behind the neo-classical architecture of the Old Supreme Court. That segment was fascinating as it showcased initial drafts and sketches of our Justice sculpture of the Old Supreme Court.
ArchiGallery Exhibit, The Tympanium
Overall, I do think the exhibition is still worth the visit for those who have a couple of hours to spare and happen to pass by the National Gallery. More importantly, I applaud the gallery for showcasing adaptation and flexibility to the art spaces in this new normal.
Needless to say, the arts-going experience worldwide underwent a revamp and are finding new innovative ways to engage visitors and remain relevant. Aside from newly implemented crowd control and social distancing measures, some museums have even made their content accessible online.
Considering that guided tours have ceased because of the pandemic, I recommend that you download the Gallery Explorer app so as to enhance the art experience between you and the exhibits.
