Sure, we love going to blockbuster shows at major art institutions that showcase works of important artists, but we have a soft spot for indie art spaces and the cool, quirky, interesting shows that they put on too. They offer an opportunity for us to discover new artists we might not have known about before and we always enjoy the point of view and perspectives that each individual or collective brings.
Case in point – Plant AM, Plant PM at Room 14 Space in Pearl’s Hill Terrace. Founder Luis Princep Fabra has brought together a diverse group of artists, both local and international, and mounted an immersive show that engages with nature and plant life through diverse media and material.
The exhibition makes full use of every available space (including the window panes and ceiling!). In the Feature Image (above) Ong Kian Peng’s A Walk Up Pearl’s Hill, a photogrammetic scan of a Tembusu tree is projected on the ceiling, while Planeswalker’s sound installation Mycelial weaves its way around the room wrapping you in an immersive soundscape.
The show ends soon – the last day is this Sunday, 3 October. You can schedule your visit at: tinyurl.com/3pzcy3vs.
Tiffany Loy’s embroidery sculptures in Lines in Space II evoke corals, shells and other sea creatures.
Daniel Goh’s Transcendent View engages directly with the space, making use of an interior window that opens to a wall to mount his installation of air plants, teak wood, branches and stones.
The show incorporates works by individuals from related fields. Here, artisanal furniture maker Yu Hua’s wooden table and tree burl.
More handmade wood objects and a desk by furniture maker Yu Hua
Kerryn “Kiki” Salter’s Holding My/Our Space captures the visual and ambient harmony of man-made and natural elements in a community park.
Ashley Yeo’s intricate and fragile paper cut work Blue #3.
Artist and scientific botanical illustrater Loh Xiang Yun’s Blooms are numbered is created on thermal paper, proferring an “exhibition bouquet” that will last only from 10 September – 3 October 2021, when the print will fade away.
Scientist-artist Isabelle Desjeux has installed two works in the show. Here, her Solargraphy time-capture. The camera, made from a recycled drink can and photo-sensitive paper, will be “open” for the duration of the exhibition, creating a weather report of the period.
Isabelle Desjeux, Camera Obscura [Bring The Plants In] engages directly with both the exterior and interior of the space, bringing the field and tree located outside the gallery into the inside, complete with the window bars.
Yarli Allison’s PRISON? GARDEN! is an AR Interactive Installtion. Through an AR filter, the artist welcomes visitors into her fantastic garden of pixels.
Fabra has created comfortable seating areas and placed curious and fascinating books like this one about the space.