About Chandrasekaran S.
Renowned in Asia as a sculptor, installation and performance artist,
Chandrasekaran has exhibited and been commissioned to create sculptures around
the world. A recipient of the National Arts Council's Young Artist Award in
1993, Chandrasekaran has been invited to participate in many international arts
festivals, including International Artist's Conference, Japan; Bagiuo Arts
Festival, Philippines; French Arts Festival, France; Havana Biennial, Cuba;
Asia-Pacific Performance '97, Canada; and the International Performance Art
Festival, New Faces of Asia, Poland. Recently, he represented Singapore in major
shows including the Outdoor Banner Event Artist and Poets for the 49th Venice
Biennale, Italy; 10th Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh; and the Yokohama
International Open Air Exhibition, Japan. Some of Chandrasekaran's commissioned
sculptures can be found in Portland Quarry Sculpture Park, UK, and the World
Sculpture Park, China.
Chandrasekaran's never-seen-before drawings to raise funds
for Brother Joseph McNally Development Fund
La Salle Press Release: Tuesday, 1 October 2002
Established artist, Chandrasekaran S., explores the relationship between
contemporary space and the human body in a solo exhibition of drawings to raise
funds for LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts' new campus. Entitled "akasa" (meaning
"ethereal space" in Sanskrit), the exhibition will be officially opened by Guest
of Honour, Mr Liu Thai Ker, Chairman of National Arts Council, at Earl Lu
Gallery on Wednesday, 9 October 2002 at 6.30pm.
akasa in One Series No. 12
1996
pen on paper
210mm x 150mm
Renowned in Asia for his performance art, sculptures and installations,
Chandrasekaran will showcase never-seen-before drawings which comment on the
effects of urbanisation on contemporary space and how the human body has been
modified to fit that space. In the past, architecture and spatial design
revolved around people and the buildings' intended purpose. Today, people have
to adapt to contemporary space, sometimes changing their body structure and
social interactions to suit their surroundings.
Chandrasekaran has been working on drawings since his 1996 exhibition, Icons.
"Drawing is the most fundamental process in art making. It's a scribble of a
thought and the backbone of all art forms", he says. The curator of the
exhibition, Binghui Huangfu, Director, Earl Lu Gallery, adds "Often the
privilege of seeing drawn work is that the artist bears the 'tracks' of an idea.
This is often lost in the final realisations of art be it painting, installation
or performance. In those expressions, we are given the refinement of a thought.
We are presented with the end result of a process. In drawing, we witness the
process." The drawings, inspired by Sanskrit and Indian aesthetics, reflect
Chandrasekaran's diversity as an artist.
Chandrasekaran, who is the Head of School of Fine Art at LASALLE-SIA, has
committed to donate half of the sale proceeds from the exhibition to the Brother
Joseph McNally Development Fund. The Fund was established in September 2002 in
memory of the College's founder, the late Brother Joseph McNally. akasa is the
first of a series of planned fundraising activities since the establishment of
the Fund that will contribute to the development of the new campus.
Guided tours for the public may be arranged with Earl Lu Gallery. akasa is
supported by Lee Foundation Singapore.
LASALLE-SIA New City Campus
As part of the Singapore government's plans to upgrade LASALLE-SIA into a
world-class arts institution, LASALLE-SIA will move to a new city campus on a
one-hectare site in the Rochor area, bound by Prinsep Street, Short Street and
Albert Street. The new site will provide easy access for the public to attend
the College's growing number of concerts and exhibitions and will have
convenient access for the College's full-time and part-time students and the
many people who enrol each semester in LASALLE-SIA's Art Enrichment Programme.
Construction work is anticipated to commence by January 2004 with the project
expected to be completed by end-2005. The College is scheduled to move into the
new campus by mid-2006.
Source: LaSalle College of the Arts
Chandrasekaran's drawings for Brother McNally's
Development Fund
Deep Within
Established artist, Chandrasekaran S., explores the relationship between
contemporary space and the human body in a solo exhibition of drawings to raise
funds for LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts' new campus.
Entitled "akasa" (meaning "ethereal space" in Sanskrit), the exhibition will be
officially opened by Guest of Honour, Mr Liu Thai Ker, Chairman of National Arts
Council, at Earl Lu Gallery on Wednesday, 9 October 2002 at 6.30pm.
Renowned in Asia for his performance art, sculptures and installations,
Chandrasekaran will showcase never-seen-before drawings which comment on the
effects of urbanisation on contemporary space and how the human body has been
modified to fit that space.
In the past, architecture and spatial design revolved around people and the
buildings' intended purpose. Today, people have to adapt to contemporary space,
sometimes changing their body structure and social interactions to suit their
surroundings
Chandrasekaran has been working on drawings since his 1996 exhibition, Icons.
"Drawing is the most fundamental process in art making. It's a scribble of a
thought and the backbone of all art forms", he says. The drawings, inspired by
Sanskrit and Indian aesthetics, reflect Chandrasekaran's diversity as an artist.
Chandrasekaran, who is the Head of School of Fine Art at LASALLE-SIA, has
committed to donating half of the sale proceeds from the exhibition to the
Brother McNally Development Fund.
The Fund was established in September 2002 in memory of the College's founder,
the late Brother Joseph McNally. akasa is the first of a series of planned
fundraising activities since the establishment of the Fund that will contribute
to the development of the new campus.
Guided tours for the public may be arranged with Earl Lu Gallery. akasa is
supported by Lee Foundation Singapore.
As part of the Singapore government's plans to upgrade LASALLE-SIA into a
world-class arts institution, LASALLE-SIA will move to a new city campus on a
one-hectare site in the Rochor area, bound by Prinsep Street, Short Street and
Albert Street. Construction work is anticipated to commence by January 2004 with
the project expected to be completed by end-2005. The College is scheduled to
move into the new campus by mid-2006
Source: Special thanks to the
author: Kwok Kian Chow
Trimurti
In 1988, Salleh Japar, Goh
Ee Choo and S. Chandrasekaran, all graduates of NAFA in the late-1980s,
presented Trimurti, a multi-media presentation comprising paintings,
sculptures, installations and performances. The three artists -- a Malay, a
Chinese and an Indian -- had chosen the Hindu composite of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva symbolising creation, preservation and dissolution to show that different
cultural and religious backgrounds could exist together harmoniously.
"Trimurti", wrote the artists, "transformed (sic) air art space into an
energy space, a stage where the cosmic happening of creation, destruction and
preservation which occurs in continuity and exists side by side using
multi(media) expressions in paintings, sculptures, installations and
performances. All three manifestations and expressions will be merged into one
single happening, relating one to the other, expressing the total art concept."
The three artists continued to do multi-media innovative works, drawing from
multiple inspirations - indigenous materials, ethnic and religious themes,
social commentaries and philosophical concepts. Examples of recent works are
Salleh's Mechanical Learning, Chandrasekaran's Visvayoni and Goh's
The Word.
Cosmic Bug II
Cosmic Bug II
This performance will be a static performance which will try to problematize the
logic relationship between Man and Space in having to be domesticated or
institutionalized; therefore, it creates the possibility of disorder/order
within its own structure.
As the work struggles to achieve the total experience between disorder and order
within the spatial architectonics, it goes through a process of having to
re-negotiate new meanings and make decisions that create new boundaries.
This very struggle for re-negotiating new boundaries is defined in process of
this performance, which indeed poses a problem for modern civilization and calls
for an investigation to the complexities of finding new meanings for
cross-cultural identities and our own psyches.
The performance will also intend to build a spatial trajectory with the audience
through tension and strain, challenging the ‘normal’ walking process in the
walkway.
Chandrasekaran is currently the
Head of School of Fine Art at LASALLE-SIA. He is also pursuing a doctorate in
Contemporary Art with Curtin University, Australia
Chandrasekaran S. was born in Singapore and received his art training from
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Distinction) from
Curtin University, Perth, Australia. He was also awarded a scholarship grant for
his Master’s in India under Curtin University and is currently working on his
Doctor of Creative Arts with Curtin University (2002-2005).
Recently he represented Singapore at the 49th Venice Biennale. He has
participated in many international art festivals including the International
Artists Conference (Japan), Bagiuo Arts Festival (Philippines), French Arts
Festival (France), Havana Biennial (Cuba), and International Performance Art
Festival (Poland). He was also commissioned to work in World Sculpture Park at
Changchun International Sculpture Symposium, China 2001.
Excerpt from Gunalan Nadarajan's Notes Toward a
Diasporean Aesthetics
Parasite Presence
S. Chandrasekaran is a second-generation Indian migrant whose art practice
embraces a variety of media and genres: specifically, painting, sculpture,
action-installations and performance art. He has at various points in his
artistic career characterized his art as parasitic and himself as a parasite in
his performance works. It is useful therefore to unpack the theoretical
possibilities within this concept of the parasite especially on how it coheres
with a diasporean aesthetics.
Parasite - the term "para" - in Greek refers to beyond, being outside of and
being beside. Interestingly the word, parasite is seen to have a historical
connection to an ancient Greek practice of admitting poor to certain feasts
after sacrifice. These poor who were dependent on others for their meals were by
Roman times referred to as "parasites" (deriving from the Greek, "para" -
"beside" and "sitos" - "food". Thus, the more scientific usage which employs the
word to refer to organisms that depend on and feed off others. The parasite,
however is a dependency sustained by a simultaneously proximate and distant
relationship to its host.
In order to further elaborate the complex meanings of the notion of the parasite
for our purposes let me employ briefly the works of Jacques Derrida. Though he
has at various points in his career discussed this notion at some length and
with different associations I would like to cite his essay, "Limited Inc., a.b.c..."
The parasite, he says there, is "never simply alien to and separable from the
body to which it is transplanted or which it already haunts." The affinities of
the notion of parasite with that of the diasporic individual is already
apparent. He argues further that the "the parasite is by definition never simply
external, never simply something that can be excluded from or kept outside of
the body "prope", shut put from the ?familial? table or house. Parasitism takes
place when the parasite (called thus by the owner, jealously defending his own,
his oikos), comes to live off the life of the body in which it resides - and
when, reciprocally, the host incorporates the parasite to an extent, willy nilly,
offering it with a place. The parasite then ?takes place?. And at bottom,
whatever violently "takes place" or occupies a site is always something of a
parasite. Never quite taking place is thus part of its performance, of its
success as an event, of its taking place." (90) The spatial logic of the
parasite which is that of taking place even while being "implacable" is affinal
to that of the diasporic individual who continuously struggles with what is
properly his / her place.
Having faithfully followed and carefully examined Chandrasekaran's works I have
found the notion of the parasite to be extremely useful in making sense of his
works of the last 12 years. However, his parasitic ventures into the diasporic
imaginary have gone through several phases.
THE GUEST STUDIOS
LKV has 2 guest studios (50 m2, headroom 3,8 m) with guest apartments in a
neighboring building. Each apartment has accommodation for 2 persons.
The studios and apartments are offered free of charge to artists of all
nationalities for periods of 1 - 3 months (shorter or longer stays can be
negotiated).
The studios are equipped with basic tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, stapl-gun.
Guest artists obtain access to all workshops (except the video workshop) by
paying a fee of NOK 600. Prices for using the video workshop: see workshops.
Guest artists may be asked to give a presentation of their work in the form of
slide lectures for invited artists and art students.
Guest artists may use their studio or one of the project rooms to exhibit their
work.
LKV is a member of the international association for residential art centers,
Res Artis (for more information: Res Artis).
The artist residency program at LKV is sponsored by Trondheim kommune and
Sřr-Trřndelag fylkeskommune.
Chandrasekaran from Singapore has had a residency at LKV.
Art in Transit
Memoirs of the Past by S
Chandrasekaran. These evocative, sepia-toned works celebrate al lthat is unique
about Indian culture in Singapore. The influence of traditional Indian folk art
comes through in the distinctive metal grilles at the station entrances and the
elaborate floor works in bronze and granite inside the station. Animal paintings
allude to the buffalo stables that used to be in the area in the past.
Press Releases
SPEECH BY MR KHAW BOON WAN, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT AND
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS & THE ARTS AT THE LAUNCH OF THE NORTH EAST LINE "ART
IN TRANSIT" PROGRAMME ON 6 JUNE 2003 AT 10.00 AM AT FARRER PARK MRT STATION
Art In Transit
In 1985, when I was tasked to commission and run the newly built National
University Hospital, my team decided to make it a different public hospital.
Among other things, we decided to brighten up the hospital by introducing art
pieces to the wards and corridors.
Art in Hospital
But we had no budget for such an adventure. So, we went around, begging for
donations of paintings. Dr Earl Lu was the first to respond to our call. He was
generous with his many paintings of the roses.
McDonald's adopted one X-ray suite and decorated it up especially for the
children. We became the first public hospital to incorporate art in our
buildings. That was more than 15 years ago.
At that time, I remembered discussing the subject of "art in hospital" with a
German hospital CEO. He said that it was sometimes a headache for him. I asked
why. He explained that Germans had a long artistic tradition, with strong
discerning tastes. So once in a while, he would get a patient demanding to be
moved to another room just because the painting was not to his liking! I told
the German hospital CEO that the patient could not be very sick then.
Fortunately for me, our patients here were not as fussy.
We have come some way from the early days of merely hanging up paintings in
hospital wards. A few years later, when I was involved in the design and
planning of the KK Women & Children's Hospital, we were able to justify a modest
budget for interior-décor as part of the project cost. I was especially keen on
doing it properly for the KK Children's Hospital as most children find
hospitalisation to be traumatic. Any way to relieve their anxiety and distract
them from their fear is therefore welcome. This was what I learnt from the NUH
McDonald's X-ray suite experience, which became a popular destination for many
paediatric patients.
Indeed, a sensitive application of interior décor can produce an outcome with
value that far exceeds the cost. By consciously planning and incorporating the
art at the outset into the hospital design, we actually do not need a large
incremental budget. By further involving the community and leveraging on
corporate support, it is possible to elevate the art in hospital programme to a
higher plane and sustain it.
I was therefore most happy to join the TTSH staff a fortnight ago when SCO
hosted a lunch time performance in their lobby. It was spirit lifting for our
SARS-fighters, not to mention the therapeutic value of music in healing.
From Hospital to MRT
This morning we witness another application of the art for the common good. From
art in hospital, we now see another quantum leap in the incorporation of the art
in MRT.
Like hospitals, the earlier MRT stations have not neglected the display of
paintings and sculptures. But this morning's event marks a major leap from
merely putting up art pieces to embedding the art into building finishes. It is
"art-inside": fusing art and science, art and engineering.
Historically, transit systems around the world have boasted artistic elements,
from the elaborate pillars of the Moscow subway system to the art nouveau
entrances of the Paris Metro.
Our North East Line now joins this distinguished list, not just for its
distinctive station designs, but also because of the artworks of 19 local
artists embedded within. These include the works of Cultural Medallion winners
Chua Ek Kay, Goh Beng Kwan, Tan Swie Hian and Teo Eng Seng. There are also works
by our other talents, including S Chandrasekaran, Vincent Leow and Matthew Ngui.
Arts Everywhere
The 19 artists, working on diverse media forms such as stained glass, mosaic and
ceramics, have each brought their own distinctive style and approach to the NEL
stations. Through their efforts, they have elevated public art in Singapore to a
massive scale.
The significance of this assignment is that these artworks were not an
afterthought. They were part and parcel of the conceptualisation of NEL right
from the start. This has enabled the artworks to be carefully integrated into
each station's architecture, without causing any increase in budget. For
example, the floor and the walls have to be tiled anyway. But by incorporating
the art works into the design and the selection of the tiles, we achieved a
wonderful outcome without any increase in cost.
As a result, we have today 16 stations, which together form a 'horizontal art
museum' along our North-East corridor. It stands as a day-to-day testimony of
the creative talents of the Singaporean artist community, besides enhancing and
enriching our environment.
Art and Heritage
The artworks cover a wide range of subjects. They reflect not only the diverse
backgrounds of their artists, but also the communities that the North East Line
runs through and serves.
For example, at this Farrer Park station, the artworks bring back memories of
Farrer Park's sporting history. The illustration of horses reminds us that our
turf club had its origin in Farrer Park, something the younger Singaporeans may
not be aware.
The first aircraft landed in Singapore here, at the old racecourse in 1919 -
hence the illustration of an aeroplane in the artworks.
And at Hougang station, residents have literally left their mark on the station
walls, as their handprints are now there for all to see.
The artworks give the stations identity and colour while enhancing the travel
experience. Such public art will nurture an understanding between the public and
the artistic community, by connecting them and bringing art closer to the
people. This is a wonderful application of MITA's "Arts Everywhere" initiative.
Public Education
But our work does not end with the commissioning and installation of these art
pieces. What is needed now is a continuous public education programme, which
will help commuters better understand and appreciate these works of art.
We will work with SBS Transit on this. Brochures about the artists and the art
works will be available at the stations. Schools can then organise field trips
to NEL, for the students to hop from station to station as they take in the
talents of the artists.
LTA has also published a book that documents the challenges faced in fulfilling
this public art programme. The book will be a meaningful keepsake for future
generations.
Together, all these efforts will help raise awareness and appreciation of the
arts. A MITA colleague had a further brainwave. He thinks that SBS Transit
should organise mid-night art museum tours of these NEL stations, so that night
birds have another activity to engage in and be inspired, besides adding to the
buzz of Singapore! It is an innovative idea, but I am not sure if there is
sufficient demand.
Acknowledgement
Let me take this opportunity to make special mention of some of the people
behind this project. Dr Ho Kah Leong chaired the Art Review Panel. He had able
team mates like Dr Earl Lu, Mr Wee Chwee Heng and the late Brother Joseph
McNally. The Art Review Panel spent many hours working with the engineers,
architects and the artists to develop the art concepts.
Their work was co-ordinated by Ms Constance Sheares, the former curator of the
Singapore Museum. She played a key role in balancing the aspirations of the
artists with LTA's stringent technical requirements.
The artworks would not have been possible without the efforts of the
contractors, who combined their construction expertise with the artists'
creativity to produce the artworks that we see today.
And of course, our deepest gratitude to the 19 artists who gave generously of
their time and talents to this project. For them, this is national service.
My congratulations to the artists, architects, engineers and contractors for
your outstanding contribution to the Art in Transit. Your vision, dedication and
talents will enrich and inspire the lives of many as they ride on the North East
Line daily.
It is now my pleasure to launch the Art in Transit Programme.
The 22nd UOB Painting Of The Year Exhibition
All 16 prize-winning and 34 highly commended entries from the Competition are on
display at the 22nd UOB Painting Of The Year Exhibition.
The Exhibition, open to members of the public, is being held at Jendela,
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay from 19 July to 17 August 2003, 11.00 am to 8.30
pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 10.00 am to 8.30 pm (Saturdays, Sundays & Public
Holidays). The Exhibition is closed on Mondays. Admission is free.
From 12 to 17 August 2003, a collective display of the recent works of last
year's Painting Of The Year winner, Mr Gong Yao Min, will also be on exhibit at
the Exhibition.
Judges
Judging for this year's Competition was carried out by a panel of two overseas
and three local judges. They were:
Local Judges
Dr Kenson Kwok (Chief Judge)
Director, Asian Civilisations Museum
Mr Chandrasekaran S.
Sculptor, Installation & Performance Artist
Former Head of School of Fine Art, LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts
Mr David Tay
President, Photographic Society of Singapore
Overseas Judges
Dr Cheng Haw-Chien (from Malaysia)
President, Central Academy of Arts
Mr Jogen Chowdhury (from India)
Professional Artist
