OCBC Art Space presents a solo exhibition entitled “Ghost and the Shell” by Singaporean artist Safaruddin Abdul Hamid (Dyn) from 9 to 27 March at OCBC Centre Branch Chulia Street, in collaboration with Chan Hampe Galleries.
Known for his nostalgic depictions of Singapore’s iconic buildings and classic characters, Dyn’s latest body of work is a departure from his previous monocular focus as he pushes further into issues of identity, memory, and connection. In doing so, this body of work asks, “Do places define people or do people define place?”
Working in pairs and his signature poster art aesthetic, Dyn depicts figures on one canvas and buildings or places on the other. The connections may not be familiar to all, yet for certain generations of Singaporeans the pairs are inextricably linked. The artist says, “This series is essentially a research project based on questions I had about my memories of Singapore and why certain people and places always somehow seemed parts of a whole.”
The exhibition title refers to the Japanese manga cartoon “Ghost in the Shell,” which in turn is a play on philosophical mind-body problem famously summarized by British philosopher Gilbert Ryle as “ghost in the machine.” Dyn says, “This question of where identity resides is of interest to me. In this case, however, instead of the mind-body connection, I wanted to consider how our memory uses key connections to recall past identities. Keeping these related places and figures on physically separate canvases is one way to consider to what extent each identity informs the other.”
“We’re delighted to embark on another year of the OCBC Arts Space programme and especially during SG50, a crucial milestone of Singapore’s history,” says Ching Wei Hong, Chief Operating Officer of OCBC Bank. “OCBC Arts Space allows us to engage with the community in a variety of ways. We are especially proud to commemorate our nation during this landmark year, support local artists by providing a unique platform for new work. Singapore’s art scene is growing rapidly and we’re delighted to be a part of it.”
This exhibition marks the 4th year of the OCBC Arts Space.
Image left: Safaruddin Abdul Hamid (Dyn), Pre-Singapore Bird (2015), Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm
Image right: Safaruddin Abdul Hamid (Dyn), MSA building (old bird nest) (2015), Acrylic on canvas, 102 x 76cm
Venue: OCBC Art Space, OCBC Main Banking Hall, 65 Chulia Street, OCBC Centre
When: 9 - 27 Mar 2015,
