In the 1990s, Siew was involved with 5th Passage, a pioneering artist-run initiative that subverted the boundaries of authorized spaces for art in Singapore. Striving to give the “ready-made” public of civic centres access to the arts, 5th Passage was a haven for artists to experiment with a diverse range of art forms, from performance art, installation to photography. Consequently, the initiative provided Siew the chance to display his signature large-scale photography of found objects.

In Objects (II), Siew revisits these landmark works from his 1993 exhibition Objects and Remembrances, the first time he exhibited under the auspices of 5th Passage. Presenting his found-object photographic prints on industrial building materials such as plywood, the images he produced extend beyond the photographic realm into the realm of mixed-media installations, challenging photographic norms of the era.

Recreated using up-to-date printing technologies, his large-scale photo-installations similarly transform spaces into places of meditative repose. As such, Siew’s artworks spark an acute awareness of the distinction existing between perception and sensation – the vicarious experience of sensory information evoked through the imagination, as opposed to the physical experience in itself.

Venue: Gajah Gallery, 39 Keppel Road, #03-04, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065

When: 5 - 29 May 2022, 11 AM - 7 PM (Weekdays) | 12 - 6 PM (Weekends & PH)

By: Gajah Gallery