Singapour mon amour: Politics and poetics of space(s)

17 June – 12 July 2015, Point Ephémère, Paris

Press Kit Singapour mon amour

Beyond the blazing power of Singapore, the artists of this city-state explore the social impact of its meteoric rise to first world nation that in fifty years has radically transformed their city and culture. To discover their gaze, their questioning, Singapour mon amour is conceived as a series of artistic interventions in Paris where the French public is invited, at each step, to appropriate an aspect of contemporary culture in Singapore.

Singapore mon amour is an invitation to explore the world of the young Singaporean scene as an artistic tour in Paris. Visitors can fully immerse themselves in the various approaches presented at their own pace: performances at the Église St Merry, a visual art exhibition accompanied by poetry readings at Point Ephémère, avant-garde film screenings at the  Cinémathèque Française as well as academic conferences at the Centre Pompidou and the Musée du Quai Branly.

Each event was conceived by Silke Schmickl, artistic director of Singapore mon amour, to exist by itself while entering into dialogue with others. The subtle links that exist between the different presented preoccupations, practices and disciplines are put in perspective so as to form a polyphonic and unexpected portrait of Singapore.

Another originality of Singapore mon amour is to be conceived from a dialogue between artists, art historians, Singaporean intellectuals and their French counterparts. By combining  perspectives beyond the local context, the invited participants will reflect on the ability of artists to enter urban, social and political phenomena. In this young country where art history is barely being written Singapour mon amour wishes to contribute, to present and to collect as many sources of testimonies and possible reflections.

Singapour mon amour: The emergence and vicissitudes of an art scene
4 June 2015 - Colloquium @ Musée du Quay Branly

This colloquium will reflect under a theoretical perspective on the visual art, film, performance and literature modules of the project “Singapour mon amour” curated by Lowave. Thematic sessions according to these art genres will draw a bigger picture of the artistic creation in Singapore and will inscribe it into an international art discourse. As a young country, Singapore's art history is still the process of being written and the colloquium aims to collect as many direct sources and witnesses as possible.

Singapour mon amour: INTER|actions
5 & 7 June 2015 - Performance @ Éligse Saint Merry

Over the weekend, Singaporean artists will participate in a correspondence with French artists to collaborate on a variety of commissioned performances ranging from live ciné-concert with Ho Tzu Nyen's masterpiece EARTH, to body performances by Urich Lau and Ezzam Rahman and a sound installation by Bani Haykal. Each piece will focus on the capacity of the moving body - the human, filmic and musical - to produce through provoking forms and highlight the strength of interdisciplinary collaborations.

Singapour mon amour: Artists talks
6 June 2015: Conferences @ Centre G. Pompidou

Ho Tzu Nyen and Sookoon Ang, two important artists from the Singaporean scene, present their work showing images, documents and videos. This presentation will be followed by a panel on contemporary creation in Singapore; Jason Wee, writer, curator and visual artist, Silke Schmickl (Lowave), Catherine David and Kathryn Weir (Centre Pompidou) will join the artists for the discussion.

Singapour mon amour: Politics and poetics of space(s)
17 June - 12 July 2015 - Photography Exhibition @ Point Ephémère

This exhibition presents a selection of Singapore's most striking photographers and poets who dedicate their artistic research to tracking urban developments in the city. The exhibition set up will juxtapose photographic images with contemporary urban poetry that aims to create a critical discourse between the physical architecture and the personal nuances of everyday humanity in this collective environment.

Singapour mon amour: Singapore Electric Soul
12 June & 3 July 2015 : Experimental film screenings @ Cinémthèque Française

Curated in cooperation with Sorbonne professor and avant-garde film programmer Nicole Brenez, the experimental film screenings present a selection of contemporary Singaporean art films that deal with the question of local identities and their translation through the moving image.

In partnership with Singapour en France - le Festival (www.singapour-lefestival.com)

Supported by the Singapore International Foundation and the Singapore Internationale Arts Grant

Hosted in Paris by Centre Pompidou, Musée du Quai Branly, Rendez-vous Contemporains (Église Saint Merry), Point Ephémère, and Cinémathèque Français.