Cipher presents a series of works created during the pandemic, when Sharma spent most of his time at home, looking at images of the world outside through his computer screen. The artist collected images from the news and various media sources, and layered and collaged them using Freehand software, where he processed the raw images by subtracting details so that only vague outlines of the forms remain. Sharma’s artistic intervention determines the degree of abstraction of each composite image, and in how he chooses to fill in certain areas with colour to create rhythm and suggest new forms.
The result is a composition that retains vestiges of the original images, coalescing into a new one in our mind’s eye. These works hover tantalisingly between figuration and abstraction: we can half-decipher parts of it, but full legibility eludes us, like a code that must be cracked – a visual cipher.
Click on link for more information: https://appetitesg.com/event/cipher/
A sharp and concise piece for anyone who is looking to catch up with Sharma’s artistic trajectory.
Access the full article via the link: https://artandmarket.net/
Congratulations to Melissa Tan on unveiling her new public artwork, The Darkness which Reveals at the new Siglap MRT station, as part of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) Art in Transit programme.
Also, congratulations to the other artists involved in the project including Bani Haykal (Tanjong Rhu Station), Sit Weng San & Tania De Rozario (Katong Park Sta.), Sim Chi Yin (Tanjong Katong Sta.), Ang Sookoon (Marine Parade Sta.), Moses Tan (Marine Terrace Sta.) and Bruce Quek (Bayshore Sta.)
Commuters will be able to enjoy the artworks of all mentioned artists when Stage 4 of TEL officially opens on 23 June.
|About the Artwork|
The origin of ‘Siglap’ may be traced to a 19th century solar eclipse that occurred in tandem with Tok Lasam’s arrival by ship under the cover of darkness. Siglap is derived from the Malay word, ‘Gelap’ which means darkness that conceals.
The Darkness which Reveals references the method in which the terrain of the moon is studied. In space the strength of light can help determine the distance of objects far away. This work utilized mapping data which shows the moon’s uneven surface and shadows. The metal perforations are transmuted from these shadows. Just as the moon reflects sunlight, the reflective metal mirrors this phenomenon, providing an illusion of iridescence.
Darkness is reconsidered, not as concealing, but as revealing information and fragmented stories of Tok Lasam’s arrival by sea.
Image Credit: Artist Melissa Tan with her work, The Darkness Which Reveals, at Siglap station. ST Photo: Kua Chee Siong
Access the full article via the link:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/time-after-time-a-first-look-at-new-art-in-transit-installations-at-tel-stage-4-stations
We are delighted to share a discerning review of Jeremy Sharma’s recent solo exhibition in Artforum’s May 2024 Issue, Vol. 62, No.9. The exhibition ran from 13 Jan – 9 Feb 2024.
Review excerpt, “Even where the content of their imagery engages with history or politics, the paintings as an ensemble eschew taking any definite stance. They are not about catching a moment or halting time, or dissecting lives lived through social media, as with other painters using photography. Sharma does not seem to be concerned with fidelity to the photograph. What comes to the fore is touch or texture; and, reflecting on this, one realizes that even in Sharma’s video and sound works, there is always a palpable sense of surface.”
Full Article Link: https://www.artforum.com/events/sherman-sam-jeremy-sharma-haridas-contemporary-2024-553073/
Haridas Contemporary is delighted to announce representation of dynamic Singaporean painter, Esmond Loh (b. 1995).
Loh works primarily in painting. His current body of work explores the theatrical. Taking inspiration from his memory and imagination, he creates dramatic and ambiguous scenes that combine both abstract and figurative elements.
He graduated in 2019, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (First Class Honours) from the Slade School of Fine Art in London, United Kingdom. He won the prestigious UOB Painting of the Year Award in Singapore in 2012 when he was 17 years old, for his first attempt at oil painting titled Just Let Me Sleep. He also won awards in the same competition in 2018 and 2020 respectively. His works are part of private collections in Singapore, Malaysia and the UK.
Haridas Contemporary is delighted to announce representation of notable Singaporean artist, Jeremy Sharma (b. 1977).
Sharma works with painting, writing and moving images. He teaches at LASALLE College of the Arts and runs bulanjung, an experimental curatorial platform.
Since returning to painting towards the end of the Covid pandemic after more than ten years of absence, Sharma has re-discovered a newfound urgency and intimacy in its representational form. His recent body of works addresses painting’s porosity to apprehend images from various sources (where digitality and screen captures have become ubiquitous), albeit belatedly, in a serial linen and stretcher format that delivers its subject from a mediated world.
Sharma received his BA (Fine Art) from the RMIT (2003) and an MA (Fine Art) from the Open University (2006). Career highlights include solo exhibitions and presentations ‘Recent Paintings’ with Haridas Contemporary (2024), ‘Spectrum Version 2.2’ with Sullivan+Strumpf Gallery (2017), ‘Orbiter and Sonata’ with Michael Janssen Gallery, Berlin (2016), and ‘Apropos’ at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (2012); the Busan Biennale (2014) and the Singapore Biennale (2013).
Congratulations to Melissa Tan on receiving the 2023 Young Artist Award (YAA). She was presented the award by Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong at a ceremony held at the Istana on Dec 5.
Established in 1992, the Young Artist Award is Singapore’s highest award for young arts practitioners, aged 35 and below, whose artistic achievements and commitment have distinguished them from their peers. It encourages young practitioners to continue pursuing excellence in the arts and to inspire others.