[Ota Fine Arts Singapore] Float: Cheng Ran, Masanori Handa, Jason Lim, Nobuaki Takekawa, Tang Dixin

2020年11月28日 - 12月30日

  • Installation view: "Float", 2020, Ota Fine Arts, Singapore

     

    Ota Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present "Float", a group exhibition featuring five artists from China, Japan and Singapore: Cheng Ran, Masanori Handa, Jason Lim, Nobuaki Takekawa and Tang Dixin. Although each of these artists take different artistic approaches, their works all have a sense of appreciation for landscapes and reflect the recreation of nature within them. With the travel restrictions still in place, we hope to simulate an experience of floating in the flow of the air and sea, through the nine artworks presented in this exhibition. 

     

  • One of the highlights of the exhibition is The Homing Pigeon (2016), a video work by Cheng Ran (b. 1981,...

     

    Video still: Cheng Ran, The Homing Pigeon, 2016, Single channel HD video, colour / sound, 5' 53'', Ed. of 6 + 1 A.P.

    One of the highlights of the exhibition is The Homing Pigeon (2016), a video work by Cheng Ran (b. 1981, China). Cheng participated in a residency program at the New Museum in New York in 2016, during which he created this short video. The work attempts to capture the character of the city from the perspective of a first-time visitor. Homing pigeons rest on power lines while the backdrop is interlaced with the Time Square's iconic billboards, skyscrapers, old buildings, and news updates. In the background, Cheng's voice recites an excerpt from Allen Ginsberg's famed poem, "Howl", written in 1954 - 1955. The poem was in many ways a social commentary with an intense narrative that features those on the margins of society. Written with deep frustration, it was a personal cry for understanding and change towards conforming societal values. In such indirect ways, Cheng's work encapsulates complex marginalization issues that are still relevant today.

     

  • Installation view: Jason Lim, Landscape studies (unglazed terracotta series), 2013

     

    Also featured in this exhibition are three works from the series Landscape studies (unglazed terracotta series) by Jason Lim (b. 1966, Singapore). The mountain-shaped sculptures suggest the artist's delicate sense of creating unconventional shapes inspired by nature. Instead of a direct representation of actual mountains, these works seem to present an imagined landscape. The unique textures of the works guide viewers to reflect on the journey that the artist went through when creating the works by hand. Displayed in the center of the gallery space, the works also resemble islands when viewed from a distance. 

     

  • Masanori Handa's (b. 1979, Japan) drawings from the nakakiyo no entakukei series (2015 - present) are an extension of his...

     

    Detail image: Masanori Handa, nakakiyono, 2015, Watercolour, oil pastel on paper, 76.9 x 76.9 cm

    Masanori Handa's (b. 1979, Japan) drawings from the nakakiyo no entakukei series (2015 - present) are an extension of his installation piece of the same title. 'Nakakiyo no' refers to a traditional Japanese poem that is widely familiar to Japanese people since the Muromachi period as it was often written on "Takarabune (Treasure ship)", with well-wishes of having a good dream on New Year's Day. This poem describes a sea voyage coupled with the comfortable sounds of waves, and dozing away in the middle of the ocean on a long night as if it will never end. 

     

  • Tang Dixin, Blowing White, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 150 x 200 cm

     

    Tang Dixin's (b. 1982, China) paintings present sceneries in a different approach. Blowing White (2016) depicts human figures which are surrounded by an abstract landscape. The human body is a predominant subject matter for the artist, but in many of his works, the body shapes are deformed and as a whole it conveys a sense of vigour of life. In this particular painting, the bodies are apparently merging with the environment, bringing about a surreal feeling. 

     

  • Wave Drawing (2013) by Nobuaki Takekawa (b. 1977, Japan) adds a different sense of nature to this exhibition. With only...

     

    Detail image: Nobuaki Takekawa, Wave Drawing, 2013, Oil on canvas, 162 x 112 cm

    Wave Drawing (2013) by Nobuaki Takekawa (b. 1977, Japan) adds a different sense of nature to this exhibition. With only white and blue oil paint, the artist created shapes of waves intricately on the canvas, layer by layer. Upon a closer look, viewers will be overwhelmed by the feeling of infinite space as if they are facing the sea in person. For the artist, this feeling of infinity is connected to the flow and layers of history.

     

    Ota Fine Arts Singapore invites all to experience this wide diversity of expressions through imagined landscapes.

     

  • Featured Artworks

    • Masanori Handa nakakiyono, 2015 Watercolour, oil pastel on paper 76.9 x 76.9 cm
      Masanori Handa
      nakakiyono, 2015
      Watercolour, oil pastel on paper
      76.9 x 76.9 cm
      Enquire
    • Masanori Handa toononefurino, 2015 Watercolour, oil pastel on paper 77 x 77 cm
      Masanori Handa
      toononefurino, 2015
      Watercolour, oil pastel on paper
      77 x 77 cm
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    • Tang Dixin Blowing White, 2016 Oil on canvas 150 x 200 cm
      Tang Dixin
      Blowing White, 2016
      Oil on canvas
      150 x 200 cm
      USD 38,000.-
      Enquire
    • Tang Dixin Singapore Green, 2020 Oil on canvas 80.3 x 80.3 cm
      Tang Dixin
      Singapore Green, 2020
      Oil on canvas
      80.3 x 80.3 cm
      USD 18,000.-
      Enquire
    • Nobuaki Takekawa Wave Drawing, 2013 Oil on canvas 162 x 112 cm
      Nobuaki Takekawa
      Wave Drawing, 2013
      Oil on canvas
      162 x 112 cm
      Enquire
    • Jason Lim Landscape studies 1 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013 Terracotta H68 x 43 x 30 cm
      Jason Lim
      Landscape studies 1 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013
      Terracotta
      H68 x 43 x 30 cm
      Enquire
    • Jason Lim Landscape studies 2 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013 Terracotta H87 x 52 x 30 cm
      Jason Lim
      Landscape studies 2 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013
      Terracotta
      H87 x 52 x 30 cm
      Enquire
    • Jason Lim Landscape studies 3 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013 Terracotta H77 x 54 x 56 cm
      Jason Lim
      Landscape studies 3 (unglazed terracotta series), 2013
      Terracotta
      H77 x 54 x 56 cm
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    • Cheng Ran The Homing Pigeon, 2016 Single channel HD video, colour / sound 5'53" Edition of 6 plus 1 artist's proof
      Cheng Ran
      The Homing Pigeon, 2016
      Single channel HD video, colour / sound
      5'53"
      Edition of 6 plus 1 artist's proof
      USD 12,000.-
      Enquire

  • About the Artists

    Click on the artists' names to find out more:

    Cheng Ran  |  Masanori Handa  |  Jason Lim  |  Nobuaki Takekawa  |  Tang Dixin