Holy Sculpture Square

When a 129-year-old church is restored into a home for art specifically for sculptures, it can only breathe holy life into the works, the artists, the staff and all those who visit it.

It was a perfect meeting of the minds between businessman Edmund Cheng and sculptor Sun Yu Li. The sculptor dreamed of converting the old Baba church into Singapore’s first art venue devoted to three-dimensional art. The concept clicked and Sculpture Square was born.

Purposely designated for the advancement of three-dimensional art practice and production, it welcomes not only artists from Singapore but also from the Southeast Asian region.

Swee Lin Tay, general manager of Sculpture Square, explains, "For artists and the artistic community, we offer programs that will highlight and examine prevailing approaches to creativity. We wish to push towards fresh approaches and stimulate new ways of thinking. Therefore, the programs will include locally and regionally curated exhibitions, traveling exhibits, artist/writer/curator residencies as well as symposiums and workshops."

She particularly noted the emphasis on getting the young ones involved. "In promoting 3-D art forms, we run regular programs tailored for children and the youth. They are meant to involve direct interaction with the exhibiting artists. Plans for what are termed ‘enrichment classes’ are also underway."

Upon arriving at Sculpture Square, I was greeted by a most colorful and sparkling sculpture called "Moleculux" done by Chng Nai Wee.

These "luminescent bodies in hyperspace" are apparently the very first outdoor sculptural light installation of the young art venue, which is proving to be a great attraction to the Waterloo hub of artists and art aficionados.

As I enjoyed moving around the sculpture, I was surprised to learn that the artist is actually a doctor, a practicing ophthalmologist. In plain words, the artist pointed out that he has always been "fascinated by the intricate relationship between technology and artistic creativity." Viewing his work is like getting that colorful bursting sparkle that is experienced upon closing one’s eyes immediately after looking at something very bright or looking directly at the sun.

Inside the main gallery, I had the great pleasure to meet the artist Han Sai Por, a frail-looking woman with a dainty voice. Don’t be fooled by that – she projects a powerful personality that could only come from one who is deeply in touch with her inner being. Her works in stone are massive yet meditative. They speak of a person of character and integrity. In my perception, she is an evolved soul who is near her nirvana.

In an adjacent gallery is an exhibition of very intriguing works by Baet Yeok Kuan. They’re free-standing compositions of rusted mild steel and fiberglass sitting quietly on the floor inciting tension. The organic forms seemingly "trapped " in welded metal provoke a riveting emotion and even though I could not make out what they were, they affected me and drew me to stare at them long enough to sense a wrenching feeling. Then I read the catalog and realized that I reacted accordingly to his pieces because they "depict the parallels of the complex existence one encounters in relation to the worldwide instability that pervades the present time." His works challenge the intellect and emotion. He is definitely one sculptor who can offer enrichment to the young art life of Singapore .

Sculpture Square is a welcome venue for the consistently growing audience for sculpture. The exhibiting areas are not as large as the regular venues for sculpture in America, but the spaces are sufficient for regular scale pieces. There is always the ground area in front for bigger sculptures and the cozy courtyard with trees and greenery right in the middle of the structure. Here, chairs and tables are arranged in an open café style.

"How wonderful to sit here and chat about art," I told Swee Lin.

"Yes, it really is, let’s sit down so I can tell you a bit more of what we have for this year, " she said. She informed me that there is a forthcoming exhibition involving artists from the Philippines. "Sculpture Square is collaborating with Judy Freya Sibayan and she selected five Filipino artists to participate in the exhibit. For the whole year, we will have exhibits from the Southeast Asian neighbors and the Philippines is first in the program."

Judy Sibayan confirmed that she is curating this exhibition with Matt Price, an independent curator from Birmingham, England. Price holds an MA in Curating from the Royal College of Art in London, while Judy is an artist with an MFA degree from Otis Art Institute, which is connected with Parsons School of Design. She owns and curates Scapular Gallery Nomad and is currently an assistant professor in the field of communications at De La Salle University.

The title of the exhibit to be sent to Sculpture Square is "XS XL" and the participating Filipino artists are Ces Avencena, Dan Raralio, Katya Guerrero, Sid Hildawa and Gerry Tan.

To support the artistic development of 3-D art by providing a platform for regional artistic exchange is great news for sculptors in Asia. It also serves as a big encouragement to those who wish ( who probably hesitated before) to pursue the field. Asian sculpture may finally be getting the attention it deserves. It’s about time.