It was the sound of Paresh Maity's bells that welcomed me to Art Stage at the Marina Bay Sands. It set the tone, if you will of what was to come. It was almost as if those bells mirrored my excitement, ringing frequently, almost urging me on down the escalator to the lower levels. The persistent ring of bells gave way to an engineering feat, a marvel, something that made my sweet husband, not from the art world at all, say, 'Wow, that's almost like science!' And yes, it was. Zulkifle Mahmod's sound based installation using glass laboratory equipment was incredible. Not only was it delicate as it was made of glass, it was gentle in motion, glass tapping on glass, animated and robotic, yet beautiful to look at.
Almost immediately, the idea of materials and how they lend themselves to the art work came to mind. Instead of simply reading images, one also needs to 'read' materials. In many cases, it becomes another layer of meaning one can use to understand the artist's point of view. As I walked through the booths, (and I didn't even cover half of them!), it was the shear plethora of materials that caught my eye. If Mahmod's sound installation didn't drive home the point, then Contini Art's Enzo Fiore definitely did with his piece entitled 'Genesis'. This piece consisted of a portrait of Andy Warhol made entirely out of organic materials and resin.
From the earthy to the sublime, materials can create an atmosphere of wonder, sometimes bordering on theatrical. Sometimes, technical expertise becomes art, and artists become master manipulators of material.
Illusory clouds on sheets of glass, images somewhat magically appearing in mirrors, metal sheets and glasses of water; impermanent things used to illustrate the impermanence of things. This is when materials matter.
That being said, I cannot ignore the tactility of matter, my own back ground as a ceramic artist almost insists that I touch things. It is part of how I learn. Some of the work at Art Stage just begged to be touched. Solidified globules of gold, a multitude of coloured fibres and threads, carefully crafted paper busts that extend like elastic and return to their original position of classical beauty when done. Like I said, I was a kid in a candy store! If you haven't already, do go. I've been, but I'm going again tomorrow!
