In celebration of the museum’s first anniversary at the Osborne House, The Private Museum is proud to present Strange Connections: Art and Architecture by Richard Hassell. Renowned as the founding director of WOHA Architects, Richard Hassell played a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s new chapter within the historic building.
In May 2023, The Private Museum officially received the keys to the Osborne House, situated atop the hill at 11 Upper Wilkie Road. The century-old house has endured the passage of time, its walls echoing stories. From its colonial-era beginnings as a residence to hosting a myriad of occupants from different historical periods, and now a haven for the arts, the house is a vessel that encapsulates countless narratives.
The exhibition explores the intricate relationship between art and architecture, delving into the historical narratives of Osborne House dating back to the 1830s. As part of research for the museum’s reimagining, Hassell discovered strange connections between the building’s history and his own. The showcase reflects his ongoing investigation into emergent phenomena through playful visual constructions, encouraging contemplation of the interplay between the physical and the abstract, and the historical and the contemporary.
Hassell’s explorations in art began in his childhood, with his practice now spanning drawing, painting, and sculpture. His passion for the scientific, philosophical, and cultural elements of patterns, systems, and networks manifests in both his architecture and art. In particular, his exploration of complex tiling, made public in 2016, had led to exhibitions in Singapore, Taiwan, Europe and the USA.
Strange Connections invites visitors to an exhibition of art and architecture that delves into history, science, and the web of connections that link us all.
The exhibition will be run from 30 May to 28 July 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is delighted to present Rhythmic Resonance: A Collaboration Beyond Boundaries By Andy Yang & Ian de Souza showcasing works from Australian artist Ian de Souza and Singaporean artist Andy Yang.
This exhibition explores themes of collaboration, cultural exchange, and artistic cross-pollination, drawing from de Souza and Yang’s respective practices. Notably, their collaboration began during the pandemic when they exchanged and worked on a series of shared canvases between Singapore and Australia, forging an artistic connection without ever meeting in person. Upon the reopening of borders after the pandemic, Andy Yang’s visits to Fremantle in Perth, where Ian de Souza resides, marked significant turning points in their collaboration.
Their backgrounds in the world of music allowed them to appreciate the intricate interplay of rhythm and harmony. This musical connection echoed in their collaborative artistic process, where they approached their canvases like a dynamic composition, blending colours and brushstrokes like notes in a harmonious symphony.
Beyond their shared artistic interests, the two artists discovered an even deeper connection rooted in their common origins. Both Ian and Andy were born in Malaysia, which provided a profound sense of shared cultural heritage and identity.
Alongside the showcase of their respective artworks, the exhibition also features a series of unique collaborative artworks jointly created by both artists. Experience how meaningful exchanges can transform artistic practice, and be inspired by de Souza and Yang’s journey of collaboration, partnership, and creative growth.
The exhibition will be run from 2 November to 10 December 2023.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is pleased to present Dancing with the Cosmos: Three Decades of Work from Kumari Nahappan, a solo exhibition surveying prominent Singaporean artist Kumari Nahappan’s three-decade-long artistic practice, curated by John Z.W. Tung. This showcase will be the first of the museum’s upcoming line-up of programmes at its new premise, featuring over 50 works which include Nahappan’s monumental site-specific installations, paintings and sculptures, some of which are re-creations of past iterations that have not been seen by the public since the mid-1990s.
Inspired by the Hindu cosmological notion of cyclical time, Dancing with the Cosmos organises the artworks not chronologically but by colour, allowing visitors to witness the diverse yet interconnected nature of Nahappan’s practice. Nature, rituals, time and space are themes that have long been part of Nahappan’s works and are also encapsulated throughout the exhibition. Each intimate space reflects specific colours that take prominence at various periods of Nahappan’s practice, representative of a diversity of themes and a recurrence of Nahappan’s interests over an expanse of time.
Characterised by constant evolution, Nahappan’s varied employment of materiality from organic matter to man-made structures and found objects breathes new life into her pieces, allowing them to transcend two-dimensional visuality and engage with the senses on multiple levels. Immersing in Nahappan’s fields of colour, Dancing with the Cosmos: Three Decades of Work from Kumari Nahappan allows visitors to contend with the existence of these countless universes and their cycles.