Artfromdifferent - ReDot Fine Art Gallery

FEATURE
Art
Opposite page:
Burning Lips by David Gerstein, hand-painted laser-cut steel.
This page, clockwise from top right:
Faith by Yaacov Agam, agamograph/lenticular graphic art;
Yaacov Agam; Joy by Calman Shemi, car paint on canvas;
Triangle by Calman Shemi, car paint on canvas.
fromdifferent
Worlds
The burgeoning art scene in Singapore has attracted not just big players and
blockbuster art events but also smaller galleries specialising in works with a
distinct geographical focus. These niche galleries bring art from distinct places
and spaces to enthusiasts in Singapore. We shine the spotlight on three of them.
By Melissa De Silva
Israeli
Art
Bruno Gallery
www.brunoartgroup.com
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Representing 100 mostly Israeli artists, the Bruno Art Group is owned and run by Motti Abramovitz, the third
generation in his family’s art gallery business in Israel and Europe. Bruno Gallery in Singapore opened in 2010
and is its first and only one in Asia. “Singapore is a strategic location and Singapore is in love with Israeli artist
David Gerstein, especially because of his sculpture Momentum at Raffles Quay,” says gallery manager Aleksandra
Lis. “Israel has a tragic history and there is also violence. The artists can be said to escape from the dark side.
They want to show the viewer another image of their country – beautiful nature, colours, light. It’s like saying
‘Let’s heal with art.’” Artists of note: YAACOV AGAM, 86, the country’s best-selling artist worldwide and
founder of kinetic art; CALMAN SHEMI, known for his use of car paint on aluminium panels, with over 70
solo exhibitions worldwide; DAVID GERSTEIN, inventor of the laser cut technique, known for colourful metal
wall sculptures that dot cities around the world.
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FEATURE
Opposite page, clockwise from bottom right:
Jokers by Studio 30, mixed media on canvas;
Street by Alexey Alpatov, mixed media on canvas;
Hug Me! by Studio 30, mixed media on canvas.
This page, clockwise from left:
Mao by Vladimir Kolesnikov, acrylic and oil on canvas;
Rinat Voligamsi; On the Walk by Rinat Voligamsi,
oil on canvas; Trumpeter by Rinat Voligamsi,
oil on canvas.
Russian
Art
11.12 Art Gallery
www.11-12gallery.com
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Elvira and Alexander Sharov opened their first gallery in Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow
in 2005. In November 2012, they opened 11.12 Art Gallery, situated across the road from the Substation,
to introduce Russian art to Singapore. The couple have chosen arresting works of traditional Russian realism,
avant-garde and post-modernism. Besides the growing art industry here, says Elvira, the other thing which drew
them to Singapore is the array of different cultures and nationalities. Artists of note: ALEXEY ALPATOV,
one of the country’s most well-known artists, uses a restricted grey palette to create a photographic quality;
STUDIO 30, creates works which revolve around aspects of modernity and virtual reality; RINAT VOLIGAMSI,
is quirky, humorous, deeply moving and noteworthy for his photorealism genre; VLADIMIR KOLESNIKOV,
is known for his anatomically exact drawings.
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FEATURE
This page, clockwise from left:
Sonia Kurarra;
Antara by Betty Kuntiwa Pumani, acrylic on linen;
Tjitjiti by Carlene West, acrylic on linen;
Martuwarra’ by Sonia Kurarra, atelier acrylic on canvas.
Opposite page, clockwise from top right:
Mututa Tjukurpa by Harry Tjutjuna, acrylic on linen;
Skin by Joshua Bonson, synthetic polymer paint on
canvas; Maliki Jukurrpa (Domestic Dog Dreaming)
by Murdie Nampijinpa Morris, acrylic on Belgian linen.
Australian
Aboriginal
and Pacific
Islander Art
Redot Fine Art Gallery
www.redotgallery.com
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The only gallery in Singapore specialising in this 50,000 year old art form which is inlaid with
secret meaning and stories. It is also the largest gallery outside Australia for ethically-sourced
aboriginal art. “All Australian indigenous art works are maps,” says gallery director Gorgio Pilla.
“They are used as a means of storytelling, as symbols to convey topographical representation of
a place sacred to the artist, such as where they were born, or taken for their initiation ceremony.”
This information was traditionally recorded on sand, the human body, on bark or tree trunks.
Artists of note: SONIA KURARRA, winner of the Most Outstanding Artwork at 2012 Hedland
Art Awards, paints the sandy billabong country; NAMPIJINPA MORRIS, born in 1930 and began
painting at 82, paints Dreaming beliefs in an unrestricted palette; BETTY KUNTIWA PUMANI,
once a healer and teacher, depicts her mother’s country; JOSHUA BONSON, award-winning and
known for his own version of the traditional dot-painting technique; CARLENE WEST, a wood
carver and illustrator, is known for her colourful palette; HARRY TJUTJUNA, is known for his
paintings of dreamtime stories.
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