Asian and Latin American Art in a TROPICAL Setting

Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America is this year’s major ‘Blockbuster’ art exhibition that brings together in three galleries 200 works of art and 70 top artists – a world’s first major comparative exhibition on both regions

IT took more than seven years in the making but the results was more than worth the wait. According to Shabbir Hussain Mustafa (pictured left) the lead curator of the National Gallery Singapore talking to IN Diplomacy magazine while usually it takes about five years to gestate an exhbition on such a large scale, it took an extra three years because of the COVID pandemic. He said “But those three years became extra productive as we were able to do more research and connect with colleagues in Latin America over zoom calls. We also came also to realise there was an incredible gap in our work in connecting with our colleagues in Latin America in the formerly colonised world.”

He hoped that one of the messages that shine through in the works shown at the exhibition was that “To reclaim one’s identity and one’s past one has to be ready for the world and the exhibition shows this and that we have solidarities with other parts of the world.” The exhibition consists of artworks, sculptures, drawings, performances, and immersive installations and visitors will be treated to Be treated to artworks by iconic artists such as Frida Kahlo (Mexico), Helio Oiticica (Brazil), Diego Rivera (Mexico), Latiff Mohidin (Malaysia), Affandi (Indonesia), Cheing Soo Peng (Singapore) and many others.

(Above from left)
- Paul Gauguin. Pobre Pescador (Poor Fisherman). 1896. Oil on canvas. 75 x 65 cm. Gift of Henrik Spitzman-Jordan, Ricardo Jafet and João di Pietro. Collection of Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand. 
- Patrick Ng Kah Onn. Self-Portrait. 1958. Oil on paper. 49.3 x 75.3 cm. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. This acquisition was made possible with donations to the Art Adoption _ Acquisition Programme.
- Latiff Mohidin. Tumbuhan Tropika (Tropical Growth). 1968. Oil on canvas, 99 x 89 cm. Private collection. ©️ Latiff Mohidin

The exhibition is divided into three Singtel Special Exhibition galleries: The Myth of the Lazy Native, The Earth of Mankind and The Subversive. There is also an open (non-ticketed installation at the gallery’s Singapore Courtyard that is open to the public. The titles of the galleries are borrowed from three well-known texts: The Myth of the Lazy Native by Syed Hussein Alatas, This Earth of Mankind (Bumi Manusia) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and The Subversive (El Filibusterismo) by José Rizal. They exemplify the elaborate links among writers, poets, architects and artists at the height of decolonisation, brought about by the historical, societal and economic contentions around art-making in these formerly colonised societies.

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 The exhibition also consists of artworks, sculptures, drawings, performances, and immersive installations

Highlights
In brief, Tropical Stories show how even though Southeast Asia and Latin America, maybe oceans apart they share similarities that reflect the rich tapestry of their histories, traditions, and global influences. The parallels range from its colonial history to a shared climate, and also food, culture, attire, passion for sports and artistic practices, which visitors can discover at the exhibition. They include:

● Artworks that look like they are “floating”: Visitors can enjoy a distinctive experience at Tropical. Instead of hanging artworks on the walls as seen in usual museum exhibitions, majority of the artworks in Tropical are showcased either on glass “crystal easels” that create the illusion that the artworks are “floating”, or on a grid system using recycled timber planks from Singapore’s Jurong Shipyard. This allows multiple artworks to be viewed from various vantage points, a feat that would otherwise be impossible with conventional walls.
● Immerse yourself in a large-scale installation that has birds, plants, sand and more: Presented in Southeast Asia for the first time, Hélio Oiticica’s Tropicália is set within the historic City Hall Chamber. Throughout the exhibition duration, visitors can step into the artwork that features birds (macaws), concrete slabs, plants, sand, gravel and wooden structures. Tropicália will encourage visitors to engage in a multi-sensorial experience as they think about the stereotype of a “tropical paradise”.
● Wear, feel and participate: Fully participate in the exhibition by wearing sensorial masks, goggles, dance around in capes, sit in a “library” in the middle of the exhibition space to browse reading materials, and interact with sensorial objects through guided interactions and movements!

Some of the works featured include:
Pobre pescador (Poor Fisherman) by French painter Paul Gauguin
Mother Nature’s Bounty Harvest by Victorio C. Edades, Galo B. Ocampo and Carlos “Botong” Francisco
La molendera (Woman Grinding Maize) by Diego Rivera.
Istriku (Ibu Menjahit) (My Wife [Mother Sewing]) by S. Sudjojono
Presságio (Angélica Arenal de Siqueiros) (Omen [Angélica Arenal de Siqueiros]) by David Alfaro Siqueiros
Self-Portrait with Monkey by Frida Kahlo
Self-Portrait by Patrick Ng Kah Onn
Journey into Space by Grace Selvanayagam
Installation of textile works by Barbara Sansoni
Sans titre (Untitled) by Wifredo Lam
Tumbuhan Tropika (Tropical Growth) by Latiff Mohidin