3D artworks have height, width and depth that can be
approached from all angles as opposed to 2D artworks which have height and
width but no depth (like paintings that are hung on the wall). There are many different ways in which the
physical characteristics of space and structure can be employed in the genres
of realistic, semi-abstract or abstract style as well as installation art. In their treatment of space, artists also
take into consideration how the artwork is viewed in the context of its
environment, the significance of how and why it is situated, how it may be
affected by the changes over time and its interaction with other objects. In exploring these artworks, students understand how artists employ space and structure in 3D artworks to achieve their
intentions.
General Questions
1. 1. Describe the structure and material of the
artwork.
2. 2. How do the physical characteristics of the 3D
work promote visual expression and meaning?
3. 3. Look at the process of the work and try to understand how the artist
has chosen to show thoughts, emotions and issues into this
structure
Raja Shariman Raja Aziddin (Malaysia 1967 – present)
Killing Tool No. 10
Found metal objects
54.5 x 42.5 x 33 cm
1994
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Following his major in sculpture at one of Malaysia’s
premier art schools Institut Teknologi MARA, Raja undertook an apprenticeship
at a blacksmith artisan in his hometown of Perak. Like his sculptures that comprise fragments
that form a whole, Raja’s work cross references elements of his life – his
noble birth, simple kampong lifestyle in Kuala Kangsar, staunch Islamic beliefs
and love of art. Shariman draws analogies to challenge existing
structures, encouraging the viewer to look beyond established definitions of
class, culture and religion.
The Artwork
The artist works with a variety of mediums to realize themes
of movement and action, inner spirit and physical power in 2D and 3D
forms. Shariman’s primary medium is
metal sculpture, more often that not, discarded besi (iron and steel) that he gleans from junkyard and
workshops. Abandoned car engine parts, machinery
components and industrial tools create raw beings of crafted metal. Wrought structures with wield able body parts
become warriors poised to strike or bodies dancing in elegant mid-movement,
welded joints appear as battle scars and rusted surfaces are akin to taut
weathered flesh. Alongside these
recycled utilitarian items, he employs the weighty symbolism of the
keris, a weapon associated with mysticism, tradition and refinement. Killing Tools No. 10 is part of a series of similarly themed and constructed sculptures that raises questions about humans
who are able to create works of beauty but instead choose to build weapons of
destruction. With the dual abilities to
foster aesthetic pleasure and inflict harm, the sculptures communicate man’s potential
for good and evil.
Question
Discuss everything that appears menancing about this
work. Where do you think the various
metal parts came from and/or how might they have been used before? Do you agree
that the work clearly shows the idea of means potential for good and evil? How would this work as an implement of
torture? Does this work suggest a
figure? Can you observe a pose?
Tan Teng Kee (Malaysia 1937 – present)
Space Sculpture 1
Metal 213 x 134 x
112cm 1976
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Born across the causeway in Johor, Tan has settled down
in Singapore to become a prominent sculptor and academic. Since his first solo exhibition in 1971, the
artist has exhibited at the SAM and Sculpture Square.
The Artwork.
Many of the artist’s sculptures can be seen around Singapore such as Musical Fountain, 1974 in the Marina City Park and Endless
Flow 1980 in Bras Basah Park. Known for
his astute use of material and consideration of the surrounding environment,
Tan’s sculptures are a response to Eastern and Western cultural practices and
beliefs. By using industrial materials
and technological techniques, the sculptures have a distinctive style that
encourages the viewer to think of the process of aesthetic construction and
conceptual creation. Each of these
sculptures are compelling in their meaning and usually inspired by their
context of display. Tan uses a combination of styles and techniques from smooth
curves to sharp geometric angles to achieve varied effects. In this particular artwork, Tan evokes the delicacy of balance – times appears to stand still as the slim metal rods are
captured in frozen freefall. Jutting out in all directions, this structural
form appears free and unconstrained and yet it is apparent to the viewer that
this precarious poise and balance can only be achieved by skillful manipulation
and awareness of material.
Ahmad Shukri (Malaysia 1969 – present)
Cabinet Series X
Mixed media on panel
Dimensions variable
1992
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Born in Kelantan, Ahmad Shukri is one of the founding
members of the influential artist collective Matahai. Although Shukri works in many mediums from
installation to metalwork, he is arguably best known for his multi-layers
collages.
The Artwork
Common themes in Shukri’s work are the effects of
globalization and consumerism. In this
triptych, reminiscent of the compositional format of a Renaissance altarpiece,
the artist places as his central focus as deer with antlers. Recalling western displays of hunted animals
mounted and preserved by taxidermy, the animals have been captured for
posterity. The cabinet of the central
piece and the flanking panels on either side are made with common features from
Malay architecture such as decorative carvings, symmetrical patterns and spindle-shaped
pillars. Brightly coloured miniature
food covers, shaped as conical pyramids and woven from leaves (anyam mengkuang) sit in the small
receptacles of the cabinet, reminding the viewer that animals that have once
been killed out of necessity of food are now being hunted for sport and
decoration. The strong and glossy
colours used such as blood red, emerald green and violet imbibe the triptych
with a level of garishness. This
signature layering of images and objects by Shukri relays the complexities of
human consumption and desires. The small
alarm clock in the top corner of the right hand panel portends the gradual
spoilage of nature’s gifts as well as a looming disregard for the traditional
way of life and its artistic practices.
Question
What are the items used in the installation? How can placing everyday items strategically
convey strong messages? Examine how each
object carries its own meaning. Discuss
the context of display. Look at Marchel
Duchamp’s Fountain (1917) at the
Pompidou Centre in Paris. How would its
meaning change if it was displayed in a public washroom? Compare its subject matter and meaning with Cabinet Series X.
Teo Eng Seng
(Singapore 1938 – present)
The Net: Most Definitely The Singapore River
Paperdyesculp and net
300 x300 cm
1986
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Teo began his
formal training in art with evening classes at the British Council in the
mid-1950s. These part time classes
cemented his love for art and he left Singapore to further his studies at the
Birmingham College of Art and Design.
This installation
work comprises a suspended net with indistinguishable objects caught between
its folds. It was created in response to
a debate on the stereotypical depictions of the Sinapore River sparked by a
group of young artists who titled their grouped exhibition in Arbour Fine Arts
‘Not the Singapore River.’ An
aesthetically and conceptually explorative artist, Teso conveyed that art
should not be staid in its technical and creative approach. Whilst the use of the simple net by Teo
recalls that the Singapore river was a means of livelihood for the earliest
settles in Singapore who fished and traded on its waters, the paper-dyesculpt
objects in the installation symbolically show the bringing together of
different elements, not just of different races but also of the discarded debris
from rapid development that has been carelessly dumped into the river. The depth of thought and perceptiveness in
this work is characteristic of the artist, it epitomizes his declaration of 1979
to produce multi-faceted three-dimensional work able to convey an identity of
his native region.
Question
Paper pulp can be
easily made by blending paper scraps which have been soaked overnight. The artist used pulp to represent the flotsam
and jetsam of the river. What do you
think the people who worked on the bumboats and by the riverside discarded in
the river? On another note, has the net
trawled up too much? Has our river
become too clean? What have we lost?
Beansprout Series #2
33 x 26 x 18 cm
1994
Collection of SAM
The Artist
After attending the Singapore Teacher’s Training College
and graduating from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1975-1977), Han pursued
sculptural studies at the Wolverhampton College for Art (1983) and the East Ham
College of Art (1990) in England.
The Artwork
A prevailing concern in Han’s art is nature. Working principally in cool and solid marble
and granite, she reduces forms of nature to their most elemental. Coupled with the seeming permanency and heavy
palpability of the material, the sculptures are invested with a sense of the
monolith. Here the soft curved forms
convey a sense of nurturing. The see is newly sprouting and at a delicate
stage of first life. The arc of the
sprout tapers gently towards the seed, evoking a sense of the fluid vitality,
this contrasts with the perfect horizontal of the black earth below. Whilst the glowing sheen of the brass is rich
and luxuriant, the polished dark granite imparts the mysterious and miracle
life-giving properties of soil.
Question
Discuss the issue of scale. What would be the impact of seeing a sculpture resembling a giant peanut the size of a cow, hundreds of times larger than its original size? Conversely, think about a large object that has been downscaled.
Mariang Banahaw
Terracotta 188 x 70 x 40 cm 1994
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Aro as the artist is popularly known, graduated from the
Institato de Cultural Hispanica in 1979.
Upon his return from Spain, he lectured at the Philippine Women’s
University. In his early artistic
career, Aro was influenced by the avant-garde artist David Cortez Medella. However, it was during his teaching days that
he began to identify with Filipino folk art and culture, creating paintings
that contain the imagery and tales of folk songs, riddles and beliefs.
The Artwork
The artist believes in working with rural communities to
foster the appreciation and creation of art and for this particular artwork,
Aro worked with potters in the Bulacan community. Whilst this terracotta artwork has many
qualities that are distinctive of Aro’s style – bold bright colours and
compositional techniques influenced by naïve art, the artist has also endowed
the piece with local meaning and context.
Alluding to the practice of carving images of saints and holy figures in
the Phlipines, this conceptualized altarpiece presents a statue of Mary atop a
tree adorned with intricate blossoms and rainbow coloured leaves. She gazes benevolently at the viewer whilst
at the foot of the tree, dutiful worshippers gather. The heart shape of the tree’s boughs hint at
the Holy Mother’s love for her children whilst the pyramid form suggest Mount
Banahaw where thousands of pilgrims converge every Easter to pay homage. Using strong primary colours of red, blue and
yellow often associated with Filipno folk art, Aro imbibes the rural folk and
their religious beliefs with the spirit of simple honesty and unpretentious
veneration.
Question
Soriano’s sculpture is gaily decorated with candy
coloured flowers, leaves and other small creatures and decorations. Discuss how this can remind the viewer of a
confectionery.
Philippines is a country that has a high population of
Roman Catholics. Hence the figure of
Mary, gazing steadily ahead, dominates this sculptural piece. Notice the small girl and boy at the foot of
the stairway. Are they climbing up the
stairs towards higher spiritual understanding ?
Mother and Child
Ciment-fondu 40 x
85 x 20cm 1974
Collection of SAM
The Artist
Regarded as Singapore’s foremost ceramic sculptor and potter, the artist began his artistic career with an academic grounding from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. At that time, he was one of the few sculptors in the country. After his graduation in 1961, he left for England to specialise in pottery design at the North Staffordshire College of Technology from 1962-1963. Following this, Ng embarked on a studio pottery and sculpture course at the Farnham School of Art. He returned in Signapore in 1966 and promoted the sculptural medium to other local artists. The most comprehensive collection of Ng’s works can be seen at the Ng Eng Teng Gallery in the NUS Centre for the Arts, the artist donated 1099 pieces to the gallery in 1997.
The Artwork
Ng Eng Teng’s submission for his first public exhibition
in 1957 was a painting and it was in 1959 that he fired his first scultpures in
terracotta at the Jurong Brickwords and
the now-defunct Alexandra Brickworks. It
was also during his years in NAFA that he learnt the ciment-fondu
technique. In his body of work, Ng has
expressed himself in different sculptural mediums such as clay, stone and
metal. A master of technique, he
selected his materials for their different properties – clay because of its
immediate malleability, bronze for its weathering qualities and durability and
ciment-fondu because of its organic texture and ease of repair.
The human figure has been a prevalent teme in Ng’s
figurative as well as abstract sculpture. Whether envincing strong emotions or
conditions such as motherhood, in geometric or rounded forms, there is a sense
of personal communication in Ng’s work.
The material communicates a sense of intimacy to the viewer from the
indentations created by the pressure fo the sculptor’s hands to the gentle
moulding of soft fleshy forms. In this
particular sculpture, a sleek industrial tube becomes a rockaing cradle form of
a mother embracing her child. The clean
lines of the tube contrast with the fleshiness of the facial features and
hands. The physical equilibrium of the
curved tube articulates the balance between the angular and curved forms, the
mother and child, the tenderness of human emotion and the mechanical coldness
of the ciment-fondu.
Question
The artist bas brought several associate meanings into
his work. First, the idea of the
nurturing mother who gently but protectively holds her child with both
hands. Look at the mother’s hands. Think of as many adjectives as possible to
describe them. While the artist has
chosen to represent the mother and baby loosely, the mother’s hands are
realistic and well-formed. Does this infer importance?
Second, the tube-like body of the mother has an inert
ability to rock with her face looking upwards.
What is she thinking? Does this
convey that she has higher aspirations for her new born?
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