Island Illuminations Convergence of Art

Project Summary

This project invited art spaces from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to participate in the Convergence of Artistic Realms series of art creation and cultural exchange forums, focusing on how art spaces explore the boundaries between art and community through exhibitions and educational programs. In the Art Space Exchange Series, Convergence of Artistic Realms I: Singapore × Taiwan Art Space Exchange Forum featured founders from Deck, Starch, and Comma Space, who shared their visions, developmental histories, and ongoing projects. Convergence of Artistic Realms II: Malaysia × Taiwan Art Space Exchange Forum invited A+ Works of Art, Kongsikl, and Lostgens’ to discuss the relationship between curatorial practice, community building, and local engagement.

In addition, we organized Island Illuminations: Singapore × Taiwan Artists Exchange Forum at INSTINC space in Singapore, where Taiwanese artists Lin Shu-Kai and Chen Yan-Yi, together with Singaporean artists Yeo Shih Yun and Liu Wei-Yan, explored the relationship between civilization and technology.

Beyond the three forums, through introductions made by the directors of each art space, the “Absolute” team visited various local art spaces, curators, and gallery operators to discover cultural differences and similarities among the three regions. This initiative seeks to integrate resources and explore possibilities for long-term cooperation and exchange.

Origin of the Exchange Project

In 2018, Yang Liang-Hsing, director of Malaysia’s Lostgens’ Contemporary Art Space, visited Absolute Space for the Arts in Taiwan to conduct community field research and forums. In 2020, the Absolute team visited Malaysia to explore Lostgens’ community-based art initiatives. In late 2023, Comma Space directors Wang Ruo-Bing and Chen Sai-Hua Kuan also undertook an artist residency and exhibition at Absolute Space. These years of exchange and creative companionship have fostered strong relationships between Absolute and these institutions. Building upon this foundation, Absolute Space for the Arts initiated this year's exchange project to invite art spaces from Singapore and Malaysia to discuss art ecology and development across regions.

Island Illuminations: Singapore × Taiwan Artists Exchange Forum

The forum invited Lin Shu-Kai and Chen Yan-Yi from Absolute Space for the Arts, Yeo Shih Yun, founder of INSTINC, and artist Liu Wei-Yan to delve into their artistic practices. Lin, Chen, and Yeo have long worked in both two-dimensional art and spatial installations, drawing from personal backgrounds, artistic training, and international experiences. Liu Wei-Yan, known for his expertise in moving image, focuses on cultural and societal issues intertwined with media technologies. Although employing different mediums, all four artists respond to contemporary technological landscapes and discussed how art might respond to emerging technologies and shape different futures.

Yeo Shih Yun began her artistic journey with traditional ink painting. Over the past decade, she has experimented with introducing motorized model cars into her practice, applying varying degrees of constraint, and using dice to randomly determine the vehicles’ movements on large canvases. By combining screen printing, hand drawing, and machine-generated “traces,” Yeo questions the definition of printmaking. Collaborating with master printmakers, she explores the creative tension between standardized tools and the artist’s agency, between control and chance. Her central inquiry—“Why use machine cars?”—reflects a response to today's urbanized environments, which differ vastly from the natural landscapes once central to traditional ink paintings. Yeo juxtaposes old (ink) and new media (3D printing, robotic cars) to explore new aesthetics, spontaneity, and improvisation.
Chen Yan-Yi, similarly addressing human and “non-human” collaboration, shared her long-term creative process for her solo exhibition The Beeswax Age, which involved collaboration with beekeepers and bees at different stages. The unpredictable outcomes prompted reflections on nature/nurture, life/civilization.
Liu Wei-Yan, from another perspective, interrogated “civilization” through video, examining surveillance in museums and galleries. Using news footage and virtual reality, he questions cultural institutions’ relationship to urban landscapes and futurity. Liu asks: How do policies shape art? How do we conceive of concepts, forms, and methodologies? How does knowledge production relate to collective memory? In The End of Art Report, Liu documents cases where museums and cultural institutions have been forced to close due to political, social, or economic factors, producing fictional news reports to explore global art trends and Singapore’s cultural state. He also investigates surveillance and the museum as a cultural symbol tied to Singapore’s identity.
Lin Shu-Kai’s Balcony City Civilization series, from an elevated, floating, dreamlike balcony perspective, questions how contemporary bodily experiences engage with history and intervene in the present. He introduces the concept of “future archaeology” to imagine how contemporary civilization might be excavated from a future perspective, provoking reflections on the trajectory of civilization.

Convergence of Artistic Realms I: Singapore × Taiwan Art Space Exchange Forum

This forum was co-hosted by Comma Space. Prior to the event, Comma Space published an RSVP page on Eventbrite, attracting 38 registrants. Despite rainy weather, the venue was packed, with some attendees standing throughout the session. Feedback indicated that most participants learned of the event through Wang Ruo-Bing’s promotion, along with artists and collectors.

Absolute Space for the Arts founder Huang Yi-Min opened by sharing their public events and educational programs, which revolve around exhibitions, exchange, documentation, and promotion. (Details referenced in Huang’s presentation.)
DECK founder and director Gwen Lee recounted DECK’s beginnings. Starting with just two staff members, they found an overlooked plot near Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore, raised funds, and repurposed recycled shipping containers to establish a contemporary photography center in 2014. DECK’s name stands for: D – Discovering contemporary photography; E – Engaging the public; C – Connecting international communities via visual culture; and K – Knowledge-sharing through public programs and workshops. In 2023, DECK launched Currents Above Ground, a series of talks, artistic interventions, and community walks exploring independent art spaces’ relationship with civil society. Although their container structure was dismantled for safety reasons after the pandemic, DECK continues fundraising efforts, with plans to rebuild by 2026, while also organizing the 9th Singapore International Photography Festival from their temporary office.
Starch founder Moses Tan, a queer activist and installation/sculpture artist, positions himself not as a director or curator, but as an “enabler.” Quoting artist Jason Wee, Tan emphasizes how non-profit artist-led initiatives liberate artists from production pressures, allowing for alternative imaginings of practice. Starch prioritizes dialogue, collaboration, and “re-orientation,” welcoming newly graduated artists and curators without imposing rigid timelines or outcomes, offering space, administrative support, and curatorial mentorship. Starch maintains a storage room of repurposed furniture for artists to use, fostering resource-sharing and reducing exhibition burdens. Starch functions more like a “contemporary art unit” than a gallery, committed to anti-racism, queer advocacy, care, and empowerment as a vital resource within the art ecology.
Comma Space, run by two artists, initially built its foundation with 12 small solo exhibitions. It does not limit curatorial projects to its physical space. For example, Artist as Collector (2021) moved to Gillman Barracks, featuring personal art collections from 50 local artists, exploring support networks within the art community. Alternative Ecology: The Community (2024), co-organized with Objectifs, featured ecology-themed forums. In S$1,996/- S$831.06/- (2021), they experimented with crowdfunding by inviting visitors to bring coins, which became part of the exhibition's structure. Wang Ruo-Bing remarked that some issues can only be addressed within independent spaces. She emphasized that Comma Space, by operating on the margins geographically and curatorially, injects vitality into Singapore’s contemporary art scene while grappling with sustainability challenges.

Convergence of Artistic Realms II: Malaysia × Taiwan Art Space Exchange Forum

Yang Liang-Hsing from Lostgens’ previously visited Absolute Space for fieldwork and forums. For this forum, Yang also invited two distinctive Kuala Lumpur spaces: KongsiKL, focusing on cultural festivals and hybrid events, and A+ Works of Art, emphasizing contemporary art exhibitions. Although differing in approaches, all three have cultivated devoted audiences and contribute significantly to Kuala Lumpur’s cultural and knowledge production.

A+ Works of Art gallery manager Hariz Raof presented Contemporary Curation, Curating the Contemporary: A+ Works of Art’s Artistic Perspectives. A+ focuses on Southeast Asian contemporary art, collaborating with artists from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Raof distinguished between “different perspectives” and “curating different perspectives,” emphasizing curation as a means of opening audiences to new ways of seeing.

For example, Allom! Amatai! Allom! (2023) by Sabah artist Yee I-Lann explores political issues and rich cultural knowledge of Sabah communities, which differ from Malaysia’s mainstream narratives. Yee deconstructs objects like the table—a colonial symbol representing Western education systems—contrasting it with the mat traditionally used in Sabah. Through material culture, Yee critiques colonial histories embedded in daily objects.

KongsiKL, located in an old warehouse on Jalan Klang Lama (Old Klang Road), was introduced by director Cheng Da-Xin. “Kongsi” (a hybrid Malay-Chinese term) conveys meanings of sharing, companionship, and community. Initially, KongsiKL attracted artists interested in site-specific projects and served as a community “resource hub” for barter, auctions, and gatherings. It later gained international attention, hosting performances and workshops, including collaborations with Singapore’s T.H.E Dance Company.

During the pandemic, KongsiKL paused public events and engaged in printmaking archiving and supported the HeriStage cultural project. Post-pandemic, they reopened for training, education, and public activities like food exchanges. After six years, however, the warehouse lease was terminated. The team re-envisioned KongsiKL as a mobile platform rather than a fixed space, focusing again on river conservation through the Klang River Festival, transitioning into an adaptable organization collaborating with government for temporary site access.

Lostgens’ Contemporary Art Space, founded in 2004, draws from the concept of the "lost generation" and is driven by learning, action, education, creativity, and community engagement. With a DIY spirit, Lostgens’ fosters freedom of expression and dialogue. Since 2008, they have organized artist residencies and projects addressing art, politics, environment, community, cultural preservation, society, and human rights.

Projects include Strolling – Heritage Natural Ecology Art Exhibition, inviting site-specific installations at Kuala Lumpur’s cemeteries. Entering its 12th year, Lostgens’ expanded into printmaking, receiving antique equipment donations from San Sang Press, leading to the creation of The Lostprints Community. This printmaking studio fosters community participation through workshops and neighborhood rubbings, bridging art with broader publics.

During the roundtable discussion, participants shared experiences in art space administration, public funding, and resource challenges. Hariz Raof reflected on his arts management studies in Chicago and observed that while Malaysia lacks many art spaces, existing ones excel in their niches and resist Western-centric frameworks that often dominate elsewhere. Malaysian artists enjoy freedom across mediums without being boxed into identity politics as sometimes seen in the U.S. Cheng Da-Xin noted that content-driven projects are often more eligible for grants than space-centered operations. Thus, KongsiKL’s evolution into a project platform allows greater flexibility and resource accessibility.