Jang Seunghyo – 2016 Singapore Contemporary Art Show

Stemming from the success of the semi-annual Asia Contemporary Art Shows in Hong Kong, the inaugural Singapore Contemporary took place Jan. 21-24, 2016, coinciding with the annual Singapore Art Week.  A far less overwhelming offering than comparable events in the region such as Art Basel Hong Kong, Singapore Contemporary notably focused on art education in addition to the usual sales, leading tours for children and adults, as well as running art classes for kids.  One of the artists featured in the tours was Jang Seunghyo, a South Korean artist with several degrees in sculpture from Hongik University and New York University.

If the vibrant, multi-colored photography collages and video installations by Jang Seunghyo look vaguely familiar, chances are high that you’ve seen it as part of an overseas exhibition or a brand collaboration.  Or, perhaps, the familiarity is due to the featured subjects in the work themselves.  The majority of Jang’s work for sale at Singapore Contemporary 2016, for example, objectified popular Korean pop stars and idol groups such as Girls’ Generation, EXO and BIGBANG.  With the fleeting popularity of most these young stars, the concept of incorporating material objects into an modern-day Impressionism is both aesthetically appealing and haltingly cautionary – much like the replaceable projected images of K-pop idols themselves juggling pressure-packed, closely-scrutinized lifestyles.

 

If celebrities don’t ring a bell, Jang’s venture into collaborations may.  The artist worked with automobile company Rolls-Royce on an exhibition that showed in Singapore and Hong Kong, and his installation art was featured in the LIE SANGBONG Spring/Summer 2015 show at New York and Seoul Fashion Weeks.

 

 

 

 

Photos: Jang Seunghyo – Singapore Contemporary 2016
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine