SINGAPOUR MON AMOUR
A CONTEMPORARY ART PROJECT BY LOWAVE
Singapour mon amour arose from a series of suprising and intense encounters with Singapore that took place between 2010 and 2014. Encounters with a country, its people and an art scene that moved us deeply and created a constant desire to discover more. Lowave's participation in the 1st Experimental Film Forum at The Substation in May 2010 was the starting point, followed by the Human Frames film festival at the same institution in 2011, the Theo.do.lites exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2013, the poetry show Going Places at The Arts House in 2014, as well as a series of smaller side projects.
Singapore's exceptional position in South East Asia, its short history as an independent country, the powerful forces in its economic and cultural sector made it an intriguing subject to study. Lowave's ongoing interdisciplinary regional projects dedicated to emerging art scenes in the Middle East, Africa and Asia inscribed Singapore naturally in this editorial context. As for all of these projects, we privileged an empirical research based on personal observations, encounters and discoveries. Our objective was not to establish an exhaustive overview of contemporary art practices in Singapore, but to capture emerging trends and energies, and provide an independent forum for artists and researchers to engage an open dialogue on arts and cultural politics. By multiplying points of view and personal impressions, Singapour mon amour outlines an unexpected portrait of the city state which highlights daring initiatives, original approaches and cutting-edge culture.
With a brilliant French-Singaporean team consisting of editor Mickaël Robert-Gonçalves, producers Patricia Cartier-Millon and Jeremy Chua, graphic designer Winnie Wu and over 40 participating artists and intellectuals, Singapour mon amour grew into a dynamic platform. It was presented for the first time in Paris in June 2015 in collaboration with musée du quai Branly, Centre Georges Pompidou, Église Saint-Merry, La Cinémathèque française and Point Éphémère.
The online publication of Singapour mon amour retraces the artistic and intellectual achievements of this first edition in Paris, documents and comments on particular creative endeavours and personalities, and serves as an archive and basis for further developments of the project.
We would like to express our gratitude to all the participants, partners, National Heritage Board Singapore, Singapore International Foundation and Institut Français who encouraged and supported the realisation of this project.
Silke Schmickl
Curator of Singapour mon amour
Head of Lowave