MINIMALISM SPACE, LIGHT & OBJECT EXHIBITION

WHAT IS MINIMALISM?

Minimalism commonly refers to an artistic tendency that came to prominence in 1960s New York. It is characterised by geometric forms which are often repeated in series, as well as by its use of industrial processes and materials.

Mona Hatoum. Impenetrable. 2009. Black finished steel and fishing wire.

300 x 300 x 300 cm.

Tan Ping. +40m. 2012. Woodblock print on paper

By paring artworks down to their most essential elements, Minimalist artists intended to strip away individual expression and artistic decision-making and create a direct, unmediated encounter between the viewer and the art object in a specific space and time.

This new approach to art opened a wide range of possibilities for the art that followed, which extended the experience of art beyond the work itself to include its environmental, social and political contexts. This has left a profound legacy which still resonates throughout contemporary art.

Minimalism is also hailed for its significant impact on music, performance, design, fashion and lifestyle. Its influence continued to grow, reinforced by major exhibitions in New York and elsewhere. Similar tendencies arose concurrently around the world too, independently or in dialogue with American artists, such as Mono-ha in Japan. These have received increasing attention in recent years, spurred by the wider appreciation of global modern art, extending the established narrative of Minimalism beyond the United States.

The exhibition which takes place at two venues National Gallery Singapore and the Art Science Museum. The National Gallery looks at the emergence, development, and legacies of Minimalism from the 1950s to the present day. It considers how artists in Asia, the United States and Europe have explored ideas of presence and absence, often informed by Asian philosophies such as Zen Buddhism.

ArtScience Museum’s exhibition will present a thematic exhibition exploring form, colour and spirituality, presenting artworks which meditate on notions of emptiness, nothingness and the cosmological void principles that are foundational to Minimalism and resonate with eastern philosophies and science.