(19 April 2016, Tuesday）After viewing Yeo Chee Kiong’s exhibition, “A Beauty Centre” held at NAFA, and listening to the ideas behind the exhibition, the sense you get is that it is not easy being a local visual artist. It seems that even the term “sculptor” will soon be out of fashion. Said Chee Kiong, “A curator once told me not to call myself a ‘sculptor’, because the term is not very current, but to call myself a ‘conceptual artist’ instead.”
“A Beauty Centre” is a combination of Chee Kiong’s thoughts and ideas over his many years of being a sculpture artist, and he hopes that through the exhibition, visitors will be able to appreciate the heart and effort he has put into his works. Upon entering the gallery, visitors, who are “customers” at the Beauty Centre, will be greeted by a receptionist at a pink counter. Further into the gallery, the exhibition walls contain QR codes which will lead visitors to an online “Beauty Centre”, which provides them with more information about the exhibition. This entire experience, with its exhibits and characters, is a result of Chee Kiong’s many years of hard work.
Chee Kiong graduated from NAFA in 1993, and obtained a Master of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art, UK in 2004. Dr Joyce Koh, composer and Vice Dean of NAFA’s Interdisciplinary Studies Unit, has also collaborated on this exhibition which incorporates music based on different themes, providing visitors with an immersive experience.
“A Beauty Centre” runs until 15 May, from 11am to 7pm, at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries 1 & 2, NAFA Campus 1.
Media: Lianhe Zaobao, ZbNow, Page 4
Full article here:
http://www.nafa.edu.sg/media/2016/ZaoBaoNow19Apr16.pdf
南洋艺术学院 Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
http://www.fsi.com.my/nafa/
