This 190-sq-ft Space Is The Independent Artist Sanctuary You Need To Know
Putting on display works from artists by the likes of rising star Lai Yu Tong to eminent names such as The Artists Village co-founder Tang Da Wu.
Independent art spaces here have witnessed a small spike in recent years though veteran artist Wang Ruobing says there can never really be enough of them. Now add Comma Space to the mix.
Opened a year ago by Wang and her husband/fellow artist Sai Hua Kuan, the 190 sq ft space is housed within an industrial building in Bishan. Its inaugural series 12 Solo, which was meant to have wrapped at the end of last year, but has now been extended into 2021 due to the pandemic’s disruption, is built on an unusual premise: Every month, a different artist is given carte blanche to take over the space to highlight a single artwork (yes, one).
Comma Space is located at #04-02 Mayfair Industrial Building which is situated at 51 Jln Pemimpin.
The 12 artists involved in the project range widely – from rising star Lai Yu Tong to eminent names such as The Artists Village co-founder Tang Da Wu, whose instalment is revealed this month.
“We think it is the idea and concept that matter most and there should not be a set of criteria or fixed selection process,” says Wang. That Comma is self-funded gives it the freedom to play by its own rules – never mind that such spaces are not always easy to sustain for the long term.
Artist couple Sai Hua Kuan and Wang Ruobing are behind Comma Space.
Says Wang: “Independent art spaces are crucial not only to individuals but also to communities and society. They function outside of the mainstream and offer different possibilities such as the production of new artworks and professional incubators.”
Ahead, a look at the works of six artists who had their 12 Solo installations at the space.
A version of this article first appeared in the January/February 2021 Art & Music Edition of FEMALE