The Lasalle Graduate Show Is Back In Person
One of the best places to discover emerging names in Singapore's arts scene.
By Keng Yang Shuen,
For art lovers, the Lasalle Show Exhibition tends to be something to look out for this time of the year, especially if you're interested in discovering emerging names. It's an annual exhibition put on by Lasalle College of the Arts that showcases works by its final year Diploma, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and postgraduate students, across a wide variety of disciplines ranging from fashion design, fine arts, film, animation to dance, music, theatre, arts management and more.
The exhibition has taken place online for the past two years due to obvious reasons, but it is returning in full force for the first time in galleries throughout the institution's McNally Campus from May 19-31 with over 600 works on display (though a virtual version will also be available from May 19).
There will also be various satellite events taking place at the institution concurrently during the exhibition period, such as a presentation by graduands of the first MA Creative Writing degree in Singapore and Southeast Asia, who will be reading from their creative writing theses. For more details on the exhibition's extensive line-up, head here.
With more than 600 works on display, there's quite a lot to work through – here's what you need to know.
According to the institution, several key themes emerged across works from various disciplines this year, one of which is exploring issues of culture and heritage. Take for example Aishah's Veil by Nuraisha Nadira Bte Mohamed Rafid from the Diploma in Fine Arts programme. Aishah’s Veil reflect the artist's interest in the coexistence between her inner and outer worlds. This artwork delves into the complexity of identity.
Social commentary on various issues was another potent motif. The Garbage Man, a film produced by Hilda Tan Hui Mim from the Diploma in Broadcast Media programme, for instance, appears to take an oblique approach to issues of economic inequality – a timely topic. The film zooms in on the life of a kind, loving, and optimistic garbage man who develops an obsession with a luxurious life after he discovers a chip that belonged to a wealthy person.
Other students projected ahead, such as Aditi Krishna Neti from the BA (Hons) Design Communication programme. Her work, titled Bio-Interfaces is an expansion of her interest in how humans and machines can collaborate with each other, especially through the involvement of nature. The work aims to explore how we can imagine a hybrid future that uses augmented greenery in the environments around us to reinforce a positive relationship with nature.