ART ENCOUNTERS
Art Encounters #02
Rizman Putra: From Gelam to Glam
15 February to 7 June 2020, Kampong Glam, Malay Heritage Centre
The second edition of the newly-launched Art Encounters initiative travelled to the heart of the vibrant Kampong Glam district, on the lawn of the Malay Heritage Centre. Titled From Gelam to Glam, the installation featured local multi- disciplinary artist Rizman Putra, a respected figure in the experimental art scene who has incorporated visual arts, performance and music in his artistic oeuvre for over a decade.
In April 2019, Rizman undertook a residency with Teater Ekamatra to transform their white- walled rehearsal space in Aliwal Arts Centre into an immersive, extra-dimensional installation called Chonteng, which translates to English as “doodle.” Over 22 days, he drew on all surfaces of the space, exploring ideas of line and mark making based loosely on the method of automatic drawing. This style of drawing provides a glimpse into the stream of consciousness in the artist’s mind, transforming gestures and forms of various stimuli into abstracted shapes and anthropomorphic figures.
For Art Encounters, Rizman worked with a new medium of UV paint to create a black-light drawing installation inspired by the native Gelam tree, which Kampong Glam was named after. Brightly- coloured and covering all surfaces of the containers, the work celebrated both the precinct’s historical roots and its vibrant cultural life in the present. Inspired by Kampong Glam’s daily transition from rich cultural sites and heritage restaurants by day to bustling pockets of nightlife at night, the installation glowed as night fell.
In conjunction with the special exhibition at the Malay Heritage Centre, Seekor Singa, Seorang Putera dan Sebingkai Cermin: Reflecting and Refracting Singapura, which explored Singapore’s historical significance in the maritime world of the 15th to 19th centuries through various Malay World perspectives, Rizman also interpolated material culture and ephemera on display in exhibition into the installation.
Rizman painted live within the containers from 15 to 23 February, with the completed work presented thereafter from
25 February to 7 June, from 8am to 9pm, with visitors invited to step inside the containers to engage with the work.
About Rizman Putra
Rizman Putra graduated with Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from Lasalle College of the Arts in 2007. He is the winner of the 2005 Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Singapore Foundation Arts Award, a co-founder of the now dissolved art collective Kill Your Television, as well as the founder of the electronic outfit NADA. Rizman has performed and exhibited his works in Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, USA, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Brazil. He was one of the four artists selected for the 2005 President’s Young Talents Exhibition and was also included in the 2005 Fukuoka Triennale. In 2003, he received the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's (RMIT) Most Outstanding Award. He is currently an Associate Artist with Cake Theatrical Productions.
