along the lines of—
Berny Tan, curated by Kirti Upadhyaya
Solo Exhibition
12 – 20 August 2023,
11am – 7pm daily
Artist talk
Saturday 19 August
3 – 4pm
along the lines of— brings together new and existing works created during Berny Tan’s decade-long exploration of hand embroidery. The exhibition presents her conceptual engagement with the medium, drawing connections between systems of abstract mark-making and exercises in text. Deliberately sidestepping the conventional image- and pattern-making techniques associated with needlework, Tan’s embroidery practice emphasises the repetitive process of stitching, one that can be simultaneously meditative and tedious, intimate and methodical. With strategies grounded in the textual, embroidery is, for her, a means of slowing down and expanding the acts of thinking, reading, and writing; a way of giving shape to language.
About the Artist(s)
Berny Tan (b. 1990, Singapore) is an artist and independent curator who explores the tensions that arise when she applies systems to—and unearths systems in—her subjective experiences. Her strategies often reflect a fundamental interest in language as it is read, written, and spoken by her. In her curatorial work, she nurtures a practice grounded in empathy, sensitivity, and collaboration. She holds an MA (Dist) in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BFA (Hons) in Visual & Critical Studies from the School of Visual Arts. In 2022, she was awarded the IMPART Art Prize in the curator category.
Recent presentations of her work include ‘Art in the Commons: Data Visualising Jurong’ (2022, Science Centre Singapore), commissioned by Singapore Art Museum, as well as ‘Sewing Discord’ (2021), a group exhibition at Jendela (Visual Arts Space). In January 2023, she concluded ‘Page Break’ (2022–23), a curatorial and research residency at Singapore Art Museum, presented as part of Singapore Biennale 2022 named Natasha.
Kirti Upadhyaya (b.1995, India) is a Singapore-based curator, researcher, and arts worker. She is interested in exhibition-making and programming, with a particular focus on making the arts more accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.
Upadhyaya received her Bachelors in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She was part of OH! Open House between 2017 to 2021, where she worked with artists and volunteers to bring art walks such as OH! Holland Village and OH! Emerald Hill to life. She also developed programmes such as Art in Your Own Home (AIYOH) and Days – and counting, which sought to bridge the gap between art, artists and audiences by experimenting with unique formats of exhibition-making. More recently, she managed Open Call Projects for Singapore Art Week 2022 and 2023, as part of the National Arts Council Singapore.
