From Western Minimalism to Asian Political Abstraction

Organised by Art Outreach and curated by Edward Mitterrand, this exhibition granted the public an exclusive look at never-before-seen works from the collection of Pierre Lorinet, a renowned collector and philanthropist who was formerly in banking and commodity training and who now sits on the boards of various organisations including Trafigura Group, Enterprise Singapore and the National Arts Council.

Based initially in France, Lorinet started his collection in 2012 with a focus on Minimalism, one of the most rigorous movements in the history of contemporary art, acquiring key works by Josef Albers, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt and Haim Steinbach, among others. Moving to Singapore a few years later, he expanded the collection to include prominent Asian artists including Ai Weiwei, Chen Zhen, Yayoi Kusama, Lee Ufan, Liu Wei, Nam June Paik and Haegue Yang, whose works were influenced by Minimalism, or reflected Asian political or philosophical concepts that resonated with the movement.

This exhibition marked the first public showcase of works from The Pierre Lorinet Collection, featuring a selection of 18 works from the artists listed above that have been specially chosen to illustrate the bridge built over the past decade between the founders of Minimalism and some of the most prominent Asian artists from the 21st century.