Creatures from a dark fairytale, brought to life.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Confirm Good/Dawn Pillay sourced from @blackcrow_taxidermy/instagram]
'Believe; A collection of wondrous creatures' emulates the spirit of fantasy from fictional franchises like Harry Potter, Grimm's Fairy Tales and Alice in Wonderland. The 22-day exhibition, presented in partnership with Black Crow Taxidermy, was showcased at UltraSuperNew Gallery.
[Taxidermic birds & creations at the entrance.]
The exhibition 'Believe' featured a collection of taxidermic mythical creatures reminiscent of a fantasy movie, as well as displays of various species of insects and birds. The mastermind behind these creations is the artist and taxidermist, Ms. Vivian Tham, who owns Black Crow Taxidermy.
The unique exhibition featuring animal and insect remains- that were ethically sourced internationally and locally, was split into sections for audiences to explore. They included a photo booth with taxidermic birds, rows of assemblages of butterflies carefully decorated in glass domes, abstract paintings and a Ultraviolet (UV) lit room nesting a variety of skeletons. The breadth of works presented in the exhibition demonstrated a level of intricacy and creativity that demanded a significant amount of time to be fully appreciated.
Paintings:
[Colours that seem to reflect the spirit of the preserved.]
Assemblages:
[Mesmerising ensembles of nature. I did not want to leave.]
Other works:
[Symmetrical assortments of crawlers & flyers that were worth viewing despite my fear of insects.]
The UV lit room:
[The liminal illumination of fantasy & reality.]
According to an interview by YOUTHTOPIA, Vivian Tham stated that she aims to use taxidermy as a means of artistic expression in order to educate the public and promote a deeper appreciation of nature within urban settings. Through her work, she hopes to foster greater understanding of the natural world.
The 'Believe' exhibition not only allowed viewers to marvel at the fictional aspects of the artworks but also presented an opportunity for them to view animals and insects in a more intimate setting up close. This might be difficult to do outside in our urban setting. Such exposure can increase our interest, empathy and connection to wildlife.
Taxidermic art has existed for decades in the western world, but now thanks to Vivian Tham, a pioneer for taxidermy art in Singapore, we are now able to appreciate such craft in our own country. I believe Vivian has paved the way for a new form of art that has so much more potential to be explored in a south-east asian context, through art, science and history. Such exhibitions and art works open the possibilities of learning more about Southeast asia's wildlife, green and fauna and bring us closer to nature. It also helps to raise awareness of the craft of taxidermy and clear misconceptions one might have of such niche set of skills.
This would also allow for the general public to redefine the meaning of art and dawn a new era of contemporary works dealing with science, nature and art.
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