Supporting new curatorial approaches to image-based work.

Deadline: Sunday 21 May 2023, 2359h SGT
The call for entries is now closed, thank you to everyone who has submitted your proposals. 

Curator Open Call invites Singapore-based curators to submit proposals for an exhibition to be realised at the Chapel Gallery, Objectifs. This is part of our ongoing effort to broaden perspectives by supporting curatorial research and innovative ways of presenting image-based work.

The successful proposal will receive:

  • A curator honorarium of SGD $1,000
  • A production budget of up to SGD $8,000
  • Mentorship from programme mentor, Bridget Tracy Tan
  • Production guidance, administrative and marketing support from Objectifs

The show will be presented in January 2024, at the Chapel Gallery for a period of up to 6 weeks. It will coincide with Singapore Art Week 2024.

Deadline for applications is Sunday 21 May 2023, 2359h SGT.

APPLY NOW

 

SELECTION PANEL 

The applications will be reviewed by a selection panel that includes the Objectifs team. The external panelists are:

  • Bridget Tracy Tan, Director for the Art Galleries and the Institute of Southeast Asian Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and the programme’s mentor. Read our interview with her here.
  • Sam I-shan, independent curator

WHO CAN APPLY

  • The main applicant must be a curator who is either a Singaporean or a Singapore Permanent Resident.
  • The curators must be based in Singapore up to 3 months before the opening of the show, and must be present for its installation and de-installation.
  • We welcome proposals from curatorial teams or collaborations with curators of other nationalities/based overseas.
  • Artists may apply as curators, only as part of a group show or as a curator for another artist’s work.

 

WHAT TO CONSIDER IN YOUR PROPOSAL

The proposal should feature a creative approach to curatorial research and/or respond to contemporary issues or concerns. Additional consideration will be given to proposals that attend to the exhibition history of the space, the priorities and concerns of Objectifs as reflected in its programming and mission statement, and the architecture and heritage of the site.

In addition, applicants should note that:

  • At least 50% of the artwork selection must be photo or film based
  • At least 50% artists proposed must be either Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Residents. We understand that the line up may change in the planning of the show, but encourage curators to submit their most realistic list.
  • The proposed show must not have been presented before.
  • The proposal must include plans for at least two public programmes. These can include artist/curator talks, panel discussions, workshops, screenings and performances.
  • Apart from the Chapel Gallery, applicants may also consider utilising outdoor spaces such as the Objectifs courtyard.

 

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection will be based on the artistic and intellectual merit of each applicant’s project. We will also consider the feasibility of presenting the show in January 2024. Shortlisted applicants may be contacted to refine their proposals or answer specific questions from the selection panel about their project. Successful recipients will be contacted by June 2023.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must submit the following documents in PDF.

  • A 100 word summary of the proposed project
  • A detailed statement about the concept of the exhibition (no longer than 500 words)
  • A list of proposed artists and short bios for each
  • CV of the curator/curating team
  • A completed budget worksheet (download template here)
  • Work samples
    – At least 4 images per artist must be submitted. Where the work is yet to be created, please submit a short statement outlining the concept and images of past work and sample images for context.
    – For video or sound work, please provide URL links and passwords where required
APPLY NOW

 

Read about previous Curator Open Call projects here.
Queries about Curator Open Call can be sent to chelsea@objectifs.com.sg.

About the selection panel

Bridget Tracy Tan
Bridget Tracy Tan is Director for the Art Galleries and the Institute of Southeast Asian Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Formerly a curator at the Singapore Art Museum (now National Gallery Singapore), she oversees the internal and external programming for 3 galleries located on campus. Her work at NAFA includes initiating practice led research into Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art across the disciplines in seminars and workshops for students and lecturers alike. She has written and edited publications on art as well as catalogues and monographs for artists alongside exhibition projects. She is currently also Academic Advisor for Southeast Asian Arts at NAFA.

She graduated with a Master of Arts, obtaining First Class Honours in Art History from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Her PhD was obtained from Chelsea College of Art, University of the Arts London, in practice-led research as a curator and critical art historian. The thesis critically explored Southeast Asian museology and Southeast Asian curating in contemporary paradigms that extend into global platforms, specifically, biennales.

Sam I-shan
Sam I-shan is a curator with an interest in time-based media, photography, and art and politics. With fifteen years’ experience in art institutional settings, she was previously curator at National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum and Esplanade Visual Arts. Her monographic, research-focused exhibitions at NGS include the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission: Cao Fei, and Georgette Chen: At Home in the World. At Esplanade, she curated and managed new commissions and site-specific exhibitions, working with a range of regional artists. Her exhibitions at SAM include Afterimage: Contemporary Photography in Southeast Asia. She also headed film and moving image initiatives there, specialising in Artist Films, and co-programming the annual Southeast Asian Film Festival. She lives and works in Singapore and Cambodia.