The conclusion to the first chapter of The Colony
A solo exhibition by Marvin Tang
10 Aug to 10 Sep 2023
Chapel Gallery, Objectifs
Exhibition Opening
Thu 10 Aug, 12pm – 9pm
Artist present from 6pm – 9pm
Related events:
Of Weeping Trees: Artist Sharing by Marvin Tang
Thu 17 Aug, 7.30pm – 8.30pm
Objectifs Workshop Space
Please register here
In Different Order: Film screening and conversation with ila, Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee and Marvin Tang
Thursday 24 August 2023
7.30pm to 8.30pm
Objectifs Workshop Space
Please register here
Of Planted Trees: The Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Transformation of the Singaporean Landscape
A lecture by Timothy Barnard, followed by a conversation with Marvin Tang
Thu 31 August 2023, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
Objectifs Workshop Space
Please register here
Of Weeping Trees examines the parallel narratives of Hevea brasiliensis, also known as the Para Rubber Tree, and plantation labourers, whose fates became entwined upon their arrival in Singapore in the 1900s. Through colonial postcards, contemporary surveys of former and existing rubber plantations, and the songs sung by these labourers, the exhibition unfolds connections forged over the contested ground of history, economy and ecology.
This is the conclusion to the first chapter of The Colony, which focuses on Singapore’s early relationship with the botanical empire via the movement of the Hevea brasiliensis. The Colony is the artist’s long-term research project on the impact of botanical institutes on the movement of seeds, plants and people in the colonial era.
About the artist
Marvin Tang uses images as a tool of investigation.
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of Art, Design, and Media (NTU) and Masters in Photography at the University of the Arts London.
His research questions the linearity of historical narratives and the notion of collective identities. His works stem from the effects of policy-making to shifting social structures. He is particularly interested in applying this research to Singapore, attempting to investigate its own historical account and relationship to her expanded narratives across the globe.
Marvin received the Photoworks Prize at the London College of Communication in 2018. He is also the recipient of the CAPA Asia Portfolio Review Prize at the 5th Singapore International Photography Festival in 2016 and a recipient of the Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography in 2015. His works have been shown in Alliance Française de Singapour, DECK (Singapore), Mizuma Gallery (Singapore), Thessaloniki PhotoBiennale (Greece), Noorderlicht International Photofestival (Netherlands), Odesa Photo Days (Ukraine), and Dali International Photography Exhibition (China).
He is a Producer at Superhero Me, a ground-up inclusive arts movement based in Singapore, and lectures at NAFA and ADM.
Supported by:
National Arts Council
Objectifs – Centre for Photography & Film