I STILL DON'T GET MODERN ART: WHERE THE CITY SOFTENS by HANS CHEW

Caution: Men at Work.

I still don't get modern art. Wandering around Esplanade just before Tze Toh's Unwelten piano recital, I chanced upon a new exhibition of modern art called Where The City Softens by local visual artist Hans Chew. At first, I thought part of Esplanade had been fenced off for the usual repairs or restoration, but no, they actually paid someone to do certain installations.

Trying to understand the situation better, some form of explanation had been included. Catch phrases like "inherent value of making" certainly helped to differentiate items which were "functional and non-functional", "essential and the trivial", "discarded and abandoned". There was also on display a "repository of objects that contemplate our anthropic relationship with the material environment".  Yes, that's so much better.

 

I thought I'd have some fun to try and distinguish which parts of the exhibition were essential and which were trivial, and which were functional and non-functional. This reminds me of a game we used to play on Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the others". So here are the photos.

WHERE THE CITY SOFTENS

by HANS CHEW

Esplanade 3rd floor

The exhibit runs till 23 August 2026

Admission is free

(Would you even pay to view this?)

I JUST DON'T GET MODERN ART!

Tang Da Wu appears in this video.

Try as I may, I just don't get modern art. Ever so often, I stumble on an art exhibition in whatever city, and that always piques my interest. MOMA, Tate Modern, JC Contemporary, MOCA, Queen's Gallery, you name it and I've spent hours in these over the years, and have always wondered. "What's it all about?" The latest stumbling took place back home in Jendela, Esplanade's biggest arts space. And these are the photos.

Entitled The Seminar - Don't Teach Art, it brings together works by Singaporean visual artist Tang Da Wu (born 1943), well-known as founder of The Artists Village during the 1980s at Ulu Sembawang. At 82, he still commands a loyal following among local visual artists but he has yet to receive the Cultural Medallion. NAC, what are you waiting for? It's probably his political leanings and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression that ruffled official feathers. In a way, receiving the CM might be a cop out of sorts, a sure sign of being accepted into the mainstream, and that is what true rebels and real artists try and avoid. 

 

The words in Chinese refer to an over-reliance
of machines to get things done.
So says a helpful exhibition guide.

The installations look imposing.

Perhaps dangerous to Ozempic users.

Is this some butcher's stall?

Bibi Netanyahu meets Kamala Harris.
The futility of politics.

We are constantly reminded of this year.
Not knowing is a sure sign of dementia.

What is this supposed to mean?

A man falls into a heap of bricks.
Looks like he tore a new one, so he's doomed.

The Ascent of Otters.
They'll soon rule the world.

A Zen-like corner space.

No entry permitted, but the lock looks puny.

A pile of sticks. So what?

No idea what this means.

The glory of bubble wrap.

Ladder to nowhere.

Call this number if you are being scammed.

Absolutely no clue on this one.

This reminds me of the North Korean 
communist party symbol.

The exhibits bite. So beware.
Esplanade is not liable for injuries.

The Seminar – Don’t Teach Art - Esplanade

This exhibit runs till 1 February 2026.

Admission is free!

(Would you pay to look at this?)