Celebrating a decade of art and collaboration Singapore, SingaporeArt"We live in a high-tech era where we can communicate with anyone with a click of the mouse. It's efficient, but as humans we still cherish being in each others' company. In a way, we are like coals which need to be near other coals to remain hot."

Many works of art are created from a focused and singular vision, but what if we tried to create artworks together? And bring together in a single space and time, 5 pairs of creative impulses normally separated by miles and miles of land?

If you’ve ever played music spontaneously with a group of friends, you may already know that really special feeling when the music somehow just turns out wonderful,in that very moment.

Here at INSTINCwe truly believe that art can also be a shared journey, that can be made all the more remarkable through the collaborative process, and what better time than on INSTINC’s 10th anniversary for us to create The Great Collaboration!

INSTINC is an artist-run space in Singapore that started hosting international artists through its artist-in-residence programme from 2009. This time, INSTINC is stretching its capacity to host 10 artists at one single time, for its 10th anniversary. This is an unprecedented scale for INSTINC, because we normally host a maximum of 2 artists at any one time.

Hence, we are inviting you to help make The Great Collaboration happen!

If you’d like to show your love, belief and support for INSTINC / the artists / The Great Collaboration project, we have prepared a range of perks especially for you, some of which are for this campaign duration only! From exclusive postcards to archival prints, to original collaborative artworks and even the ultimate dinner prepared by select artists, you have our heartfelt Thank you, no matter the amount or the reward you choose. Each and every bit counts (including likes, shares & tweets!), and your backing would be a wonderful source of encouragement.
The Great Collaboration

To celebrate INSTINC's 10th anniversary in 2014, we are organizing a collaborative residency in Singapore where 5 international artists from around the world will come to Singapore and be randomly paired with 5 local artists to createcollaborative artworks at Goodman Arts Centre. At the end of the residency, the collaborative artworks will be shown at a feature exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair, Singapore!

By removing the artists from familiar modes of working through the random pairing and collaborative process, it is hoped that the artists will gain new insights, discover intriguing new methods, create exciting new works that surprise themselves and viewers, and along the way, form lasting friendships across different worlds.
INSTINC
"INSTINC is not a commercial gallery... It's a project of an artist dreamer..." - Alba Escayo
Founded in 2004 by a Singaporean artist Yeo Shih Yun, INSTINC started initially in a Chinatown shophouse, then as an artist collective sharing a studio on Emerald Hill, and later evolved over the years to become an artist-run residency and art space. One of INSTINC's key missions is to encourage collaboration, cultural exchange and the sharing of ideas in contemporary art between local as well as international artists, and it also aims to establish an exciting platform where artists and the public can engage with contemporary art and critical discourses.
To date, INSTINC has hosted 38 artists from 20 different countries through its international artist-in-residency program, organised 60 exhibitions with 148 different artists, numerous art workshops, artists' talks & collaborations, and even a contemporary painting competition "Squares Invasion" in Singapore in 2011.

With all its accomplishments so far, it's not surprising that people who are unfamiliar with INSTINC may find it hard to believe that INSTINC has been for the most part driven by the enthusiastic energy and managed primarily by a single artist, with the help of various friends and supporters along the way.

The 10th anniversary for any artist-run-space is a remarkable milestone, and it's a wonderful inspiration to see how INSTINC grows!


The 10 Artists: 5 Singapore & 5 International



Artists' Voices

Affordable Art Fair, Singapore

"I do not want Art for a few any more than I want education for a few, or freedom for a few.”- William Morris, Artist

"Embracing other friendly galleries selling affordable art, the first [Affordable Art] fair launched in Battersea Park in October 1999. 10,000 visitors took advantage of the ease of buying, breadth of choice, affordable prices and user-friendly approach." For the same reason, the Affordable Art Fair, Singapore has been very popular right from the beginning and has welcomed an incredible number of visitors every year.

By holding the collaborative residency in conjunction with the AAF, we hope to share the beauty and spirit of spontaneous art collaborations with even more people here in Singapore, and warmly welcome everyone to celebrate with usINSTINC 10: A Decade of Art & Collaboration!

What We Need

(Any amounts generated from the sales of the collaborative artworks during the exhibitions will also go towards the funding of this project.)

With your encouragement and support, our initial goal of $20,000 will cover the basics:

Rental costs of studio space (Goodman Arts Centre) for 10 artists to work together, art supplies, the exhibition s et-up and logistics (transport of art materials + artworks, additional helping hands etc), accommodation for 2 of 5 international artists (3 will stay at INSTINC SOHO, which helps to keep costs down), food, production of limited edition prints (perks) & shipping, andphotography / videography to document this special happening!

If our initial goal is successfully funded, our stretch goals include designing & publishing a catalogue / commemorative publication for INSTINC's 10 years, and providing artists' fees for all 10 artists for their hard work and commitment to this project.


What You Get

For your belief and support for INSTINC's Great Collaboration, we have prepared a variety of perks especially for you, exclusive to this campaign. No matter the amount or the reward you choose, each and every bit counts, and your backing would be a wonderful source of encouragement!

All contributors will be invited to the opening of the exhibition and all your names will be listed on INSTINC's website with heartfelt appreciation.

The 10th Year Anniversary Postcard Set @ US$25 per set

Limited Edition Print @ US$100 each

These will be printed using archival inks, on 310 gsm, archival, Rives BFK fine-art paper of 10 inches (25.4cm) square, with a print size of 8 inches (20.3cm) square. Each print will be edition-ed, signed, titled and dated by each artist. Max edition by each artist is 100.

INSTINC 10th Year Anniversary Box Set! @ US$2000 per box

All prints are made using the 12-ink HP Designjet Z3200 Photo printer using French-made Arches BFK Rives rag. This pigment ink printer is a wide-gamut colour printer and can produce prints that last. Arches BFK Rives is a mould-made traditional printmaking paper, with more than 500 years of history and heritage.

Bio of the 10 Artists

Yeo Shih Yun (Singapore) www.shihyunyeo.com
INSTINC founder since Nov 2004

Yeo Shih Yun is a full-time artist and the founder of INSTINC. She is known to reinterpret ink painting, with striking results. She experiments with fusing the traditional form with contemporary mediums, and has garnered much acclaim, including getting commissioned by the Singapore Art Museum, winning the Sovereign Asian Art Prize People's Choice Award in 2012, and being awarded a Certificate of Distinction and Highly Commended Entry at the UOB Painting of the Year Competition in 2007.

Kathleen Li (San Francisco)
INSTINC exhibiting artist 2004

"I've often wondered what my life would be like if I had grown up in a different country - how my environment and life experiences would sculpt my perspective and inform my point of view. The collaborative of both international and local artists will give me a window or a glimpse rather of what that experience would be like. I see collaborations as an intimate dialogue between artists. An exchange of thoughts, experiences, and questions."- Kathleen Li

Kathleen Li received her Masters in Fine Art in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. She has held several group shows throughout the Bay Area including Stanford University, San Francisco Design Center as well as a solo show at the Richmond Art Center. For the past several years, her artistic practice has focused on the intersection of innocence and danger and the weaving of images from her childhood.

Valerie Ng (Singapore) www.valng.com
Member of INSTINC collective 2006

"I think it will be a great experience to work with artists from all over with varied backgrounds and art forms in this project. It will be exciting to explore the unknown combinations of different art practices, to share ideas, mix it up and see what will come out of it. Definitely a chance for us to create something totally unique and of the moment." - Valerie Ng

Valerie Ng works mainly in oil on canvas or acrylic on paper, with paintings constructed in an abstract expressionist style. Her artworks result from her explorations with colour, light, depth, form and texture, and are inspired by the natural elements, the hues and shapes in the environment. She has won numerous prizes for her artworks, and her paintings have been exhibited in solo and group shows in spaces ranging from the Substation and Wetterling Teo Gallery, to the Singapore Art Museum as well as the National Art Gallery, Malaysia. Having a keen interest in paper and craft, her art objects also include artist books, papier-mache and collage pieces.

Paul Campbell (New York) http://www.paulcampbellstudio.com/
INSTINC artist-in-residence October 2010

Paul Campbell lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His artworks are a collision of randomness and chance with directness and seriality, and simultaneously suggest a parody and an homage to Abstract Expressionist and Asian Calligraphic works of the past. Campbell studied at Massachusetts College of Art, and has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in America and internationally, from New York City, Brooklyn, Toronto, Santa Fe, to Barcelona and beyond. He has exhibited at the Rose Art Museum, the Danforth Art Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and also received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2003.

Natalia Ludmila (Mexico) www.natalialudmila.net
INSTINC artist-in-residence February & March 2012

Natalia Ludmila was born in Mexico City and raised in Canada. She holds a BA in Visual Arts from Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (Mexico) in which she specialised in painting and a Masters in Digital Design by the University of Canberra (Australia). Her work has been exhibited in several solo and group shows in Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Australia and Singapore among other countries. The Second Prize recipient in the XVIII Ibiza Biennale -Ibizagrafic'- (Spain), Ludmila has also had work exhibited and commissioned by the Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum (Mexico City), and was awarded an International Residency Grant by FONCA (National Fund for Culture & Arts) Mexico. She currently lives and works in New Delhi, India.

Alba Escayo (Spain) www.albaescayo.com
INSTINC artist-in-residence June 2012

Alba Escayo works principally on painting but also experimental photography. She received her Fine Arts degree from Complutensian University, Madrid and continued her art education at the Academy of Bologna and more recently at the Faculty of Belgrade. Today she lives and works between Belgrade and Madrid, and has participated often in artist residencies and international projects. She has had solo and collective exhibitions in different countries, and her work is represented in public and private collections and museums. To travel and to know new places is fundamental to her motivation and inspiration.

Lisa Chandler (New Zealand) www.lisachandler.co.nz

INSTINC artist-in-residence May/June 2013

"It is wonderful that INSTINC is facilitating this collaborative arts project between local Singaporean and international artists. The project will give participants the opportunity to share ideas, creative processes and knowledge of the arts from their own corner of the world. It will be an invaluable and enriching experience for everyone that takes part.

"I felt privileged to be invited to take part in such an important milestone in INSTINC's history and to be selected from the many artists who have been involved over the last 10 years. I haven’t worked collaboratively with another artist before so it will be a fantastic new experience for me." - Lisa Chandler

Lisa Chandler was born in Southend-on-Sea and immigrated with her parents to New Zealand when she was 9. Lisa expressed herself through art and design at school in Wellington and completed a Diploma in Visual Communication Design at Wellington Polytechnic before going onto have a successful career as a graphic designer. In 2005 she decided to concentrate on painting and now paints full time at her Ruby Bay studio, near Nelson. Lisa graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts (hons) from Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design in 2012. Her work has been recognized through awards, and acceptance as finalist in exhibitions including the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards. Lisa also presented her MFA paper at the Affective Landscapes Conference at the University of Derby, England in May 2012.

Justin Lee 李志光 (Singapore) http://www.justinleeck.com/

INSTINC AAF exhibiting artist 2012/2013

Justin Lee is the most famous pop artist in Singapore. He works with a variety of media from paintings and sculptures to experimental short videos, and has won many art competitions. He has also exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum and Asia Civilizations Museum, and his series of works bring a different understanding of today’s Singapore society and lifestyle with its blend of eastern and western cultures. Justin believes that art plays an important part in helping people to grow, and his current works reflect on how words and images from the mass media influence and control our thoughts and expression.

Leo Liu Xuan Qi 刘轩齐 (Singapore) http://liuxuanqiart.com/
INSTINC AAF exhibiting artist 2013

Leo Liu is a fine artist currently residing in Singapore. After graduation, he worked in the field of Design & Advertising for 11 years while practicing fine arts, before holding his first solo exhibition “Equilibrium” in 2010. This was subsequently followed by “Floating Clouds” in 2011 and “Life is Beautiful” in 2012. He received the Platinum Award at the 31st UOB Singapore Painting of the Year Competition, and another art award nomination in the same year. Leo's work is an ongoing reflection on how rapid cross cultural influences, in this time of globalization, affect local culture and people's way of life.

Hsiung Lu-Fang (Singapore) www.variableinfinity.com
INSTINC exhibiting artist 2013

Hsiung Lu-Fang has worked with a variety of different forms, ranging from sculptural and conceptual works, to paintings, design and digital art, and her most recent works comprise abstract paintings that evoke associations with nature, imaginary landscapes and narratives. Drawing inspiration from observations on the inner workings of the mind and on the human condition, as well as reflections on the temporal and the eternal, her works tend to manifest in forms that reveal her love for colour. She has exhibited in a few group shows, written art reviews and articles for various projects / publications, and her works can be found in private collections.
For the Love of Art CollaborationsINSTINC founder and artist Yeo Shih Yun recalls that her earliest spontaneous art collaboration was with a classmate Kim at San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. Since then, Shih Yun has collaborated with 24 artists in 12 years! This was not a specific number or goal she consciously worked towards, but a natural culmination of her love for and enjoyment of spontaneous or temporary collaborations with other artists and even members of the public.

Some kinds of collaborative artworks can only happen with specific cultures, people, particular times and locations - watch this eye-opening video below and you will not only see a few of the 10 artists from INSTINC's history, but also begin to appreciate the beauty & spirit of spontaneous collaborations!
A Little Can Go A Long Way
Support a catalyst for potential further collaboration - More than ideas, skills and techniques, a successful collaboration also requires the artists involved to meet with open hearts and minds, to connect with each other and resonate at similar frequencies! The Great Collaboration celebrates the spirit of art + friendship, and we believe it may be a catalyst that will spark more collaborative projects in art, inspiring a spirit of sharing.

Support an independent artist-run space - Artist-run spaces and international artist residency programmes in Singapore are still relatively few and far between at the moment, and even the most reputable of artist-run-spaces will need to address and resolve the age-old challenge of sustainability. For an independent artist-run space to not only survive 10 years but to keep going, is in fact no small feat, and your generosity will encourage INSTINC to continue to grow and move forward!

Support the biggest residency project by INSTINC to date - So far we have not yet heard of anything like this in Singapore. Most residencies we know of are meant for individual artists, and while INSTINC has been involved in some past collaboration projects, The Great Collaboration is the biggest project, and the biggest collaborative residency project by INSTINC to date. Usually INSTINC SOHO can only host a maximum of 2 artists at a single time, so it is not without reason that your support for this project would be invaluable! This is also INSTINC's first ever Indiegogo campaign.
Risks & Challenges

Disaster collaborations - If two artists are unable to establish rapport, or worse still, to get along, it would mean disaster for the collaborative artworks. Nonetheless, this is an inherent risk of all collaborations, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will not happen! At the very least, we believe that the 10 selected participating artists will still be very professional and will try their best to work together, one way or another, for this short collaborative residency.

Unforeseen circumstances - INSTINC has successfully organised numerous exhibitions, workshops and events in the past, and we are tapping on all the help we can get to make The Great Collaboration a reality. Having said that, this is still our first ever crowdfunding campaign for the first ever INSTINC collaborative residency of this size, and there may still be unforeseen circumstances or challenges. Nevertheless no matter what happens we will keep everyone up to date, and have faith that we will be able to overcome potential problems.