None of that white walls bullshit. Kult Gallery has housed art from rebel creatives from all over the world, welcoming mediums beyond the standard canvas.
Reach out to us with one of the forms.
Romance, tragedy, violence and kink; welcome to the insane, electric world of the anime subculture. Over 40 artists from all over the world responded to our siren call and submitted a vibrant mix of artworks chronicling their personal experiences with anime.
From its origins in early 20th century Japan, it’s no secret that anime is now a worldwide cultural storm. For many artists, early interest in art-making was sparked by exposure to anime on television. The open call intentionally allowed for creative output in any visual medium. The result? A diverse mix of art prints, paintings, toys, comics, digital animations and gifs from over 10 countries - including Korea, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore. A love letter to anime, the exhibition showcased anime’s metamorphosis and mighty influence on generations of global artists.
Post-exhibition launch, we had our usual Over Pizza and Beer panel session on the topic of Anime and Identity featuring panelists Eddie Ching (Curator, Artblovk Gallery), Julian Lai-Hung (CEO/Co-Founder of BlockPunk), KC (Collateral Damage Studios) and Taketo Kobayashi (3D digital artist).
The exhibition ran from 30 August - 5 October 2019.
New York-based pop-artist The Sucklord came to Singapore with an army of his crudely funny yet awfully bona fide work in tow. As his inaugural solo show in Singapore, Bootleg Toy Supervillain, was a retrospective one that represented the totality of his medium of bootleg through over 40 original toys on display.
Visitors expected, but were not necessarily ready for unwholesome parodies of contemporary subjects such as meme culture, online dating and even Lady Gaga through bootleg toys.
With a ’lil twist, exclusive one-off collaborative pieces will be created from Kult’s regional network of creatives - Daniel Yu (SG), Kabuki Master (TH), Mokojo, (SG) and Quiccs (PH).
Fans had multiple opportunities to meet The Sucklord in the flesh while he was in Singapore. Over Pizza & Beer: The Sucklord Speaks - a dialogue session with the Lord himself; focusing on the rules or non-rules of bootleg art & Portfolio Night with The Sucklord, connected up-and-coming local toymakers for an intimate one-on-one session.
The exhibition ran from 5 October - 10 November. Free entry.
Kult explored what it means to be a ‘writer’ working with over 25 artists for WORD. Going beyond the standard canvas, artists were invited to interpreted written scripts in various languages such as Arabic, Braille and Urdu with traditional and non-traditional mediums like bubble wrap, paper-cut and digital animations.
Through the rich showcase of fresh perspectives, styles and mediums, visitors were introduced to new ways of seeing and reading. Case in point – by using the Javanese script to express ‘just writing my name’, Graffiti-writer Nicolas Adhitya played around with the graffiti artist culture of tagging their names on the streets. Another treat for the eyes was Indian multi-disciplinary artist Zeenat Kulavoor’s piece. She wrote the Urdu word ‘Aks’ which translates into ‘reflection’ by using reflective stickers. With a torch shone on it, it looked just like trucks do on India’s highways.
The gallery also worked closely with the Goethe-Institut Singapore to bring German conceptual artist Alexis Dworsky. Dworsky conducted a workshop one Saturday about understanding and misunderstanding language codes through tactile and gestural messaging systems.
On opening night, Dworsky collaborated with Singapore’s very own graffiti writer and RSCLS member SONG, where he translated SONG’s writing into life-sized Braille. Visitors could also participate in some interactive fun put up by digital literacy enthusiasts Saturday Kids (SG) and Math Class Club (SG) who played with writing in a digital space.
As part of Singapore’s Writers’ Festival (SWF) POP, Kult also presented an exclusive dialogue session, Over Pizza & Beer: The Art of Written. Mark de Winne, Sarah & Schooling, Desmond Kon and Kelley Cheng fronted the discussion about ways in which literary and non-litrerary texts are presented.
May 2018
Kult Gallery and German cultural organisation the Goethe-Institut collaborated to bring an interactive exhibition entitled Games and Politics that is touring the world
The exhibition of 18 games that dealt with socially-relevant topics like war, gender, migration, democracy and surveillance encourages play and calls upon the audience to question the position of games in society today.
Kult also invited Singapore-based leaders in communication to create artworks in response to the content of the games to further the users’ understanding of the addressed themes.
The artworks facilitated a real-time real-place environment for the audience in Singapore to contemplate and contextualise social and political topics covered by the games.
January 2018
Singaporean art fans and sci-fi buffs were treated to the expansive, galaxy-traversing world of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune through the works of over 15 artists across disciplines.
The art included prints, intricate sculptures and virtual reality experiences. Opening night attendees were also given a multi-sensory treat with Dune inspired cakes and fragrances from partners Cakerholic and Oo La Lab respectively.
Later, Kult hosted an Over Pizza & Beer: Sci-fi session where a panel of creatives were invited to discuss the process of conceiving science fiction universes over pizza and pints.
Together with B-movie connoisseurs SCUM Cinema. Kult also organised a special screening of the acclaimed documentary, Jodorowsky’s Dune. The screening gave the audience greater insight about the greatest sci-fi movie never made, all while sipping on the event-special cocktail Outer Spice by Kult Kafe.
December 2017
Choking Hazard: An Exhibition about Toys, was a display of workmanship, a celebration of play, pop culture, creativity but most importantly an attempt to combine histories to present day where toy markets of the masses co-exist.
Local and international artists and toy makers such as Daniel Yu (SG), Mojoko (SG), Quiccs (PH), Handsome Studio (KR), Healeymade (US) and Kyle Kirwan (US) saw their works showcased in conjunction with Kult Gallery’s release of Kult Magazine Issue #20 titled TOYS.
Visitors were also given the opportunity to make their own art at the gallery’s Toys Disassembly where pre-loved toys were available for them to take apart, customise and re-build with glue and paint.
Chug and FORM Curated Series kept everyone hydrated with drinks on the opening night, as visitors jammed out to Kult Kafe’s Toy Orchestra, an orchestra essentially producing sounds from re-wired toy instruments hooked up to speakers.
The exhibition also saw a sound interactive installation by Mojoko and even a Beer and Pizza podcast session with Marsham Toy Hour (USA) and local toymakers and designers Jackson Aw, Daniel Yu and Fragiledarkness.
March 2017
Kult worked with Filipino artist Anjo Bolardo to showcase a varied spectrum of works of over 20 Filipino artists, each bold in their satirical references to society, advertising, and draw attention to the distinctive characteristics of each city from Manila to lesser known islands of Visayas and Mindanao.
The lineup included notable names such as graffiti writer Janot and visual artist Kidlat, up-and-coming talent like Auggie Fontanilla and Quatro who constantly surprise with their paint and embroidery techniques.
BEHIND PUSAKAL
The metaphor of the ‘pusakal’ (stray cat in Tagalog) captures the spirit of the urban art scene in the Philippines. Like the wandering feline, the ongoing conversation about street art is the environment it should exist in - being either the public or domestic sphere, and whether or not the masses should be responsible for its nurture.
July 2017
For 6 weeks, Kult Gallery was transformed into a record store. The artworks were on full display against an ubiquitous record shop wheatpasted wall. The gallery was painted yellow and red - the ultimate nod to Tower Records.
Over 20 artists provided us with eclectic interpretation of 80s music on various mediums of art - from vinyls that had been painted on to vintage soda pop bottles with 80s music-inspired labels.
The Kult Gallery was littered with events celebrating the golden era, from cosy acoustic sessions to vinyl record workshops.
Artworks, in the form of gifs and videos, were screened on glitchy TVs, complete with that soft 80s glow a la a Rick Astley video.
September 2016
‘Mono’, featuring a body of monochromatic works by two exciting young local artists, Dawn Ang and Chris Chai, was the gallery’s first ever dual-solo show,
With similar sensibilities that manifest in different ways, both artists aimed to showcase how traditional black and white imagery fits into the realm of contemporary art.
Primarily seen within the space of old-fashioned photography, monochromatic images evoke a certain intimacy as the muted palette heightens focus onto the chosen subject. Works displayed at Mono aimed to capture the dramatic yet subtle intensity of a reality without colour.
Touted as an all-out black and white show, viewers were urged to recalibrate their perspectives and view the world in a different light.
Aside from art pieces. Mono also featured projection mapping as part of a collaboration effort with New Media Assembly.
April 2016
‘Hot Mesh’, a group exhibition that honoured the art of silkscreen printing.
As one of the few art forms that has traversed the limitation of a single purpose, the silkscreen printing method has been applied to commercial mass production as well as special edition prints.
With the only restriction being the silkscreen print medium, 20 artists from all over the world were invited to express their artistic flair on any subject matter of their choice.
The point of ‘Hot Mesh’ was to challenge the notion that screenprinting is less prestigious or expensive art and it’s a medium that is able to hold its own in the art world, much like painting or sculpture.
February 2016
Kult Gallery launched its cheekily titled The $200 Show: Actually Affordable Art where, visitors can purchase quality art from the gallery’s archives, including originals, silkscreens, Risograph prints, digital prints and 3D artwork, all priced at S$200 or less.
The objective was to make art accessible and the decision was to curate show with an affordable price point that literally forms the theme of the show.
There were over 50 pieces on show basically examining the culture surrounding the value of art, subverting the notion that art is exclusive and expensive.
It was a celebration of a low-brow atmosphere, proving art, too, is entertainment, meant to be experienced and enjoyed by everyone.
April 2017
Welcome to the weird world of Wunderkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities).
Visitors explored the imagination of a fine collection of artists who were inspired by the unnaturally strange. Think freakishly deformed sea creatures, skeletal remains of mutated animals, otherworldly sentient plants and everything in-between.
Some of our favourite artists explored this genre of bizarre, grotesque abnormalities, to create artworks of any medium to be showcased in the exhibition.
August 2015
In line with the release of issue #18, Observation, Kult threw a magazine launch party celebrating the visual world of perception and deduction.
The issue aimed to challenge the way one viewed the world at large, and redefine the manner in which visual information is being processed today.
Today’s generation has gotten increasingly attached to the concept of instant gratification. People are beginning to process information presented to them within a few seconds.
Kult hoped to reintroduce the idea of slowing down and appreciating beauty in each and every visual around us. The exhibition led visitors on a journey of discovery and examination, as we trained their eyes to go beyond just seeing what’s on the surface.
Activities including an engaging installation piece by interactive artist, Shang Liang, a massive RGB mural by the Milan-based art and design duo, Carnovsky and a tape art installation.
May 2016
In conjunction with a special event, CreATEry, organised by ATE Partnership, Kult was asked to curate an exhibition to push the idea of the weird and wonderful. Inspired by the Mary Shelley’s infamous story of Dr Frankenstein's monster.
We invited 20 cutting edge artists from around the world. With nearly 80% coming from Asia.
Each artist was asked to create a portrait of Frankenstein’s monster in their own style. Each artwork was to be created on a black background to ensure continuity
Each artwork was 1.6m tall and to give the space a powerful experience it was awashed in red light. We also screened a video of chopped up, mashed up version of the Frankenstein movie.
August 2014
For a month, Kult presented Girls of the Underworld, a group show that examined what it means to be female in contemporary Asia, from the perspective of young female artists.
37 Singapore-based female artists were invited to create a new piece of work through various mediums that captures their perspective on living and working in fast-paced modern Asia, Kult encouraged the exploration of subjects such as music, identity, pop TV & movie culture.
The show featured local female artists such as Tiffany Tan, Adeline Tan, Dawn Ang, Inkten, Kristal Melson and Soph Ong.
May 2014
To celebrate its 9th issue, Kult Gallery co-curated and hosted an exhibition for King Brown, an Australian, limited-edition publication, produced by The Yok and Ian Mutch.
Inside each issue of King Brown, you found profiles and interviews that took you on a journey, through the studios and minds of innovative leaders in photography, illustration, urban and skateboard art and design, with the aim of keeping you inspired and connected to the much loved subcultures.
Each issue was also handcrafted and sewn inside a brown paper bag, wrapped together with additional goodies like stickers, zines, posters and collectables, all unique to each edition.
The show was based on the issue, co-curated with ‘The Hours’ from Sydney, which first premiered in New York.
The exhibition featured the likes 20 international and 30 local artists in a display of works that had been featured in King Brown’s overseas shows as well as works created specially for the Singapore edition.
September 2013
Australian pop artist Ben Frost presented an exhibition of new artworks exploring our society's obsession and relationship with mass-consumerism at Kult.
Painting directly onto fast food and pharmaceutical packaging, Frost asks us to look twice at the products we have grown to love - and also grown an addiction for.
From McDonald's french fry packages adorned with skulls and praying families, to Simpsons characters painted onto Viagra boxes, he presents a humorous and often challenging reflection of western culture.
By taking the packaging of these products and adding his own elements, Frost recontextualizes their messages into more interesting, challenging and subversive meanings.
February 2013
