Why I Collect

9 Sep 2023 - 12 Nov 2023

Andrea Büttner, Manon de Boer, Haegue Yang, Tarek Atoui, Tehching Hsieh, Wolfgang Tillmans

Exhibition Guide: Download Here 

Inspired by Descartes’s famous dictum, “I think, therefore I am”, Why I Collect draws from the personal collection of the founder of Blank Canvas. It presents art works by six contemporary artists, with each work a representation of a major art form – film, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, sound. For this particular collector, collecting is a pathway to thinking. In this exhibition, he shows us what he collects, which gives us a glimpse of what and how he thinks.  

Fittingly, the works shown in Why I Collect challenge the conventions of what these art forms are or should be. A painting that literally demands to be stepped on; a sculpture that is activated by the audience’s touch; a film which does not play; photographs which draw their power not only from the image itself but also from the manner in which they can be viewed; literal year-long performances captured in a single instance; a sound work which is as visual as it is auditory, as well as interactive.  

These works upend, and extend, our conceptions of the different media of art. But beyond their ostensible manifestations and their questioning of form, these works also offer for contemplation other layers of issues about art, such as the preciousness (or not) of art works, the democratization of art, and the relationship between the art work and the audience. These works, as interrogations of form and issues, were collected in pursuit of understanding. By sharing these works with the public, the exhibition invites each visitor to Blank Canvas to also embark on their own journey of questioning and understanding. 

A Pause (24 Seconds)

Manon de Boer

2022

16mm film, b/w, metal

150 x 282cm

Untitled (Painted Floor)

Andrea Büttner

2022

Yellow paint

Instruction piece, dimension variable

Blank Rotating Notes

Haegue Yang

2012

Powder-coated steel sheet, ball bearings, magnets, 6 parts

DIN A3: 46.6 x 34.6 cm
DIN A4: 32.6 x 24.3 cm
DIN A5: 23.4 x 17.3 cm

THE WHISPERERS / MODULE 7

Tarek Atoui

2021

Drum, portable turntable, vinyls, Hexbug Nano, stethoscope, mixing consoles, metal bucket, headphones, magnetic wood, beaker, hydrophones, brass bowl, transducer, amplifier, dropping funnel, cymbal, plastic box, water, timer, rotating table, micro piezo, bamboo, cables, carpet

Approx. 85 x 300 x 200 cm

One Year Performance

Tehching Hsieh

1978-1999

Posters and statements mounted on boards in 6 parts

55.9 x 66 cm each

Schulterblatt (a)

Wolfgang Tillmans

2010

Chromogenic print

44.5 x 34.3 cm

Anders (Brighton Arcimboldo)

Wolfgang Tillmans

2005

Chromogenic print

44.5 x 34.3 cm

Ushuaia Digitalis

Wolfgang Tillmans

2010

Chromogenic print

44.5 x 34.3 cm

Plant Life

Wolfgang Tillmans

2005

Chromogenic print

34.6 x 44.8 cm

Discussion: Why We Collect

10 September 2023, Sunday, 2:00pm

Moderator:
Nicholas Song
 

Panelist:
KY, Private Collector & Founder of Blank Canvas  
Lee Khai, Private Collector & Chairman of Penang State Art Gallery  
Adrian Jones, Founder of Witness Collection

The dialogue session brings together a group of collectors to share their personal journeys and reflections on collecting art. Each panelist begins with a brief introduction before moving into a conversation that explores how they first started collecting, the criteria that guide their choices, and how their approach has evolved over time. The discussion also touches on how their collections have changed, the challenges they face, and what lies ahead in their collecting practices. The session offers a closer look at the thoughts and considerations behind building a collection, from both personal and practical perspectives.

The Whisperer—Children Sound Workshop

29 October 2023, Sunday, 11am & 3pm
Mandarin, conducted by Nathan Ng

12 November 2023, Sunday, 11am & 3pm
English, conducted by Fish Lim

Children aged 5 to 10 participated in an engaging sound workshop inspired by Tarek Atoui’s sound installation The Whisperers / Module 7. The session offered a playful space for young minds to explore the flow of water, sound, and electricity through hands-on activities.

The workshop was conducted in separate time slots in both Mandarin and English to accommodate different language preferences.