Evil Empire

Drawing King Auction, 31 July - Round-up!

2010-08-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

"With a passionate and committed group of attendees - collectors, friends and the curious - filling up the auction room nicely, we got off to to an electrifying start with numerous bidders gunning for young illustrator eeshaun's After Yue Minjun's Execution. Finally coming down to a two-horse race, the work eventually sold at E$20,000 (S$200), twenty times its mid-estimate. It set the tone for a successful auction where 90% of the works were sold, many for multiples of their estimates to buyers brisk and brave with their paddles. So the artists behind the works, all first-timers at auction, saw encouraging personal best being set. Buyers were discerning about quality, and merrily trying to outbid each other. That ensued a busy and boisterous afternoon where total proceeds happily soared above our expectations. True to the spirit of an irreverent auction, almost everyone went back with a work (or more) and the rare few who didn't enjoyed spending their Evil Dollars on booze. If you missed it, too bad for you. Just don't forget to join us at the next auction!"

- Wang Zineng, our mystery guest auctioneer

Download the full auction results HERE!

Zineng with the Giant Hammer

All our high rollers plus our Drawing King/Queen, Teng Yen Lin (bottom right)!

Bidding with paper plate paddles!

Our highest of high rollers, Choo Ai Loon, who bid a record E$20,000 (S$200) for eeshaun's drawing after Yue Minjun's 'Execution'.

We Sped Up Drawing King By 800x!

2010-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of our Drawing King Exhibition! If you didn't catch the tournament or the exhibition, here's the time-lapse video of all the matches :)

Drawing King Highlights from Evil Empire on Vimeo.

Drawing King Highlights!

2010-07-28T01:49:00.000-07:00

For those who missed out on the action... here's a quick peek at our Tournament (23 July) and exhibition (until 30 July).

Drawing King Auction this Saturday, 31 July, 4 pm! Download the catalogue HERE and email berny@salonprojects.com to find out more!

Snippets from the Drawing King Tournament!

2010-07-23T10:20:00.001-07:00

A short video of our Final Match of the Drawing King Tournament, courtesy of our friendly neighbour Willy Foo!

Was wondering what the commotion and cheering was about, then I realised it's my neighbour, Evil Empire the art gallery that's conducting a drawing contest!"

Congratulations to Teng Yen Lin for winning the Giant Pencil!!!
And thanks to all that came out to support Evil Empire and our participating artists!

12x Flashback: How Evil Empire Gave Back

2010-07-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

36 artworks were kindly donated by young artists for our 12x event in June. To show our appreciation, Evil Empire gave these artists a chance to sell other works to our ballot holders.

Here's a feature on 5 works that artists have sold! They've also shared their thoughts on the unique experience of the 12x exhibition and ballot.

Sarah Choo | Parade of Lights

Oil on canvas | 100 cm x 60 cm| $550

About 12x

"12x allows us, young artists; to express our creativity in multi-disciplinary works . For one, it does not restrict artists to the medium of the artworks. Also it gives emerging artists space to showcase our talent, at the same time serving as a platform for us to communicate and interact with art appreciators."

Jonathan Maximilian Goh | Untitled (Landscape)

Mixed Media |45 cm x 45 cm each | $400

About the work

"My works aim to create a visual journey for the viewer, allowing the audience to engage in this Landscape visually, physically and conceptually. Through my process, I have learnt to understand my material and its nuances, and discover things unknown to me."

About 12x

"Art making is not complete without the artwork finding a home. It feels great to have an avenue to allow my artwork to sit in a new home where new viewers will be able to enjoy its existence."

Tan Wei An Joshua | The Machinist

Photography | 13 cm x 21 cm | $15

About the work

"This 'botak' tree, standing alone on a hill, caught my eye on a trip back to my old primary school in Malaysia. As I leaned out the car window to capture the fleeting moment, something about it struck me as extremely poignant."

About 12x

"Sometimes we can get too absorbed in our own works to critique ourselves properly. The exposure at 12x offers a great wake up call. You get to see which works are more popular and maybe even over-hear the reasons why. You get to ask others for feedback - just remember that it's all part of a experience that they purchase, rather than an art work per se."

Elizabeth Lim Su Ying | Don Vito Corleone

Illustration | 13 cm x 21 cm | $15

About the work

"DVC represented my British Angora
rabbit, named Skunk Rockstar McOreo whose personality is very much like the Don... He rules my 2 dogs and is very territorial, but sweet ONLY to the ones he accepts."

About 12x

" 12x really steps it up because the diversity of the works there are insane, and the fact that we could physically see who likes/doesn't like our works, who brings our works home, and how people react to it as well. The feeling of someone actually wanting/being open to understanding your work is a really great experience."

Roy Wang Han Yi | Fantasies of a Concrete Jungle

Digital Photography | 30 cm x 42 cm

About the work

"My photographic piece, using a futuristic, fantastical and imaginative approach which i really like, and is pretty childlike and vulnerable in many sense, questions whether nature, in the future, would exist simply as a fantasy or a constructed fragment of our history."

About 12x

"I think it provides a tremendous platform for young artists to have a first hand experience in dealing with the commercial side of art, talking to buyers and speaking about their work in public to many people… It was great fun too, meeting so many new people, people who appreciate art or artists themselves, providing ample networking networking opportunities."

12x: The Ballot Holder's Perspective

2010-06-13T07:55:00.003-07:00

We've brought to you the artist's perspective and the curator's perspective. Now here's some thoughts from one of our lucky ballot holders, Julian Lim!

"Yesterday, I had the privilege of becoming an art collector.

Yes, me. The one who can’t tell Dali from da Vinci, Monet from Matisse.

Well, I’ve got to start somewhere.

So yesterday, I invested $48 of my hard earned moolah in one of 36 art pieces from young artists in Singapore as part of an “experiment”, which is a bit more exciting (and cheaper) than walking into an art gallery and picking up something off the wall.

For $48, I bought myself a ballot. Ballot #17 to be exact..."

Read the rest of Julian's post HERE!

The Curator's Post-12x Thoughts

2010-06-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was The Day for 12x.

Finally, all the artists and ballot holders came together in Evil Empire - which many, including myself, soon found to be tinier and warmer than we had dared venture thinking. But despite some amounts of perspiration and a lot of "Where is so-and-so?", it was an atmosphere of cheerful communal chaos all around. Artists found themselves giving impromptu talks about their works, and ballot holders collectively realised they had some tough decisions on their hands. And that was even before the ballot started.

Sometimes the act of making and buying art can be very lonely. But it was different this time. You could see all the emotions of artists and ballot holders alike play out around you. In fact, you could hear it - when the first, the second, the third artworks were chosen, the rest of the crowd let out very audible "awww-s" as they saw their favourites slip away. Lucky ballot holders looked like they couldn't be happier. One ballot holder even gave another a 'fake' opinion (ahem) just so that she could get her hands on the artwork she wanted. They seemed genuinely excited that they could meet these young artists who would otherwise never have crossed their paths or their minds.

Of course, one always wishes that certain aspects could have been managed better or even done in a completely different way. After all, it was a show of many firsts:

1. The first time many of the artists have been given the opportunity to exhibit their works outside of a school compound.

2. The first time said artists have found a home (other than their own) for their works.

3. The first time these group art buyers have found themselves making snap decisions in a complex web of interdependent choices.

So, as the first time I have officially curated a show, I'm glad that everything sort of fell into place in the end. I'm glad that the artists are thanking me for the opportunity. I'm glad that the walls of the gallery are now bare. I'm glad that people said to me, "I didn't know art students were so talented".

And I'm glad that the artists, the ballot holders, Alan, our Evil Empire supporters, and all those random passersby who wandered into our gallery, came together to make 12x so special.

SEE MORE PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK

12x: The Artist's Perspective

2010-06-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here's some thoughts by Lum En-Ci, whose work after-images was featured in the 12x exhibition and ballot!

An artist comes away from a melee like 12x, where the audience’s preferences are clearly expressed in the sighs of disappointment or the silence that follows when a work has been chosen by the current balloter, feeling a little like a gladiator thrown to the lions.

Most artists were suitably pokerfaced during the balloting. Artists hate being judged. It was hard for me not to loose control and begin blabbering to Sarah (Sarah Choo, NYJC AEP senior whose work “Gestalt in the City” was extremely popular at 12x) in a nervous titter like I had lost all my brains.

What was interesting to observe were the preferences of the balloters. Balloters go for an arresting visual, something that would give them enjoyment in contemplating and see hanging in their home.

Admittedly, artists create works with certain meanings that aren’t the most suitable in the home (Such as the “penis and vagina piece”). But then again, it’s all terribly subjective. I’m very sure there were very creative, discerning, open and informed individuals at the balloting, yet I can’t help but feel that there’s a disjunct between an artist’s opinion of what is a worthwhile work and that of the balloters.

Here I am tempted to wax lyrical about how people often choose a work mainly for aesthetic value–but I shan’t. I think preference is a very personal thing, and that was part of the main point of 12x. And I suppose all of us artists should realize that–that creating a popular work doesn’t necessarily make one acclaimed, nor does it mean you’re playing to the gallery.

Leaving oneself open to public opinion is always nerve-wrecking, but through it you learn. You regret certain choices when you see how those choices (such as deciding not to frame a work -kicks self- ) play out, and you may disagree vehemently with some opinions of others, but it’s all okay, really. It’s an experience, particularly for us young ‘uns, to the test the waters. Wait till we face the real art critics and collectors.

Congrats and thanks once again to Berny Tan, Alan Oei and Evil Empire for making 12x possible and a success!

How to love your art

2010-06-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Art works need to be loved and feel loved. For the lucky 12x ballot holders who are first time art collectors, Evil Empire presents three tips on how to love your art.

1. Your art work likes to be seen.
Hang it at eye level.

2. Your art work hates moisture and light.
Don't hang it in a place with high humidity and direct light.

3. Your art work can't clean itself.
Avoid letting dirt and dust accumulate on the work.

12x: Curator's Pick

2010-05-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my pick of interesting artworks from 12x: to those lucky 36 ballot holders, keep your eyes on these five! - Berny

If you haven't heard about 12x, click here to find out more!

Like many of these young artists, this is my first exhibition. At least, it's the first time I'm officially curating an art show. I have to admit that it's quite a challenge; the average group show has maybe 10-15 artists, but here I am balancing the demands of handling 36 different young artists who all have their respective school/nation-serving schedules.

As a young art-maker myself, I know how it is when you have drawers full of old sketches and prints and art materials, or when you've finally made something that you can be proud to call your work - yet you're not really sure where these works go from there. So, at the end of it all, it's nice to know that these works will find their way into someone's home.

For the sake of diversity, I've chosen 5 works of 5 different media for my Curator's Pick. Each one has their own special quality, but let's just say that when these images found their way into my inbox, it made a particularly stressful day seem alright again.

Roy Wang Han Yi
Fantasies Of A Concrete Jungle
Digital Photography
30 cm x 42 cm

I've always been one for colourful things, so it's obvious why I'm immediately drawn to this photograph. A surreal anti-gravity alternate reality where the plastic/tin toys of our childhood gather, I am both captivated and intrigued by this seamless puzzle of multiple photographs.

Cheryl Teo
Abyss
Van Dyke Brown prints on charcoal paper
25 cm x 19 cm each (series of 4)

This work possesses an almost 'retro' feel, as if it was a vintage sepia photograph, and yet the approach remains contemporary. I love how the rawness of the edges contrasts with the sharpness of the miniature house, making this work simultaneously painterly and photographic.

Jonathan Maximilian Goh
Alice
Illustration
21 cm x 15 cm each (series of 3)

You would think that the recent saturation of the 'Alice in Wonderland' theme would make one jaded of the world of food that makes you grow/shrink and talking animals that don't really seem to make much sense. Yet this ink-and-watercolour illustration perfectly shows why C.S. Lewis' classic remains charming to this day - and always ripe for re-interpretation.

Elizabeth Lim Su Ying
Jellyfish-splish
Diluted acrylic (wet-on-wet, salt)
91 cm x 122 cm

I enjoy looking at works that are built on simplified visual motifs. Something that doesn't pretend to be realistic or abstract, but just is whatever it is. There is that sense of freedom of experimentation, and yet she seems to have grasped the feeling of being a jellyfish in her diluted colours and fluid lines.

Sarah Choo
Gestalt In The City
Mixed Media
25 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm

Looking at this installation, you half-expect it to be some kind of avant-garde jewellery piece. In fact, these are all found objects bought from the Thieves' Market at Sungei Road. It's Duchampian, not in a crazy-Dada-urinal kind of way, but in its existence as proof that artists can turn trash into treasure.

The Evil Empire Manual

2010-05-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

A randomly pointless entry but I'm thinking of starting an Evil Manual for all newcomers. Basically it will be a guide and mission statement to think about what we do, but more importantly, it's a document of the team. After one month probation, each team member should contribute their interpretations for posterity.

Here's mine

Guide to why and how we work:
1. You work for the cause, not the boss. That's what we do - we sell causes.
2. Rally others. Causes happen when people feel they have something to offer.
3. Making meaning is more important than making money.
4. Lose money on an idea only once, preferably not, and never because you didn't do the math.
5. Think about why the world will be a lousier place if Evil Empire closes down. If it isn't, then we should close down.

Child's Play Opening Night - 1 April 2010

2010-04-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Artists, artists' friends, neighbours and some random passersby dropped by for a night of art, alcohol, chips and chit-chat on Thursday, 1 April 2010. Check out some photos from the opening of Child's Play (or why baby Jesus looks strange) below!

1 - 30 April 2010: Child's Play

2010-03-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Opening Hours:

Wednesdays - Sundays, 3pm - 9pm

Admission is free.

Click here for the facebook event.