National Gallery Singapore and The Arts House are proud to premiere Lawrence Weiner’s OUT OF SIGHT in Southeast Asia. Developed as a participatory hopscotch-inspired artwork, it aims to stimulate and engage audiences and passers-by through positive visualisation and interactive play. OUT OF SIGHT will be simultaneously displayed at National Gallery Singapore and The Arts House from 2nd September to 14th October 2021.
Presented for free in the Civic District for all to enjoy, this text-based installation is a twodimensional sculpture that integrates bold typography and Lawrence Weiner’s poetic play on words. Developed together with Lawrence’s book HERE TO THERE, the work is presented in a witty and interactive format, with the use of open-ended phrases such as: “One Can Only Imagine The Powers That Be” and “The Destination Is Straight On”. Participants are invited to engage with these ideas in relation to themselves and each other. The current pandemic has affected the way we live and caused us to question our sense of normalcy — this OUT OF SIGHT installation will encourage audiences to embark on a journey of discovery in a safe space.
The installation is accompanied by additional OUT OF SIGHT programmes including educational elements and programmes for local youth and teens. The programs will utilise the core principles and phrases of Weiner’s work – exuberance, energy, vision, visualisation, enlightenment and serendipity – as the foundation for creative activities. By being able to stand, walk, or jump from one position to the next, OUT OF SIGHT invites viewers to consider the importance of visualisation and goal setting.
“A person coming in with whatever situation they find themselves in, the minute they have any thoughts about themselves going FROM HERE TO THERE, they will be able to stand in front of the marelle (French for hopscotch) and realise they first have to imagine themselves doing it, that’s assuming a position,” says Lawrence Weiner, American conceptual artist.
“We are delighted to introduce Lawrence Weiner’s work to the region and showcase how interactive this text-based work could be. We hope that OUT OF SIGHT would allow people from different age groups and all walks of life to immerse themselves within this participatory work, exploring their own paths, and igniting conversations within themselves and with others” says Tamares Goh, Deputy Director, Audience Engagement at National Gallery Singapore.
“Lawrence Weiner’s OUT OF SIGHT is inspiring, funny, wise, ambiguous and meditative, and we are thrilled that that this major public art work is being presented in the Civic District here in Singapore. Weiner’s precise and evocative use of text resonates with The Arts House’s role as a literary centre, and of course, Weiner is one of the most wonderful living visual artists too,” says Rupert Thomson, Director, Programmes and Producing (Venues) at Arts House Limited.
OUT OF SIGHT is an international art project that has previously been installed at The Perez Art Museum, Miami; The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, in the city of Kortrijk, Belgium, and at Longhouse Reserve, East Hampton. Most recently, OUT OF SIGHT was installed in six parks throughout the city of Chicago. The artwork has been translated into Spanish, Mandarin, French, Dutch and Portuguese.
Out of Sight runs from 2nd September to 14th October 2021 at the
National Gallery Singapore Padang Atrium Level B1, and The Arts House front pathway. More information available here
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