SINGAPORE – The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has changed life for everyone, perhaps forever. To document the pandemic’s indelible impact on the world, ArtScience Museum’s new exhibition will examine the science of epidemics and present an intimate, unique look into the lives and practices of visual artists as they lived through and with Covid-19.
Opening on 12 February 2022, Hope from Chaos: Pandemic Reflections investigates how epidemics work and how this pandemic has impacted the world. Visitors to the exhibition will begin their journey with a free introductory display from The Smithsonian Institution, USA titled Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World. This part of the exhibition explores how pathogens can spread from wildlife to humans and why some outbreaks become epidemics.
Hope from Chaos continues with a ticketed display, curated by ArtScience Museum, that features emotive artworks by artists from Singapore, Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe.
The artists showing in the ticketed component of the exhibition include Cao Fei (China), Heman Chong (Singapore), Luke Jerram (UK), Ivetta Sunyoung Kang (Canada/South Korea), Eun Vivian Lee (Singapore/New York/South Korea), Pierre le Riche (South Africa) and Nonzuzo Gxekwa (South Africa). Their work is shown alongside prototypes by materials scientists from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
By combining objective insights from the scientific world with a sense of embodied engagement with the work of artists, Hope from Chaos offers an environment of reflection for its visitors.
“As we mark the second anniversary of Covid-19’s arrival in Singapore, ArtScience Museum is taking an opportunity to reflect on its impact on all of us,” said Honor Harger, Vice President of Attractions, Marina Bay Sands.
“Hope From Chaos begins with a free introduction into the history of outbreaks, developed by the Smithsonian. It continues by giving our visitors a deeply evocative, emotional, and personal encounter with the lives, stories and practices of artists. Through installations, films and sculptures, the artists in our exhibition explore the pathology of the SARS-Cov2 virus, the rituals of isolation and care that have become so familiar to us, the anguish and shock of falling ill with Covid-19, and the rites and practices that have helped artists deal with living in the age of the pandemic.
“Hope from Chaos also launches the Season of Mental Wellbeing at ArtScience Museum, which will focus on mental health and wellbeing during this tumultuous time.”
Season of Mental Wellbeing 2022
The year-long Season of Mental Wellbeing at ArtScience Museum will include a series of projects throughout 2022 which delve into the distress of the Covid-19 pandemic and the societal anxiety it has caused.
Through thoughtfully curated exhibitions, education activities and public programmes, the Museum will raise awareness and initiate conversations on mental health and wellbeing. By drawing on the understanding generated by science and the emotional impact of artists’ work, this season aims to create a climate of healing for the public, after a difficult two years of living in the age of a pandemic.
Tickets and Reservations
Tickets to Hope from Chaos will be available from 20 January at all Marina Bay Sands box offices and on the website. Due to the limited capacity and timed entry to the exhibition, guests are strongly advised to purchase tickets online in advance of their arrival.
For more information on Hope from Chaos, visit this link.
Text and photos courtesy of Marina Bay Sands and ArtScience Museum.
