| STPI - Creative Workshop & Gallery | |
| Established: | 2002 |
| Location: | 41 Robertson Quay Singapore 238236 |
| Type: | Art gallery and creative workshop |
| Director: | Emi Eu |
| Publictransit: | Clarke Quay Fort Canning |
STPI - Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore (formerly known as Singapore Tyler Print Institute) is a creative workshop and contemporary art gallery based in Singapore that specialises in artistic experimentation in the medium of print and paper. To date, STPI has collaborated with over 90 artists from all over the world.
Situated in a restored 19th century warehouse by the Singapore River at Robertson Quay, the 4,000-square metre facility houses specialised printmaking presses and equipment, a paper mill, 400-square metre gallery, guest workshop, artist studio, artist apartments, staff offices and The Corner Shop.
STPI sits alongside National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum as part of the national Visual Arts Cluster of leading institutions in the region.[1] STPI is also a member of the Art Galleries Association of Singapore (AGAS), a non-profit organisation that represents the interests of gallery owners and operators in Singapore.[2]
S.E.A. Focus is a showcase of contemporary art from Southeast Asia, an initiative led by STPI since its inaugural edition in 2019.
STPI is a not-for-profit organisation established with the support of the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (presently known as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth – MCCY), Singapore Tourism Board, and Singapore Totalisator Board,[3] in line with the government’s Renaissance City Plan to position the nation as the prime arts hub of Southeast Asia.
The concept of establishing a large print workshop and paper mill in Singapore was first proposed in the mid-1990s to Kenneth E. Tyler, a long-standing American innovator, printer and publisher of fine art prints.[4] [5] On 10 April 2002, STPI was officially opened by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence at the time, Dr. Tony Tan.[6] Welcomed as an opportunity with long-term benefits that would add to the growth of the nation’s reputation as a City for the Arts, Singapore was seen as the ideal place for facilitating the amalgamation of Eastern and Western printmaking techniques, papermaking methods and various artistic practices.[6]
STPI seeks to help develop Singapore as a leading player in the global contemporary art world by collaborating with top international artists. Through its artist collaborations, artworks, exhibitions and public programmes, STPI engages the international art community, collectors and the Singapore public with the aim of developing an appreciation of the print and paper art practice.[7]
Artist collaborations lie at the heart of STPI’s programmes. Visiting artists live in the guest apartments at STPI, with access to the artist’s studio and workshop. They are also invited to give public talks to introduce their practice and studio work, and share their collaboration experience. At the end of each collaboration, works produced are exhibited and catalogued for public appreciation and sale.[8]
STPI Gallery hosts exhibitions of works produced in the Creative Workshop and regularly participates in local and international art fairs.[9]
The gallery holds 6-8 exhibitions a year, following successive artist collaborations, artist talks, panel discussions, regular docent-led tours, film screenings, performances and coffee & conversations.[10]
STPI organises print and papermaking workshops, guided tours, and an annual open house.[11]
The annual special exhibition is a yearly segment that showcases works from the Singapore Art Museum Collection that were previously under the ownership of Kenneth E. Tyler, as well as various private collections and artist estates.
This membership programme was launched in September 2015. It aims to draw a closer connection between avid art lovers with artists and fellow collectors. Members are entitled to exclusive artist studio visits, VIP previews, overseas trips, and artist dinners.[12]
Art fair participations include: S.E.A. Focus (Singapore), Art Stage Singapore (Singapore), Art Basel (Basel, Hong Kong and Miami Beach), The Armory Show (New York), FIAC Paris (Paris), Frieze Art Fair (London, Seoul), IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair (New York), Art Fair Philippines (Philippines), Korean International Art Fair (South Korea), Art Paris Art Fair (Paris), Print Basel (Basel), Pulse (New York) and SH Contemporary (Shanghai).
| Year | Biennale | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art | Genevieve Chua |
| Asian Art Biennial | Genevieve Chua | |
| 2018 | Le Locle Triennial of Contemporary Prints 2018 | Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Carsten Höller, Kim Beom, Dinh Q. Lê, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala, Tabaimo, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Suzann Victor, Haegue Yang |
| 2017 | Yokohama Triennale | Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala, Rirkrit Tiravanija |
| 2016 | 3rd Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale | Sun Xun |
| 2015 | Holland Animation Film Festival | Sun Xun |
| Asian Art Biennale, Taichung, Taiwan | Sun Xun | |
| Venice Biennale | Carsten Höller |
Hermes ALOFT, Platform STPI Projects, collaborations with international contemporary art galleries, for example, Neugerimschneider, Lisson Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, and Victoria Miro.
Works produced at STPI have been included in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Bennesse Foundation, Japan; M+, Hong Kong; QAGOMA, Australia; Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Australia; Monash University Museum of Art, Australia; OHD Museum of Modern & Contemporary Indonesian Art, Indonesia; National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum, amongst others.
The STPI Creative Workshop comprises specialised facilities such as industry-grade print presses and a paper mill, as well as a team of print and papermakers. Techniques offered include:
Since 2002, STPI has produced its own catalogues following the end of each artist collaboration. The list of catalogues that STPI has produced to date are:
| Artist(s) | Catalogue Title | Year Published | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chua Ek Kay | Being and Becoming | 2002 | |
| Frank Stella | In 2002 | 2002 | |
| Pacita Abad | Circles in My Mind | 2003 | |
| Ong Kim Seng | Moments of Light | 2004 | |
| Brent Harris | Singapore Print and Paper Pulp Works | 2005 | |
| Liu Kuo Sung | A Retrospective View | 2005 | |
| Robert Motherwell | The Enlightened Vision | 2005 | |
| Srihadi Soedarsono | Tracing Horizons | 2005 | |
| Zhu Wei | New Pictures of the Strikingly Bizarre | 2005 | |
| Atul Dodiya | The Wet Sleeves of My Paper Robe (Soft Cover) | 2006 | |
| BenCab | Impressions | 2006 | |
| Chun Kwang-Young | Aggregation: New Works on Paper 2006 | 2006 | |
| Nataraj Sharma | Stretch | 2006 | |
| Sun Xinping | Three Elements | 2006 | |
| Anju Dodiya | All Night I Shall Gallop | 2007 | |
| Chua Ek Kay | Along The River Banks | 2007 | |
| Goh Beng Kwan | Renewal | 2007 | |
| Lin Tianmiao | Focus on Paper | 2007 | |
| Ghada Amer & Reza Farkhondeh | A New Collaboration on Paper | 2008 | |
| Ghada Amer & Reza Farkhondeh | Collaborative Drawings | 2008 | |
| Hema Upadhyay | Universe Revolves On | 2008 | |
| Qiu Zhijie | A Suicidology Of The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge | 2008 | |
| Sunaryo | Poetry Of Inner Dreams (Works On Paper) | 2008 | |
| Agus Suwage | Circle | 2009 | |
| David Chan/Donna Ong/Phunk Studio | BMW Young Asian Artists Series II: SG edition (David Chan/Donna Ong/Phunk Studio) | 2009 | |
| Chang Fee Ming | Imprinted Thoughts | 2009 | |
| Christine Ay Tjoe | Eating Excess | 2009 | |
| Wilson Shieh | Music Families | 2009 | |
| Chua Ek Kay | Tribute to the Ink Master | 2010 | |
| Jimmy Ong | SGD | 2010 | |
| Tabaimo | Emerge as | 2010 | |
| Thukral & Tagra | Low-Tech Family Vacations | 2010 | |
| Trenton Doyle Hancock | A Day Ahead, A Head A Day | 2010 | |
| BenCab | Glimpses | 2011 | |
| Genevieve Chua, Lyra Garcellano, R.E. Hartanto | BMW Young Asian Artists Series III: SG edition [3 PARTS] | 2011 | |
| Jumaldi Alfi | Melting Memories | 2011 | |
| Shambhavi | Lonely Furrow | 2011 | |
| Teresita Fernandez | Nightwriting | 2011 | |
| Geraldine Javier | Playing God in an Art Lab | 2012 | |
| Handiwirman Saputra | Suspended Forms | 2012 | |
| Hong Zhu An | Ascetic Serenity | 2012 | |
| Richard Deacon | Beware Of The Dog | 2012 | |
| Ronald Ventura | Recyclables | 2012 | |
| Zhan Wang | Universe | 2012 | |
| Eko Nugroho | We Are What We Mask | 2013 | |
| Haegue Yang | Honesty Printed on Modesty | 2013 | |
| Han Sai Por | Moving Forest | 2013 | |
| Rirkrit Tiravanija | Time Travellers Chronicle (Doubt): 2014 - 802,701 A.D. | 2014 | |
| Teppei Kaneuji | Endless, Nameless (Constructions) | 2014 | |
| Wu Shanzhuan & Inga Thorsdottir | The Print/The Paper/The Layer/ The Thing's Right(s)/The Little Fat Flesh | 2014 | |
| Suzann Victor | Imprint: New Works by Suzann Victor | 2015 | |
| Ryan Gander | Portrait of a blind artist obscured by flowers | 2015 | |
| Entang Wiharso | Never Say No | 2015 | |
| Shirazeh Houshiary | The Rivers Within Us | 2016 | |
| Jane Lee | Freely, Freely | 2016 | |
| Heri Dono | "Zaman Edan" (The Age of Craziness) | 2016 | |
| Zao Wou-ki | Zao Wou-ki: No Boundaries | 2016 | |
| Shinro Ohtake | Paper -Sight | 2016 | |
| Amanda Heng | We Are the World- These Are Our Stories | 2017 | |
| Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala, Rirkrit Tiravanija | Exquisite Trust (Blindly Collective Collaborations) | 2017 | |
| Kim Beom | Random Life | 2017 | |
| Alfredo & Isabel Aquilizan | Of Fragments and Impressions | 2017 | |
| Kim Lim | Sculpting Light | 2018 | |
| Dinh Q. Lê | Monuments and Memorials | 2018 | |
| Aaron Curry | Fragments from a Collective Unity | 2018 | |
| Cheong Soo Pieng | Soo Pieng: Master of Composition | 2019 | |
| Jason Martin | Meta Physical | 2019 | |
| Manuel Ocampo | Ideological Mash-Up/Remix | 2019 | |
| Pinaree Sanpitak | Fragmented Bodies: The Personal and The Public | 2019 | |
| Melati Suryodarmo | Memento Mori | 2019 | |
| Genevieve Chua | Twofold | 2020 | |
| Heman Chong | Peace Prosperity And Friendship With All Nations | 2021 | |
| Pae White | Friendship is Magic | 2021 | |
| Adeline Kueh, Jason Lim, Ian Woo, Zul Mahmod | On Time | 2021 | |
| Charles Lim Yi Yong | Staggered Observations of a Coast | 2021 | |
| Han Sai Por | The Forest and Its Soul | 2022 |