Come to Joo Chiat for the art

Source : Sunday Times - 24 Aug 2008

Mention Joo Chiat, and bars, budget hotels, massage parlours, pubs and great food joints come to mind.

With time, the enclave may also be known for something less down to earth: its art galleries.

In the past year, four have sprung up.

They include Artoholic Gallery in Joo Chiat Road, which opened last October on the ground floor of a two-storey conservation shophouse, and which includes a cafe. On display are digital prints by Foon Foono, a Malaysian graphic artist.

General manager Gerlene Tan, 32, says she was drawn by the area’s cultural heritage and bohemian feel, which she found ideal for an art gallery. She set up the gallery despite the area’s sleazy reputation. In fact, friends questioned the choice of location.

Still, the gallery is nearer the Marine Parade end of the road, away from the bars and budget hotels.

She says she is encouraged by the new condominiums popping up in the area and reckons her gallery will be the place for home owners to go to for interior decoration.

Chinese ink painter Lin Lu Zai, 45, who set up his art gallery Miao Zai Xuan at Joo Chiat Place last July, is another who likes the old-world ambience. He says: ‘I like the area for its old houses and rich culture.’

Lin, who paints mostly flowers, birds and scenery, has been living in the nearby Eunos area for the past 10 years and adds: ‘I feel very comfortable and familiar here and somehow that helps me paint better.’

Rent is also affordable, compared to having an art gallery in town. He pays $3,000 monthly for a 1,000-sq ft space that would cost at least $6,000 in the city.

Apart from selling his paintings which can cost ‘more than $10,000′, he also conducts art lessons for adults.

It is not just locals who stop by. His gallery is also popular with expats living nearby.

The gallery is also ‘within walking distance’ of pubs in Joo Chiat Road. He says: ‘I often see the women in their sexy outfits walking by - they add to the uniqueness of the place.’

The latest art space that has set up in Joo Chiat is the Black Earth Art Museum, owned by a businessman who is also an art collector, and who wishes to remain anonymous.

The museum, which opened on Aug 3, is in a three-storey conservation building. A separate one-storey terrace house at the back is also part of the museum.

On show now are works by three local artists, showcasing Chinese ink, watercolour and oil paintings. Museum chairman Chieu Shuey Fook, 74, himself an artist, says it was set up so ‘local artists have a place to show their works’. Interested artists send their requests to a committee that decides what will go on show.

He says the museum has exhibitions lined up till next August. Artists pay $3,000 for a 10-day period. ‘The sum helps to cover the electricity bill,’ he says. The museum, a former foreign-workers’ dormitory, has attracted crowds. He says visitors stroll in after dinner to look at the works.

Artist Goh Chiew Lye, 56, is exhibiting Chinese ink paintings there. He has been painting for 35 years and says the art museum will help bring an ‘artistic feel’ to the area.

Slightly away from Joo Chiat Road is Muse House, an art gallery set up by installation artist Teo Eng Seng, 69, within his double-storey Peranakan house.

The Cultural Medallion recipient says the area, with its mix of conservation and new buildings, is ideal for art. ‘Hopefully this can be like London’s Cork Street,’ he says. Cork Street is known for its numerous art galleries.

The arrival of art galleries has been given the thumbs-up from the Save Joo Chiat workgroup, formed in 2004 by residents wanting to promote its Peranakan heritage.

Spokesman Colin Chee, 58, says the art galleries are a good sign that Joo Chiat can be a ‘creative hub’.

Indeed, Joo Chiat resident Wong Mei Ling, 39, notes: ‘They add a different sort of vibrancy to the place.’