IMPACT 0536: APPRECIATING DIFFERENT CULTURES THROUGH ART COLLECTING

I have come across artworks that tastefully blend elements of different religions and cultures into one object. Such artworks epitomise the philosophy that art has no barriers and should thus be seen as our universal language. Personally, I think this is very important, especially since we Singaporeans always feel proud being part of a multi-racial and multi-religion society. In fact, this was one of the main reasons that spurred me to set up my private art gallery Ajaya Gallery in 2018 with the aim of showcasing the diversity of artworks from different religions, all within the same space.

For all ancient artefacts, each piece comes with so much inherited history and background story behind it. I see myself as a custodian of these artworks and try to learn more about them each day – studying its related history and striving hard to share as much information with others while displaying it. A unique story is formed at each of these touch points and all these new experiences add an intangible value as well as an unforgettable experience to each of these artworks that will stay and be passed on to the next generation. Through all these stories that we share, it becomes a lesson for posterity.

Apart from promoting art through the various artworks, another motivation for me to start a gallery is for it to serve as a platform for friends and visitors to kick-start new conversations and topics, as well as to explore and reflect upon the worlds of the past, and then start thinking of the current world that we live in. In other words, art serves as a bridge to link the past, the present and the future and it often leaves us pondering about the current state of affairs and what the future holds for humanity. Great food for thought!

Every piece of ancient artefact is unique and one of my endeavours as a custodian of art is to preserve it for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. Translating this beyond art, Singapore has so many inspiring stories about our unique blend of culture and heritage here despite our young age as a nation. Moreover, coupled with the fact that I am involved in a Singapore heritage brand with over 100 years of history, I do see myself in a good position to really promote these intangible aspects of life to a larger crowd and make sure we do our best to build a strong community to better understand and appreciate our past so that we can create a greater future!

Since I largely collect ancient artefacts, they often come with inherited condition issues such as having various degrees of damage to the artwork. While some may view such imperfections as flaws, I prefer to see the beauty in it, as it makes the artefact unique and rare. To a larger extent, it showcases the transitional stages that the artwork had gone through over the years. Applying this to my personal life and work, it helps to serve as a reminder for myself to see things from various angles and to accept the beauty of life as it is.

Throughout the history of mankind, we can see that beauty is something very subjective. This holds true for collecting art as well. For a particular artwork, some may like it, while others might not. So one important lesson that we can all learn here is that there is actually an element of beauty in everything out there, but as the saying goes, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” Thus, we can only put our best foot forward in whatever we do. I am sure someone out there will appreciate our efforts.

Buying an artwork is not difficult, but the difficulty lies in forming a collection. In forming an art collection, I have learnt the important trait of acquiring the right artwork that can complement and enhance the whole collection. I really believe this philosophy can also be applied to our daily lives, where we should try to find potential collaborators to work together to create a “larger than one” outcome, instead of the outdated mentality of seeing everyone else as a competitor.