THE NEW ARTIST’S SANCTUARY:
COMMA SPACE
Independent art spaces here have witnessed a small spike in recent years though veteran artist Wang Ruobing says there can never really be enough of them. Now add Comma Space to the mix. Opened a year ago by Wang and her husband/ fellow artist Sai Hua Kuan, the 190 sq ft space is housed within an industrial building in Bishan. Its inaugural series 12 Solo, which was meant to have wrapped at the end of last year, but has now been extended into 2021 due to the pandemic’s disruption, is built on an unusual premise: Every month, a different artist is given carte blanche to take over the space to highlight a single artwork (yes, one).
The 12 artists involved in the project range widely – from rising star Lai Yu Tong to eminent names such as The Artists Village co-founder Tang Da Wu, whose instalment is revealed this month. “We think it is the idea and concept that matter most and there should not be a set of criteria or fixed selection process,” says Wang. That Comma is self-funded gives it the freedom to play by its own rules – never mind that such spaces are not always easy to sustain for the long term. Says Wang: “Independent art spaces are crucial not only to individuals, but also communities and society. They function outside of the mainstream and offer different possibilities such as the production of new artworks and professional incubators.”
Consider Azzis a true-blue advocate. A freelance video editor by day, she’s also the founder of Your Local Newsstand (YLN), a four-year-old outfit that for all it does, remains largely under-reported on and underrated. The platform specialises foremost in producing and publishing limited-edition, photography-focused zines. “Zines started as a counter-culture of sorts and as a freedom of expression,” says the 29-year-old. “The allure for me was that anyone can create them.” YLN – or Azzis, more specifically – also produces mini documentaries, articles and digital exhibitions on emerging photographers and their work; all available for viewing on its website (www.yourlocalnewsstand.com). Its last digital show put on eight months ago featured more than 200 names from around the world.
Driving Azzis is simply a fierce love for zine culture and photography. YLN is not for profit so she shoulders printing costs while photographers she works with receive a cut from the sale of zines – a much-needed outlet for fledgling talents especially at a vulnerable time like this. “I like the idea of being able to look through the camera pinhole and see how others are living their life and understand their perspectives – socially, culturally or even politically,” she says of photography as a creative discipline. And true to YLN’s free-for-all ethos, anyone interested to be featured or collaborate should just hit up its namesake Instagram account. Azzis promises to research and respond should a particular image catch her eye. “I’m always about the work first.”