From today till March 2021, fans of contemporary pop culture and Japanese food in Singapore can enjoy a collaboration that brings together contemporary art and specialist food in one setting.
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| Source: simpleArte by iCare.4u. Artworks by the featured artists participating in Hypebeast@Uni. Doraemon Here We Go by Takashi Murakami (left), Hero number 12 by Shen Jingdong (right, top left quadrant), Chiho Aoshima, artist (right, top right quadrant), Sky Year by Aoshima (right, bottom right quadrant), and Steven Harrington (right, bottom left quadrant). |
Pop art gallery simpleArte by iCare.4u has teamed up with specialist sea urchin restaurant Uni Gallery at The Plaza on Beach Road to offer diners the chance to tap into the ‘hypebeast’ movement - with a series of collectible pop prints showcasing some of the world’s best-known contemporary artists. ‘Hypebeast’ refers to a movement based on street fashion that is currently a significant force in contemporary culture.
Featuring original prints by visual proponents Takashi Murakami, Chiho Aoshima, Steven Harrington, Shen Jingdong and up-and-coming Dutch doodle artist Stijn Valentijn, the contemporary art will be for sale while diners eat - with 10% of all income going to the Children’s Society of Singapore. The art pieces are on display in the main dining area and private dining rooms at Uni Gallery. They will be refreshed every time a sale is made.
“We support modern culture in all its forms, and given that the art is so fresh and contemporary, we felt it was a great chance to connect our food with this movement,” said Jason Ong, Owner of Uni Gallery, of the hypebeast movement.
“Hypebeast@Uni will offer diners the chance to experience modern street art first-hand as simpleArte brings an artistic perspective to the movement often characterised by high-priced sneakers and urban streetwear,“ said Glen Tay, Curator at simpleArte.
“You can buy a hypebeast t-shirt, get the insanely-priced sneakers … and now you can also own a piece of iconic, limited-edition print from the same movement,” said Tay. “Hypebeast is the most contemporary of all street culture right now, and our artists are among the frontrunners.”
Guests can look forward to new limited editions in a series of four shows. The inaugural showcase will feature iconic pieces by the featured artists. Takashi Murakami's most expensive piece to date sold for US$13,500,000 at Sotheby's New York in 2008, while Steven Harrington is the leader of a contemporary Californian psychedelic-pop aesthetic. Chiho Aoshima has worked with legendary Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, while Shen Jingdong is a contemporary artist in China. Last but not least, Stijn Valentijn describes himself as ‘a part-time student of neurosciences and full-time visual artist’.
Uni Gallery by OosterBay is a sashimi restaurant specialising in sea urchin dishes, while simpleArte is known for bringing pop art to Singapore. Hypebeast@Uni forms a part of an ongoing series for 2021. The next installment in April will feature art prints by Old Master Q.
Details:
Takashi Murakami
Drawing from traditional Japanese painting, sci-fi, anime, and the global art market, Murakami creates paintings, sculptures and films populated by repeated motifs and mutating characters of his own creation.
Steven Harrington
US-based artist and designer Harrington is best known for his bright, iconic style and playful yet contemplative work, which is inspired by California’s mystique, vastly diverse landscape, and thriving mix of cultures.
Chiho Aoshima
Influenced by anime and manga cartoons, Aoshima explores of dark currents lying beneath Japanese pop imagery. She presents nature at odds with man, girls at odds with traditional gender roles, and visions of renewal after the apocalypse. She has worked for Murakami, and is now a member of his Kaikai Kiki collective.
Shen Jingdong
Shen's artistic career evolved quickly from 2008. He became an important contemporary artist of the new wave with his Hero series. He created into different kinds of people the image of the soldier and of the icons of Chinese life as represented in new forms, sometimes in expressive colours.
Stijn Valentijn
Valentijn said: “I wake up and go to sleep with art on my mind.” A relative newcomer to the contemporary art scene, Stijn has nevertheless caught the attention of galleries worldwide.
Uni Gallery
7500A Beach Rd, B1-310 The Plaza
Singapore 199591
Tel: +65 9838 8209
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday
Lunch : 11.30 am to 2.45 pm (last order)
Dinner: 6 pm to 10 pm (last order)
Drinks : Till 10:30 pm
SimpleArte by iCare.4U
237 Pandan Loop, Westech Building
Unit 04-06, Singapore 128424
