Featured images: Natsuko Teruya (Black & White portrait), Ahmad Iskandar (Coloured portrait with Fyerool Darma paintings in background)

With its gallery space at Gillman Barracks since 2013, Yeo Workshop is a familiar name at events such as Art After Dark, Art Stage and they host a slew of their own programmes as well. This contemporary art gallery produces exhibitions, represented artist projects and gallery-based programmes - be it talks, symposiums or guiding research, they have it all. To further support its aim to promote the work of contemporary local and international artists, the gallery started a project called Arnoldii Arts Club.

Arnoldii Arts Club is a course-based arts club with a focus on art history, production and markets.

By bringing a showcase space for the artists and opening up a club for further education for audiences, Yeo Workshop is actively making space for dialogue to happen between the creation, viewing and appreciation of art in general. A space that is hard to come by locally, and definitely a great asset to have as a country.

Audrey Yeo, the owner and producer of Yeo Workshop shares more with B-Side on the gallery's work and what we can do to further art appreciation in Singapore.

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What is the relationship between Yeo Workshop and Arnoldii Arts Club? Activities of the Arts Club:

Yeo Workshop is our work to represent emerging or emergent artists and place their works to collections and curate them in shows. The Singapore  Arts Club and Arnoldii Arts Club is for art appreciation - we conduct tours, dinners, parties for people to engage with art with lifestyle entertainment. The artists we represent with the gallery seem to be a bit avant-garde or require a bit of engagement intellectually, so on the flip side we have created a vehicle where people can have guided engagement through curated art experiences in Singapore or other countries. We hope that eventually people will convert and see what the fuss is in this multi-billion dollar industry, but more than the commercial value of it, the multi facets of it - its proliferation in academia and lifestyle.

The gallery has done some very ambitious exhibitions for our artists hosting large scale installations. We have been told that our openings are definitely eye-opening.

Will you describe your philosophy in life and how does that translate to the setting up and/or managing of Yeo Workshop?

My Philosophy is to investing in an art scene - that art can change society and expand our field of thinking. And that is exactly why it is worth investing in. The gallery is an arduous business and I admire my peers very much, fellow gallerists and those who tire endlessly for the scene, behind the scenes. We will hopefully be able to support some of these efforts to shine a light on Southeast Asian Art and those who work for it at an upcoming project during Singapore Art Week January 2018 here.  We have an amazing team on this, but more to come soon.

What is art appreciation to you? And how do we appreciate art?

Art is in everything and in life. Having an understanding in art enhances your experience of life. With art, its about being instinctual for me and also about keeping up with seeing and seeing to increase my knowledge and aesthetic eye.

What is the current state of art appreciation in Singapore and what more do you think can be done in this aspect to raise the public's appreciation towards art?

I think Singapore has the hardware down (which is the most difficult part of building anything),  we have a committed public government_ infrastructure that has increased the art literacy through allowing exposure and proliferation of art throughout the island. I think there is a plentitude of art events one can go to on any given day. Most are even free. The National Arts Council here is a force to be reckoned with, we have world class museums and institutions, and you can trust a growing infrastructure here.  

On the private side, while there is a slow and stealthy demand from the high end luxury developers, luxury lifestyle brands, and luxury retailers for art, I think it would be encouraging to see a faster growth within the mainstream and middle-class lifestyle, commercial retail, and development companies who could really build or further build art into the DNA of their company cultures and brands. These brands have a large mainstream reach and it could really bring more people into the realm of the arts.

What's next for you, for Yeo Workshop and for Arnoldii Arts Club?

The Singapore Arts Club itself will be commissioning talks and writings by some of the most interesting and critical singaporean artists. Pairing them up. To engage with the larger community, we have industry doyens who are experts in the field of law, branding and design, finance who will moderate these talks. We have worked with designers such as Sant and Chantal to curate the design. I attach the poster of it. These will mostly be held at Gillman Barracks or other locations.