50th Anniversary of Singapore's Independence - Exhibition by Ren Zi and The Hyphenated Life, performance by Verena Tay

The Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University is pleased to present a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence with Reality Override , September 9 - December 31 in the Zodiac Gallery, an exhibition that showcases the diversity and multitude of Singaporean culture with the mixed media artwork of Ren Zi and storytelling, The Hyphenated Life: Being a Multi-Genre Artist in Multi-Cultural Singapore by Verena Tay in the theatre
($10.00 General and $5.00 Students/Seniors).

Multicultural Singapore’s exposure to outside cultures has been integral to its development as a nation from British colonization as a trading post in 1819 and then under the jurisdiction of British India with a rapidly growing Chinese population and Japanese occupation during World War II and finally the merger with Malaysia in 1963 as part of a new federation. On August 9, 1965 Singapore became independent as the Republic of Singapore. Ren Zi is a contemporary artist of Singapore. He studied psychology and worked as a commercial writer before he devoted himself full-time to the arts. Figurative characters in his fantastic drawings
are created in digital mediums and then printed on various media such as acrylic, aluminium and bamboo paper. Ren Zi is a product of Singapore, exposed to its multi-ethnic geo-political environment as well as global currents in high art and pop culture. Ren Zi’s artist talk, a C ontemporary Art Practice from a Trans-Asian Perspective , on Thursday, September 10 at 2:30 pm with free admission will be moderated by Professor Kyunghee Pyun, assistant professor in the department of history of art at Fashion Institute of Technology. Pyun is working on her new book, M odern Art on the Asian Soil: Practicing Western Art 1880–2000 and has published on the diaspora of Asian artists.

Verena Tay shares stories in The Hyphenated Life: Being a Multi-Genre Artist in Multi-Cultural Singapore. In this sharing, she will read/perform excerpts from her plays and short stories, talk about her creative inspirations and journey, as well as give some insights about the English language literary and theatrical scene in contemporary Singapore. This program is supported by the Singapore International Foundation and Something to Write Home About. About the Charles B. Wang Center Central to the Charles B. Wang Center’s mission is the encouragement of an ever-deeper understanding and enjoyment of Asian and Asian American arts and culture by diverse local, national and international audiences through public programs. These programs include exhibitions,
films, lectures, workshops, performances, and educational discussions. For more information on cultural programs visit www.thewangcenter.org . Visiting Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 8:00 pm or by appointment.
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For reservations and inquiries : email wangcenter@stonybrook.edu , visit thewangcenter.org or call (631) 632-4400.
Directions to Stony Brook University can be found at stonybrook.edu/sb/directions.shtml

Photo Credits:
1. coyote skims fat off the land & shits out spiritual goodness , duratrans film on LED lightbox, digital print on transparency and moire optical film; dimensions variable, 2015, photo by Ren Zi