Name: A Science for Happiness: On Teo Eng Seng’s Aesthetic Prospectus
Start: 2024-11-16T11:00:00+08:00
Location: 1 St. Andrew’s Road, Singapore, Singapore 178957

$A Science for Happiness: On Teo Eng Seng\u2019s Aesthetic Prospectus$

A Science for Happiness: On Teo Eng Seng’s Aesthetic Prospectus
Sat 16 Nov | 11am | National Gallery Singapore, Level B1, City Hall Wing, The Ngee Ann Kongki Auditorium | Free, registration required: https://bit.ly/ScienceForHappiness
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Celebrating the opening of the exhibition “Teo Eng Seng: We’re Happy. Are You Happy?”, this programme features a screening of a 2003 Mediacorp documentary on Teo Eng Seng from the TV series “Self-Portraits”, followed by a response on the exhibition, titled “A Science for Happiness: On Teo Eng Seng’s Aesthetic Prospectus” by theorist Dr Cissie Fu.
The programme concludes with a discussion with one of the exhibition curators Dr Seng Yu Jin.
“A Science for Happiness: On Teo Eng Seng’s Aesthetic Prospectus” by Dr Cissie Fu
In weathering the noise of time, we may seek solace in moments of retreat, for restoration of worn values and recovery of minor feelings. We may also find joy in creative interventions: to unsettle scales, from our eyes or for justice, sometimes simultaneously with one fair shake; to unshackle habits, of epistemic obedience as much as social pragmatism; to dampen those resonant frequencies that constitute the taught world and surf the waves that bind us.

On the occasion of “Teo Eng Seng: We’re Happy. Are You Happy?”, we are invited to venture into Teo Eng Seng’s open syllabus in the form of a vast playground of material experiments and artistic confluences. When the river has no mouth and its bed is hard to make, how does levity in sculptures lend weight to cultural memory, how does motility in paintings generate torque for purposive pursuit, and how does natality in performances muster force for freedom?
This is not a lecture. Its article is indefinite. Feel the silence. Let’s play.
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About the Speaker
Dr Cissie Fu (AB Harvard; MSt, MSc, DPhil Oxford) is Head of the McNally School of Fine Arts at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore after having served as Dean of the Faculty of Culture + Community at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver and earlier as Director of Studies at Leiden University College in The Hague. Born in Hong Kong, Dr Fu taught and performed across cultural and educational institutions in Asia, Europe, UK, and the Americas. Dr Fu’s research connects politics, philosophy, and performance. Her interests in relational aesthetics and decolonial action, combined with her experiments in experiential and transformative organisational design, inform her approach to institution-building as a creative, critical and communal cultural practice.
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About the Exhibition
National Gallery Singapore presents “Teo Eng Seng: We’re Happy. Are You Happy?” as part of the SG Artist series, where you can discover the innovative spirit of Singapore artists and their commitment to experimental artmaking. This is the most expansive solo exhibition yet, celebrating Teo’s profound impact on the Singapore art scene.
Teo Eng Seng (b. 1938, Singapore) is an artist whose dynamic, seven-decade career is marked by a playful and evolving approach. Teo transforms everyday materials into vibrant works of art, embedding humour and irony into his socially engaged practice. His creations, full of spontaneous and vivid compositions, reflect his tongue-in-cheek takes on personal and broader social events.
Teo’s practice undermines conventional ways of thinking about and making art while staying relevant to local and global issues. By asking “We’re Happy. Are You Happy?” the exhibition invites you to explore Teo’s honest and witty negotiation between self and society.
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