Hilmi Johandi excavates the past, exploring the absence of what once was present. Always working with the history of Singapore and in particular, historical images, he draws on archival photos, old films, and imagery from popular culture to reflect on Singapore’s rapid pace of development and constant change. With his art, he attempts to bring what is already lost back to the present.
In this short video, the Singapore-based artist explains his practice and his approach to painting. Through the processes of deconstruction, reconstruction and framing, Hilmi explores the notion of time as he superimposes various fragments of imagery from different moments in history onto a single plane, collapsing time and space on his canvas. This process opens a window through which Hilmi is able to view time as being in constant flux and in doing so, he examines the social impact of modernization and rapid urban development in Singapore.
The UBS Art Collection commissioned Hilmi to create paintings for the firm’s Singapore office located at 9 Penang Road, an area steeped in history and heritage. He researched and gathered information, photos and postcards of Penang Road, Dhoby Ghaut, Fort Canning and Orchard Road, all within close proximity. The compositions of the two paintings create new narratives to portray the vicinity of the office at the intersection of space, history, architecture and urbanism.
In creating 'Destination Image: Reception (after Penang Road, Fort Canning Road and Orchard Road)' and 'Destination Image: Lobby (after Penang Road, Fort Canning Road and Orchard Road)', Hilmi intended to portray various moments in time, recognizable through the architecture and fashions of Singapore in different epochs. Certain elements in the two paintings also refer to the theater setting often evident in his work. For Hilmi the theater setting often reminds him of the spaces in between: “in my practice, I'm always trying to be in that center, that gap” which he tries to inhabit as an artist.
Alongside Hilmi, the UBS office at 9 Penang Road also features works by Singaporean artists Jane Lee and Robert Zhao, as well Christine Ay Tjoe, Lee Bul and Rirkrit Tiravanija from across Asia, and celebrates the Collection’s global history with works by Damien Hirst, Alex Katz and Thomas Struth.
