Anyone who has ever played cadavre exquis (or, exquisite corpse), the surrealist’s game in which one participant draws a head, covers the page, and another participant draws the body, covers the page, and so on, will realise just how surprising the resulting image can be. Imagine then what happens when four professional artists team up for a thoroughly adult version of the game.
Kudos to Emi Eu, the charismatic longstanding director of printer and papermaker, the creative workshop & gallery STPI, for her imaginative chops in persuading Rirkrit Tiravanija to cajole his friends Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, and Anri Sala to help celebrate the institute’s 15th anniversary.
For both the artists and the STPI, the creative process – described as ‘a blind collaboration fuelled by pure instinct and spontaneity’ – presented unexpected challenges. Since no one knew what the other was doing and could not exert any influence on the entire piece, each was forced to abandon their usual creative control at the same time as they were liberated to bring to bear the full force of their own style and intent on their portion of the piece.
‘We were dealing with four very different artistic mentalities simultaneously, which amounts to four times the amount of experimentation and research,’ says STPI’s chief printer Eitaro Ogawa. ‘This stretched us mentally beyond the usual collaborations.’
For Tiravanja, the creative process has, by the very nature of its premise, focused on the body and the ‘different possibilities of playing with the processes of printmaking and image-making’.
In all, there are four major original collective works, alongside four to 12 individual works by each artist – a Warholian chimpanzee and typographical screen print here, and watercolour mono print, fuelled print on silkscreen, composite palm line drawing there. The pieces are, as Eu points out, free from calculated reasoning, each ‘uniquely whimsical and unabashedly nonconformist’.
Eu may well be championing our new favourite parlour game.
The artists have collaborated on a contemporary take on the surrealist game cadavre exquis, in which players draw in turn on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the drawing, and then pass it to the next player for a further contribution
Jitterbugs Tangofly Tagplants, 2016, by Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala and Rirkrit Tiravanija
Detail of (dreams that money cannot buy), by Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala and Rirkrit Tiravanija
Transgender Question Seafood Vaporiser (pictured left), and (dreams that money cannot buy)
Detail of Transgender Question Seafood Vaporiser, by Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala and Rirkrit Tiravanija
There are four major original collective works, alongside four to 12 individual works by each artist
Detail of (dreams that money cannot buy), by Carsten Höller, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala and Rirkrit Tiravanija
INFORMATION
‘Exquisite Trust (Blindly Collective Collaborations)’ runs until 22 April. For more information, visit the STPI website
Photography courtesy the artists/STPI
ADDRESS
41 Robertson Quay
Singapore 23823
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuitElla Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
-
Australian bathhouse ‘About Time’ bridges softness and brutalism‘About Time’, an Australian bathhouse designed by Goss Studio, balances brutalist architecture and the softness of natural patina in a Japanese-inspired wellness hub
-
Peugeot’s sparky 308 gets hybrid power and handsome linesThe Peugeot 308 proves that mass-market design needn’t be dull, blending hybrid power with sharp lines and excellent detailing
-
BMW Motorrad brings out the big guns for its newest cruisersBMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruising with a brand collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
-
Dacia’s new Manifesto concept is a true outdoor utility vehicleUtilitarian auto brand Dacia sets a bold new agenda with its Manifesto, a concept car pitched at the active outdoor market
-
The sun sets on traditional supercars at California’s Monterey Car WeekMonterey Car Week, the world’s most prestigious car gathering, is showcasing ever-more extravagant special editions, coachbuilt cars and all-new electric concepts. Here are seven key machines from 2022
-
Is McLaren’s GT a sports car, a tourer, or the best of both?The McLaren GT is a capable all-rounder dressed up in svelte supercar clothes. It might also be the last of its type
-
Rolls-Royce puts the Phantom back on its lofty pedestalA mid-life refresh ensures the flagship Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II is at the top of its game, a last hurrah for traditional engines before an electrified future
-
Prodrive’s new racing simulator is shaped by Callum to be front of the gridThe racing simulator shapes up – this new design from Prodrive and Callum is honed for the high-end games room
-
928 by Nardone Automotive: a restomod Porsche with Gallic verve and Italian style928 by Nardone Automotive is a gracefully modernised version of Porsche’s endearingly different 928
