All hail the reopening of art gallery 28th Février

PUBLISHED November 12th, 2013 12:27 am | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 03:45 pm

Question: What do you get when you take a pre-war British Officer’s mansion and fill it with very cool contemporary and urban art?

Answer: The new home of art gallery 28th Février!

We were big fans of 28th Février in its former warehouse location in Redhill and now its brainchild Dominic Khoo has teamed up with partners Welfred Woo and Simon Poon (otherwise known as the Oo-Brothers) to take over the multidimensional 8,000 sq.ft.

Anyone that brings in artists like French graffiti artist Kongo and The English artist Jamie Salmon (the man behind special effects in movies like X-Men or Stargate) whilst providing a home to homegrown artists like ‘sticker lady’ Samantha Lo (you know –  the one who became famous after putting mischievous stickers on Singaporean traffic light buttons) gets a big thumbs up in our book. Expect different spaces within a space, different themes and feels between rooms and a story behind every piece across paintings, sculptures and photography  in this gallery that urges individuals to identify with the works on display, allowing emotions, self reflection and deeper analysis.

We got 5 minutes with Dominic Khoo, the man with the plan:

How did you go about curating the works/artists showcased at the gallery?

It’s always a case of buying works that I would personally collect, and then bringing the artists/works in. I guess people know that I myself would stand behind what my business brings in so the works are mentally changing – stuff that people come to see, understand and leave with a different view of life.

The new gallery is in a pre-war British officer’s mansion, while the pieces on work are contemporary and dynamic – that’s quite a juxtaposition. Was that intentional?

I think craftsmanship is always a big part of what I collect – whether it’s watches or art pieces – and the British had one of the greatest levels of craftsmanship ever. If you consider the modern equivalent of a British Officer, I think it would be quite fitting to see what he would collect in his own home.

Are any of the artists exclusive to your gallery in Singapore?

Yes, guys like Charles O’Rear, 3D Joe and Max, Subir Dey and Kongo are exclusive to us – but our next series of artists we’re bringing in will also be exclusive to us – watch this space please! If you drop by our space I promise there will be things that make you think.

What are your future plans?

Gotta find out who Banksy is – and bring him in!

Pictures courtesy of Dominic Khoo and Andrew Lum