Why OH!?
It just gets a bit boring to see art on white walls, as if art has nothing to say about the world. It’s bewildering and fantastic to go into a strange house and wonder which is the art, which is the owner’s stuff and what the stories are in each house. It’s all very surreal, but also very real.
How does it work?
We never set any theme for the artists; rather we allow the spaces speak to them. About half of the work is newly commissioned, and the other half adapted to new environments. At the end of it all, we wrap artworks and houses with neighborhood stories and then it becomes a narrative and adventure.
What’s the budget?
Eighty thousand, which is smaller than last year’s as we have less government funding. A lot of it will come out of our personal pockets. About a third of the budget goes to artists and art production.
Why do you think it works?
We’re not just about the art, but it’s a kind of cultural mission. I’m not fooling myself: OH! isn’t going to change someone’s life, but if there are many more such things going on in Singapore, by us or others, then the city will be a lot cooler.
OH! Open House happens on February 18-19, 25-26, 4-9pm. Tour starts from Tiong Bahru Community Centre, 67A Eu Chin St. $15 (door). Log onto their website for more info.
