21 Years: A Story in Multiple Parts 25.09.2023 — 15.10.2023

About The Exhibition

In terms of how collaboration works at STPI, the artists bring with them the “what”, the Creative Workshop provides the “how”.

The manner in which this collaboration exists naturally paves the way for ideas to grow and evolve organically without any constraints and parameters.

This in itself creates a shared space of possibilities, allowing for creativity and innovation to flourish between the artists and the workshop.

– Oh Thiam Guan (“Guan”), Director (Workshop) in PRINT / PAPER UNLIMITED, 2023

How does a story get told?

Let’s start from the very beginning.

21 years ago, STPI came into being at 41 Robertson Quay. Though it was newly established, it carried the weight of its legacy: American master printmaker’s Kenneth E. Tyler’s world-famous print studio (that has welcomed the likes of Frank Stella, Josef Albers, Helen Frankenthaler and many, many more to produce print-based works), and his ethos of tearing up the rule book. It was to become the foundation of STPI, and, over 100 artist residency projects later, this enduring philosophy still holds true.

The artworks on show are a testament to that: spanning projects from the very first residency in 2002 to as recent as 2022, these were all produced at STPI’s Creative Workshop. Each and every residency artist, whether they practice primarily in painting, sculpture, mixed media, performance or otherwise, brings with them fresh ideas and eyes for viewing the possibilities of the workshop. The workshop team gladly takes up this challenge, and inadvertently pushes the boundaries while doing so by seeing how printmaking and papermaking concepts, tools and techniques can be reimagined to serve the artists’ vision.

Indeed, the phrase “We never say no,” has been uttered many a times whenever someone from the workshop is asked about their work—a casual response to a weighty undertaking. This gives space for possibilities to emerge, allowing new and unique artistic expressions to emerge for every single project.

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And now, STPI celebrates another anniversary, 21 years from when it first started. Along the way, it has put up numerous exhibitions and programmes, took part in art fairs all over the world, collaborated for projects with other like-minded institutions, galleries, individuals and more; it is hard to do a tidy summary. But some elements of this exhibition, as well as STPI’s 21st anniversary publication PRINT / PAPER UNLIMITED, will attempt to untangle a part of this. These also locate STPI within the art ecosystem at large, whether domestically or abroad, and stir up a more introspective take at what has been going on the past few years.

At the heart of it, STPI has strived to stay true to its character of artistic experimentations and unlimited possibilities, and each opportunity or challenge that comes its way is met with this exploratory mindset. So, this is the story of STPI, and you are invited to dive into this with us.