WILL the large, bold figures clambering over the former military barracks at Gillman be enough to draw in an appreciative audience to this lonely art outpost?
Los Angeles based artist Cleon Peterson is the latest to make the trek up to Gillman Barracks the new outdoor sculpture exhibition — Lock Route.
In collaboration with Singaporean curator Khairuddin Hori, the exhibit will feature a large-scale mural, plastered on the façade of the barracks, and a life size sculpture of The Marcher.
Power And Submission
The former military barracks are a fitting canvas for Peterson’s notorious warring figures that symbolise the struggle between power and submission.
The exhibition takes further inspiration from Gillman’s military past, as it was the base of the traditional 24km pre-graduation route march for new enlistees. Similarly, Lock Route (taking its name from the route march and the barracks location at 9 Lock Road) invites visitors to take a stroll through the repurposed barracks as part of their encounter with art.
The willingness of visitors to do that, however, remains to be seen. You might need to embark on a route march of your own before you can get to Gillman Barracks, which is well off the beaten track. Its remote location has made the arts cluster work harder to devise more imaginative content and curation. It hasn’t yet worked, but more bold and audacious moves will be necessary.
CLEON PETERSON | LOCK ROUTE At Gillman Barracks
13 January – 30 June 2017
9 Lock Road
Singapore 108937
www.gillmanbarracks.com
www.overtheinfluence.com
