A GIRL'S PERSPECTIVE: Many, many photo-worthy artworks were on display at Kult's Girls Of The Underworld. Kane Cunico

Singapore art gallery and creative agency, Kult, believes there’s a boom in Singapore’s creative scene, and it’s more so evident with a rise in female artists.

Male or female artist, we don’t really care; we’re just stoked that Singapore-based artists are getting opportunities to sell their work and push creative boundaries with the abundance of exhibitions and all. And it’s pretty exciting to look at provocative new ideas.

To address the rise of the female artist in Singapore, Kult invited 34 female artists to create a new piece of work that captures their perspective on living and working in fast-paced modern Asia. The exhibition, titled Girls Of The Underworld, explores subjects such as music, identity and pop-culture, and, unlike the agency’s previous exhibition, Chinatown Vinyl Squad, Girls gave the female artists freedom to choose their mediums.

HEALTHY: It got pretty packed at 8pm for the opening of Girls Of The Underworld. The heat left Sweat Of The Underpits, so we busted a move.
HEALTHY: It got pretty packed at 8pm for the opening of Girls Of The Underworld. The heat left Sweat Of The Underpits, so we busted a move.Kane Cunico
PLAY WITH US: Two Girls, a last-minute addition to the exhibition, by Sok Yuan.
PLAY WITH US: Two Girls, a last-minute addition to the exhibition, by Sok Yuan.Kane Cunico
GRRRLS KICKASS: By Mrydette.
GRRRLS KICKASS: By Mrydette.Kane Cunico
GO GIRLS: (Middle row, from left to right) Pieces from Dewi Marie Vincoy, Toxi Notion, Sharmla Roseli and Ella Zheng.
GO GIRLS: (Middle row, from left to right) Pieces from Dewi Marie Vincoy, Toxi Notion, Sharmla Roseli and Ella Zheng.Kane Cunico
SUPREME LEADER: Emma Maxwell's Dinner Time: Plate Number 4. Oil on canvas.
SUPREME LEADER: Emma Maxwell’s Dinner Time: Plate Number 4. Oil on canvas.Kane Cunico

Some of the standout concepts include Dust To Dust by Toxi Notion, Grrrls Kickass by Mrydette using Indian ink on paper, Super-girl / 女子漢 by Joyce Lee, Dare To Dream Of Candy by Caramelaw, and Rebirth by Dawn Ang.

Ang’s piece, made using graphite on paper, reflects life in a hyper-cultured, fast-paced world. And while the artist didn’t really approach the piece from a woman’s perspective per se, it’s still an intriguing artwork where its amalgamations leave its meaning open to interpretation.

But to the artist herself, it was really an ode to yoga, which she practises, and a chancing upon a bunch of photos she took near a seedy, red light district while on holiday in Hong Kong.

“I didn’t really look at it from a woman’s perspective, but it’s more an inspiration from yoga. The shavasana pose by the naked woman is a yoga pose that’s done at the end of a session and it’s about reflection.”Dawn Ang

BLACK AND WHITE: Dawn Ang receives compliments from friends for her piece entitled, Rebirth.
BLACK AND WHITE: Dawn Ang receives compliments from friends for her piece entitled, Rebirth.Kane Cunico

“I had just gone to Hong Kong and took a lot of pictures, and when I came back, I saw a backdrop and decided to base this on finding inner peace. It really is something simple and straightforward,” added the freelance artist and illustrator, who is currently enjoying working in black and white to enhance an artwork’s severity.

Girls Of The Underworld is now on at Kult Gallery (Blk C2-5 Emily Hill, 11 Upper Wilkie Road, Singapore 228120) and will run until Saturday, June 28, 2014. All artworks are available for sale.

Kane Cunico
Kane spent seven years in a national print newspaper as an editor, movie reviewer and reporter. He's still new to online publishing. Go easy on him. He thinks Comic Sans is joyful. Looks for the cool, amazing and weird in stories and in the people he meets. He doesn't accept gifts for stories.