Cosmic SiblingS Global Birthday Party Celebrates Unity
Inspired by artwork by Sue Gray, the cross-cultural connection was centred around the notion that ‘We Are All HUMAN’
Singapore, 5 June 2022 – On Saturday 21st May 2022, Cosmic siblingS transcended time zones and geography to connect in celebration of their shared 60th birthday. The occasion came as a result of an ongoing artistic project by Guillaume Levy-Lambert, inspired by Roy Lichtenstein’s oil painting Desk Calendar and Divine providence at large.
Siblings from around the world, including Singapore, Mexico, the UK and the USA, came together across time zones for one hour on their milestone birth day. Emotions ran high, with the siblings feeling an intrinsic connection to one another. Thanks in no small part to a work by Sue Gray – which was created in response to the Cosmic siblingS project as a gift to the siblings in a nod to the Year of the Tiger – the overarching theme of the day was ‘We Are All HUMAN’.
Through art, the siblings explored the idea that, no matter when they are born or what path their life has taken, all humans are connected spiritually simply by their existence on earth. The painting, titled Diptych 1, expresses our common humanity that shines despite all of our apparent differences and celebrates the extraordinary beauty within all humans.
“What I imagined as a spectacular apotheosis is rather the moving start of a new initiative that will occupy me for a long time and whose universal impact is already being felt,” commented Levy-Lambert, the conceptual artist behind the global project. “Thank you to all who were able to join us and the many more who sent us video and text messages. Wishing all 300,000 people who were born on 21st May 1962, and the world at large, the best for the next 60 years! Everyone on the planet has a date of birth and many Cosmic siblingS out there eagerly awaiting to connect with them. We are all Cosmic siblingS, we are all HUMAN.”
Evading linguistic barriers, a translator was on hand to ensure native Spanish and English speakers were able to fluidly converse; the siblings also learnt how to express their love for one another through the universal sign language for ‘I love you’.
Amongst the siblings who spoke at the event were Laurence Larzul – a karmic astrologer based in Colombia – and New Jersey native Rhona Sherbin, who expressed a deep connection to the project and was able to convey her personal link to Roy Lichtenstein and Desk Calendar.
The birthday celebration was sponsored by Art Porters Gallery. Following the Cosmic siblingS event and in line with the message that ‘We Are All HUMAN’, the gallery is taking part in Pink Fest 2022 with three dedicated exhibitions:
1. From 1st June 2022 – 3rd July 2022, Art Porters Gallery showcases “Emak Kata Jangan Jadi Seniman” [Mum said don’t be an artist], a duo exhibition featuring Singaporean artists Johann M Fauzi and Masuri Mazlan. This show features large-scale realistic oil paintings and intimate abstract sculptures that explore identity, representation, and embodied memory.
The exhibition pries into Johann M Fauzi’s current research investigating the conceptual framing of Singapore’s landscape within the intersections of the Classical and Romantic periods, as well as ‘otherness’ and the position of the Malay in Singapore. In contrast, Masuri Mazlan’s central practice focuses on the affective and transformative potential of common industrial materials as sculptural media. His sculptural objects tap on polyurethane, gypsum, and silicone to investigate identity politics and queer abstraction, as well as drawing inspirations from the domestic sphere as a destabilising site.
2. Many years ago, at the height of fear and uncertainty around HIV, a close friend of Singapore-based South African artist Sue Gray’s tested positive for HIV. Today, in conjunction with Pink Fest 2022, a series of Gray’s works, including “Diptych 1”, are on show at Art Porters Gallery. 36 x 63.
The framed AP (artist proof) of Bottle 11b will be auctioned to the full benefit of AfA (Action for AIDS Singapore). 10% of the proceeds from the sale of the rest of the editions will be donated to AfA Singapore. This exhibition is on show from 1st June 2022 – 3rd July 2022 at the Art Porters pop up space right next to the main gallery.
3. PiguBao is the signature character of Singaporean visual artist, Brenda Tan aka HelloPigu. The longevity peach bun was carried to earth by a strong gust of wind, awaking from a deep slumber to embark on a journey of discovery about the meaning of life.
Brenda’s Into The Wild series follows the adventures of PiguBao, exploring themes of self-care, reconnecting with oneself, and disconnecting from technology and fate.
For more information, please visit https://linktr.ee/artporters and https://linktr.ee/cosmicsiblings.
ENDS
