ANG Song Nian (b. 1983, Singapore) works with materials and traces of human behaviours made visible within landscapes through photographic documentations and installation. Intrigued by the narration of thoughts and ideologies through visuals, he has always favoured a microscopic approach to concepts, a style which he always employ to open up details in his practice. His works questions the relationship of human interventions and invasions on landscapes.
Song Nian’s recent solo exhibition, Artificial Conditions: Something To Grow Into premiered at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in 2019. His other earlier solo exhibitions include Hanging Heavy On My Eyes, exhibited at both DECK (Singapore) and the Sunderland University Priestman Gallery (UK) in 2017, As They Grow Older And Wiser at the Bangkok University Gallery in 2016, as well as A Tree With Too Many Branches in 2015. Group exhibitions include Unearthed at the Singapore Art Museum and Engaging Perspectives at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (Singapore). He has exhibited in the Photo Espana Festival (Spain), Lianzhou International Photo Festival (China), Gallery Jinsun (Seoul), Hanmi Gallery (London) and the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs (Spain).
Song Nian's work has been awarded the Grand Prize in the 41st edition of the New Cosmos of Photography award organized by Canon Inc. in 2018. He was also the winner for Photography in the Noise Singapore 2012 and was selected for the eCrea Award (Spain, 2010) as well as the Association of Photographers Awards (UK, 2010). In 2012, he was awarded the International Graduate Scholarship for his graduate studies at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London.
He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Photography from the UAL Camberwell College of Arts and the London College of Communication respectively. Song Nian currently lectures in the Photography department at the School of Art, Design and Media at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
He is also the founder of THEBOOKSHOW, a platform which started in 2014 that works towards providing opportunities for artists and photographers interested in the self-published photobook medium.
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AWARDS
Canon New Cosmos of Photography 2019, 41st Edition – Grand Prize Winner
Noise Singapore 2012 – Winner for Photography
University of the Arts London – International Graduate Scholarship (MA Photography, London College of Communication), 2012
National Arts Council, Singapore - NAC Overseas Arts Bursary Award, 2010
ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition – Photography - 2nd Prize – Sidewalk Easement, 2010
Association of Photographers Students’ Awards – Judge’s Choice Award - And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers..., 2010
Emergent Lleida Visual Arts and Photography Festival – eCrea 2010 Award - And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers..., 2010
National Arts Council, Singapore - NAC Overseas Arts Bursary Award, 2009
The Trailblazer Foundation, Singapore – The Traiblazer Fund, 2009
Land Transport Authority, Singapore, Circle Line Art Programme - Dakota Station: Winner, 2008
Land Transport Authority, Singapore, Circle Line Art Programme - Lorong Chuan Station: Winner, 2007
EDUCATION
2012 – MA Photography : London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom
2009 to 2011 – BA (Hons) Photography : Camberwell College of the Arts, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom
2000 to 2003 – Diploma in Visual Communication : Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Artificial Conditions – Something To Grow Into : Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Japan, 2019
As They Grow Older and Wiser : Objectifs Chapel Gallery, Singapore, 2017
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes : Northeast Photo Network, United Kingdom, 2017
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes – The Photograph As Atlas : DECK, Singapore, 2017
As They Grow Older and Wiser : Bangkok University Gallery, Thailand, 2016
A Tree With Too Many Branches : DECK, Singapore, 2015
GROUP EXHIBITIONS [ Selected ]
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes – The Seeds We Sow : Mizuma Gallery, Singapore, 2020
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes – Print Room - Collect : DECK, Singapore, 2019
As They Grow Older And Wiser – OH! Open House Emerald Hill : Emerald Hill, Singapore, 2018
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes – New Cosmos of Photography : Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Japan, 2018
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes – From Singapore, With Nature : Thessaloniki Photo Biennale, Greece, 2018
Towards A New Interior – Still Life : The Substation, Singapore, 2017
Hanging Heavy On My Eyes - The Spirit of Place : Jendela Gallery, The Esplanade, Singapore, 2016
OH! Open House Potong Pasir – One for None Exchange : Potong Pasir, Singapore, 2016
Bits & Pieces, Odds & Ends – Singapore Memory Project : National Library Board, Singapore, 2015
The Dialectal Vernacular – Singapore Memory Project : National Library Board, Singapore, 2015
The Origin of Beauty:Dramatic Nostalgia – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Busan Museum of Art, Korea, 2015
ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu Finalists Showcase : National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 2014
Unearthed – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2014
Override – Override : Sculpture Square, Singapore, 2014
TYPES – After Becher - Towards A New Interior : Singapore International Photography Festival : DECK Singapore, 2014
Engaging Perspectives : New Art From Singapore – Towards A New Interior : Gillman Barracks, Singapore, 2013
Zoological – Your Blank Stare Left Me At Sea : 2902 Gallery, Singapore, 2013
No Space Like Home – Towards A New Interior : Hanmi Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2013
Oversight – Oversight : Sculpture Square, Singapore, 2013
Singapore Survey 2012 : Strange New Faces - Singapore Mixed Cocktail : Valentine Willie Fine Art Gallery, Singapore, 2012
Rote Learning – Many Detours : Washed-out & Interrupted : CUSP Gallery, Leicester, United Kingdom, 2012
Photo Espana 2012 “Unseeing Nature” – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Galeria Eva Ruiz, Madrid, Spain, 2012
Imagine – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Esplanade Tunnel, Singapore, 2012
OH! Open House Tiong Bahru – Many Detours : Washed-out & Interrupted : Tiong Bahru, Singapore, 2012
Not Too Far Away – Many Detours : Washed-out & Interrupted : 2902 Gallery, Old School, Singapore, 2011
Touch Points – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Evil Empire Gallery, Singapore, 2011
Dali International Photography Exhibition 2011 – Sidewalk Easement : International Exhibition Hall, Dali, China, 2011
NOMAD : SIPF Traveling Showcase 2011 – Sidewalk Easement: Bangkok University Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand, 2011
Singapore Survey 2011 : Imagine Malaysia – You & I Will Always Be Together : Valentine Willie Fine Art Gallery, Singapore, 2011
ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu Exhibition : Millenia Walk , Singapore, 2011
NOMAD : SIPF 2011 – Sidewalk Easement: Sabanci University Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011
ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition Exhibition – Sidewalk Easement : Gallery Jinsun, Seoul, Korea, 2010
Traces 2 Art Incubator Exhibition – Many Detours – Washed-out & Interrupted : Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, 2010
Singapore International Photography Festival – Sidewalk Easement : 2902 Gallery, Old School, Singapore, 2010
eCREA 2010 Emergent Lleida Festival – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, Lleida, Spain, 2010
Negaraku Boleh! ( My Country, Can! ) – You And I Will Always Be Together : Evil Empire Gallery, Singapore, 2010
AOP Students Awards 2010 – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Association of Photographers, London, United Kingdom, 2010
Cut – Many Detours : Bourbon Space, Biscuit Factory, London, United Kingdom, 2010
Singapore Art Exhibition 2009 – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2009
Singapore Art Exhibition 2009 – One Room Flats : Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2009
Of Forest, Sea & Mountain – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : 2902 Gallery, Old School, Singapore, 2009
Paradise Lost : New Photo-documentary – Sidewalk Easement : 2902 Gallery, Old School, Singapore, 2009
SOTIRI International Prize for Young Photographers “A Touch of Violence” – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers: Korca, Albania & National Gallery of Arts, Tirana, Albania, 2009
Epson Color Imaging Contest – And Now, Like Sleeping Flowers : Tokyo, Japan, 2008
Wu Xiao Kang (1979 – 2005 ) – A Dose of Light : Mitre Hotel, 2007
Singapore Arts Award 2005 – Home for the Night : Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Singapore, 2005
RESIDENCIES
2019 NTU-CCA Artist Residency Programme – Centre for Contemporary Arts Singapore
2017 Northeast Photography Network Residency Programme – Sunderland University, United Kingdom
2016 BUG Art Residency Programme – Bangkok University Gallery, Thailand
2013 The Bureau Residency Programme – The Sculpture Square, Singapore
2010 The Art Incubator Residency Programme – Objectifs, Singapore