Singapore Art Exhibition Presents the Art of Making Whisky
Singapore. La Maison du Whisky showcased the works of seven talented artists and well-known photographers across the globe in an exhibition held at the STPI Gallery in Singapore on Nov. 25 to 26.
The two-day exhibition was held in conjunction with Whisky Live Singapore, one of the biggest international celebrations of whisky.
The exhibition showcased print works, paintings, and photos, which offered a peek into some of the works that have gone into labeling.
Maison du Whisky’s trade marketing manager, Sebastien Cady, said he believes that whisky and art are intertwined and therefore the unique collaboration between the two should be celebrated.
"We believe that every step in the whisky and spirits making process to the bottling and labeling is an art. In this exhibition, we want to highlight each process and appreciate the art that is involved."
With the theme "Rare, Share, Pair," Sebastien said the exhibition aimed to invite visitors to take a closer look at the making process of whiskies and spirits.
"We just launched our artist collective this year. Alongside with our theme, we want to give more real experiences for our visitors."
For its Artist Collective series, LMDW selected six young and talented artists – Vic Oh, Bruno Saignez, Vincent De Mestral, Channy, James Purpura, and Camille Pradel – to create a piece of artwork that best describes the characteristics from each bottle.
"The Artist Collectives have been a place of exchange, inspiration and creativity. Our artist collectives highlights the diversity and the richness reflected in each of the single malts that make up LMDW's artist collective range."
Launched in 2011, the Artist series calls on different artists to create back labels for whiskey products.
From Singapore painter Warren Kong in 2011 to French street artist Koralie in 2016, the range explores every part of the graphic universe.
"Lino is an eclectic artist who turns his hand to both traditional painting and modern design, and even the creation of illuminated plexiglass installations. His unique style in art is perfect to represent this year’s series."
For La Maison du Whisky, Lino has wonderfully demonstrated his versatility with a series of works that comprise the seven labels of the new Artist range.
The richness of the materials used such as paint, ink on paper and illuminated plexiglass impressions combined with color and light represent the endless and captivating story of each bottle.
The colorful abstract patterns adorn the bottles, as though mapping out a parallel universe.
His six paintings represent the products from the finest independent bottlers created for La Maison du Whisky, such as Ballechin, UK distillery Bowmore, Caol Ila, Scotland’s Glen Garioch, and Bunnahabhain.
For its seventh edition, the artist range also welcomes its seventh whisky. For the very first time, LMDW has chosen a blended scotch, created by John Glaser, the owner of Compass Box whisky, to celebrate the house’s 70th birthday this year.
"Compass Box is unique in the world of whisky. Founded just over 10 years ago, it is a small independent company specializing in the blending of whiskies bought from the main whisky producers," said Sebastien.
A photo exhibition by Luca Gargano, a photographer, distiller and owner of Velier brand, took the visitors on a journey to the Caribbean Islands where some of the best rums originate.
The photo exhibition showcased Gargano’s journey to the quasi-legendary stock of St James Rum in Martinique that had supposedly been distilled at the end of the 19th century.
Eventually, he discovered proof that the stock distilled in 1885 and bottled in 1952 did indeed exist. He then became the rum legend as he managed to acquire the entire rum stock, which he then released on the Italian market.
"All this exhibition is about combining photography, art and spirits. There are a lot of people who drink whiskies, rums and other spirits, but only a few of them know where those come from."
"Whisky Live is not an event where you go and drink, but it is a show where you go and meet people while you enjoy another experience to learn the history of whiskies and spirits making," Sebastien added.
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