Rolls-Royce Motor Cars To Present A New Commission In Singapore By American Artist Carlos Rolón/Dzine

• Public Open Days: 23 – 25 January 2015, 12pm ­­– 6pm
• Media Preview: Tuesday, 20 January 2015, 3.00pm
• Location: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Singapore, 29 Leng Kee Rd, Singapore 159099
• To attend please RSVP to: James Wong, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (+65 6838 9687)

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce that a new installation by Chicago-based artist Carlos Rolón/Dzine (b.1970), recipient of America’s award for the National Endowment of the Arts, will be presented within the marque’s Singapore showroom.

The artist will be presented in Singapore for the first time with two major installations: Mi Casa (My House) at Pearl Lam Galleries that incorporates themes of domesticity, pattern and craft-making traditions; and a new commission Untitled (Opulence) at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars which has been inspired by Rolls-Royce’s tradition of expert craftsmanship. Untitled (Opulence) will be unveiled on 20 January 2015 and will be shown for one month to coincide with Art Stage Singapore (22 – 25 January 2015).

The neon sculpture is inspired by the traditional Parthenon style Grille and the Spirit of Ecstasy of each Rolls-Royce motor car.  Measuring 3M by 3.5M, this new installation explores movement, lines and the interaction of colour together with changes of mood and perception. By juxtaposing the use of neon and a mandala-like pattern, the work employs the combined language of post minimalism, pop art and abstraction. Meditative and therapeutic, it creates a trance-like effect for the viewer. Untitled (Opulence) appeals to the senses and projects into the future, while encompassing the story of mythical beauty, energy and ecstasy.

The work is the latest installation created as part of the Rolls-Royce art programme, which draws together the handcrafted elegance of Rolls-Royce motor cars with contemporary artists around the world. Internationally acclaimed artists including Ugo Rondinone, Michael Zavros, Regina Silveira and Angela Bulloch have featured in the programme, which will continue during Art Basel in Hong Kong where the marque will collaborate with esteemed artist Morgan Wong, once again in partnership with The Pearl Lam Galleries.

Rolón, who also goes by the name Dzine, has been recognised for his elaborately crafted paintings and ornate sculptures. His practice encompasses a range of media moving seamlessly between murals, sculpture, painting, and installation while he investigates pop culture, craft, ritual, beauty, spirituality, and identity and its relationship to art history, subculture, appropriation and the institution. His carefully crafted works, often inspired by a hybrid of cultures, are playfully situated between the contradictory worlds of conspicuous consumption and urban artefact.

Paul Harris, Asia Pacific Regional Director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “Rolón is a critically acclaimed, international artist who, through his own background, appreciates craftsmanship and Bespoke, two tenets of our own Rolls-Royce business. His philosophy is grounded in identity and self-expression, and so we believe that his work will touch a cord with Rolls-Royce clients and enthusiasts alike. It is an honour that we are able to support the artist and his work at a time when Singapore has emerged as an internationally vibrant hub for contemporary art.”

Mr Karsono Kwee, Executive Chairman of Eurokars Group, commented, “I am very proud that our Rolls-Royce showroom in Singapore is hosting a highly unique artwork that draws its inspiration from the brand’s iconic products. It is a real privilege. I hope that our customers, prospects and the public alike will come down to appreciate Carlos’ work alongside our pinnacle motor cars.”

Rolón/Dzine’s Mi Casa exhibition will present a follow-up to his highly successful installation My Mothers Living Room at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art which took the form of an exact reproduction of the artist’s child-hood living room from 1976 where his mother operated a bootleg salon. The exhibition will not only pay homage to this culture, but will also produce a shrine like presentation embracing the universal themes of the home. Pearl Lam Galleries is a driving force within Asia’s contemporary art scene. With over 20 years of experience exhibiting Asian and Western art and design, it is one of the leading and most established contemporary art galleries to be launched out of China.

Pearl Lam said, “I am thrilled to be working for the first time with Rolls-Royce’s innovative Arts initiative to present a bespoke neon sculptural work by Carlos Rolón/Dzine. As a brand Rolls-Royce embodies a passion for handcraft, creativity, design and engineering, values shared by Rolón/Dzine and Pearl Lam Galleries. For this project Rolón/Dzine has created a neon work utilising the iconic image of the Rolls Royce radiator grill combining a street art aesthetic and global appreciation of luxury.

This project coincides with a major new installation Mi Casa (My House) at Pearl Lam Galleries, Gilman Barracks Singapore. Rolón/Dzine aims to dissolve barriers between artistic disciplines and the observations which come from his practice are both surprising and inspiring. Lam continued, “I am very excited to be able to introduce this socially engaged Puerto Rican/American artist during the fifth edition of Artstage Singapore, a premier event of the Asian art scene"