Book Recommendations by: Ivan Ong

Hello, Ivan! Can you recommend us some books?

Rosa, to me, is an amalgamation of what I love to do, floristry with set styling. Not to mention, this is probably just a snippet of the variety of roses that exist in this world! Apart from the lovely imagery, there is a glossary of the species of roses used and there is an interview with a nursery that dedicated their lives to roses. And I ask myself how one can be obsessed about something, much less a generational obsession with roses. And my answer is I truly live and breathe flowers too.

2. Rainbow in your hand, Masashi Kawamura

I love this book. Simple. Straight to the point. Child-like. If I recall correctly, they were sold out at the latest Singapore Art Book Fair. If you love the phenomenon of rainbows, can't wait for a rain and sun combo and want a book to cheer you up, get this. By the time you are reading this, I have already added it into my cart!!!

3. Eindhovenseweg 56, Ton Grote

I think about the grieving process a lot, especially in losing a loved one or even returning into an old apartment. With the recent passing of my grandmother, I realised that I was running away from the spaces and things that belonged to her. So, I cannot fathom what it means (to me), to photograph these mementos/items of remembrance of a loved one. Will I find this process is sobering yet torturous? Will this experience subconsciously remind my heart of my longing for a loved one?

What is your most treasured book?

We Sell No1. Burger, Yuri Hasegawa (UTRECHT)

This book is PRECIOUS to me! You know what I mean?! It is the same knitted burger being emotive. And this was the last copy sold at the Singapore Art Book Fair, so I had to get it!

What are you currently reading?

UEKI Petit Pots et Jardins, Yasuyuki Takagi (Libro Arte)

This book explores the street garden culture of Tokyo, focused on the residential areas. In spring and summer, the small community would have a makeshift flower show, to present their collection of what they have been growing. In the unnoticeable big picture, this street garden phenomenon has a history and yet in the present, helped us in many different ways; whether it is to shield or protect one's residence or even to draw attention to a small business along the road or perhaps even provides access of cultivating one's garden.

Thank you, Ivan!

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Ivan Ong (b.1994) is a Singaporean artist, who lives and works in Singapore. He loves the value of the everyday, in the commute, musing, and the mundane. Thus, he is best known for his ideas about the dealings of the everyday. His photographs have varied in tones but have always been consistent in the idea of photographing spaces and objects that contains signature traces of households in corridor spaces. Moving forward, he is progressively taking his practice outward to look at interactions and installations within the city.