Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story &mdash; Collection of Richard Koh serves as his &ldquo;visual diary&rdquo;, offering insights into different moments of his life.

Richard Koh is a master collector and champion of <a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/culture/eric-nam-exploration-travels-to-southeast-asia-celebrity-interview-thailand-vietnam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Asian</a> contemporary art, not only through his <a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/living/opera-gallery-celebrates-30-years-in-singapore-with-the-collector-1994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gallery</a> Richard Koh Fine Art but also in his private, personal collection. He hammers home the notion that collecting art need not be <a href="https://www.hommessingapore.com/style/hermes-chaine-d-ancre-exhibition-sg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">precious</a> or profitable; all that matters is affinity &mdash; that they hold some manner of meaning to you, however insignificant. He demonstrates this ideology in his second showcase at The Private Museum, Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story &mdash; Collection of Richard Koh (which runs until 9 March), presenting pieces that resonate with him at an intimate level.

There is a room filled with word art. Another is monochromatic, with all-black artworks on the surrounding walls and a series of sculptural crystal vases in the middle. One section had some vague connection to water and waves, but that motif was abandoned in the final presentation. Collecting need not &mdash; should not! &mdash; be thematic. The most personal has to be the pieces at the stairway landing: a rattan sculpture and Ben Puah&rsquo;s Flying birdies in my brain No.1 representing his parents, with a statue in the corner as a self-insert.

The exhibition works as Koh&rsquo;s &ldquo;visual diary&rdquo;, offering insights into different moments of his life. He took the time to share one such nugget with L&rsquo;OFFICIEL HOMMES SINGAPORE:
&ldquo;My collecting approach has always felt unhurried, almost like skipping stones across a pond &mdash; light, spontaneous, forward, backwards and sometimes even stationary. I simply find things that speak to me, often in unexpected ways. You might see something that triggers a certain memory or evokes a laugh, or maybe it strikes a chord because it reminds you of a pivotal moment in your life. That's how these pieces start to gather, one by one.&nbsp;
The work by Samuel Xun, for example, was shown in a toilet in an old building in Singapore. It was mounted on a mirror, and it read, "Boo, it's not me, it's you" in bold red, glittery text. That piece immediately resonated with me. There&rsquo;s a certain sense of humour to it, and it&rsquo;s so relatable. It&rsquo;s playful and free-spirited, but also kind of cheeky, as if it&rsquo;s poking fun at the very act of confrontation &mdash; the awkwardness of not wanting to take responsibility. It&rsquo;s the kind of thing I&rsquo;d say in a light-hearted moment, especially when dealing with the absurdities of life. It reminds me of the common quip, &ldquo;The problem is not me, it&rsquo;s you.&rdquo; &nbsp;
The best works don&rsquo;t just hang there, they engage with you &mdash; they start a conversation. And with Xun&rsquo;s piece, it felt like the artist and I were having that conversation in real time, laughing at the same thing.&rdquo;

"The best works don&rsquo;t just hang there, they engage with you &mdash; they start a conversation."
Richard Koh

Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story &mdash; Collection of Richard Koh will run until 9 March, so swing by The Private Musuem this weekend to check out the exhibition.

Veteran Gallerist Richard Koh on the Art of Collecting

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