TROPICAL LAB 9: ISLAND

“There is no world. There are only islands.” Jacques Derrida
Islands are nature’s debris. Broken away from the whole since the beginning of human
consciousness it has been a creation of nature’s wrath. Yet with human evolution, the idea
of a relationship to the concept of an island as an imaginary to articulate the human
condition resides most poignantly in John Donne’s oft-quoted opening line of his poem ‘No
man is an island’.
Tropical Lab 9 draws together student-artists from all over the world, bringing them together
to learn about Singapore and its neighbours. Singapore, an island that was founded
as a free port, remains one of the busiest ports of trade and a site of negotiation for cultures,
identities and practices over the centuries. It represents islands of the twenty-first century
who are integral and key to world-making.
Tropical Lab is an international art camp for practicing student-artists.
Now in its ninth edition, Tropical Lab is an initiative of LASALLE College of the Arts in
Singapore. It is co-ordinated by Senior Fellow, Milenko Prvacki.
A total of 26 participants from over 15 prestigious institutions worldwide, including Columbia
University, Musashino Art University and California Institute of the Arts, will be taking part in
Tropical Lab 9.

Tropical Lab 9 will conclude with an exhibition by the participants responding to the theme.
Curated by Ms Bala Starr, Director, ICA Singapore and held at the ICA Singapore galleries,

Exhibition opening: Wed 5 Aug, 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Exhibition runs: Thu 6 Aug – Thu 10 Sep