About
SEED The Art Space Ltd (SEED) is an independent non-profit art space that aims to enable and empower artists, curators, researchers, art enthusiasts and like-minded people to explore ideas which could push the boundaries of their artistic practices. The art space aims to “SEED” new ideas, new artistic approaches and new audiences through art exhibitions, artist residency programmes, art talk or workshops, art research and other outreach programs for Singapore and regional art communities.
SEED was formed by three friends, Ivy Lam, Lourdes Samson and Connie Wong. They first met as students in the MA Asian Art History program at the Lasalle College of Arts in 2017. Although coming from very different backgrounds, the strong camaraderie of their cohort formed the foundation for their current partnership. The initial idea was sparked off when Connie shared her idea of starting a non-profit to support artists and the local art community upon graduation. Committed to the plan, she first approached Ivy and Lou to be part of this initiative, while their classmate Tina Jailani joined as their first collaborator. Connie mused that the name of their new venture was inspired by the biblical parable of the mustard seed, “similar concept to our platform, a very small seed we envision its potential to turn into something much bigger.”
The founders feel that their shared passion for Art and their grounding in Art History and academic research sets their initiative apart. This academic background provides the team with the ability to think critically about all aspects of art and gives them the confidence to work on new projects that may challenge their boundaries.
Vision
SEED aims to be a leading art platform to support Asian contemporary artists at different stages of their career, to cultivate fresh perspectives in their repertoire. It also advocates for art historical discourses through research and curatorial collaborations to engage new audiences.
Mission
SEED’s mission is to facilitate and provide support to practices in Asian contemporary art, which is not limited to residencies, mentorships, art management, advisories, and curation, for artists to take risks in conceptualization and practice. At the same time, SEED is committed to engaging broader audiences for contemporary art and its history in the region with the backdrop of regional art history.
Team
Connie Wong
Connie is a Founding Director of SEED. Leaving the finance industry to pursue Art, Connie first enrolled at London’s Sotheby’s Institute of Art, followed by the MA program in Asian Art Histories at the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. Connie also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Investment and Financial Risk Management from City University Cass Business School in London and a Master’s degree in Global Finance from Stern Business School of New York University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Ivy Lam
Ivy wears many hats in the world of visual arts, starting with training as an artist and an art educator in her first career. She then moved into arts administration in the National Arts Council, and worked mainly with schools in arts teacher training and museum-based education. While working at NAC, she completed her MA in Art History, which opened up doors for her independent curation work for various galleries and an adjunct lecturer role at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She believes the arts can make us better communicators, to ourselves and to others, and she hopes to dedicate her time at SEED to working with the arts community to making visual arts accessible to everyone, and to give aspiring artists opportunities to create and exhibit regardless of which point of their careers they are in.
Ivy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and New Media, a Post-graduate Diploma in Arts Education, and a Masters in Asian Art History. She is currently a museum relations manager at the National Heritage Board.
Lourdes Samson
Lourdes Samson’s interest in curation and the artistic practices of Contemporary Southeast Asian artists led her to pursue a Masters degree in Asian Art History at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. This interest was honed by years of collecting art works from the region, a passion that she shares with her husband. Prior to forming SEED, she participated in various exhibitions aimed at bringing selected works from private collections to a wider audience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and a MBA degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.