Photos courtesy of Galeri Puteh Art Management and the RuMa Collection.
IF PRIVATE COLLECTIONS govern our knowledge of the past, what histories are amplified and which remain obscured when they are exhibited publicly?
Bingley Sim and Ima Norbinsha’s “Now and Then 2”, presented by Galeri Puteh, addresses this poser through a lens of critical inquiry. By juxtaposing historical works from the RuMa Collection (“Then”) with new creations by the same artists (“Now”), the exhibition produces a temporal dialogue that situates continuity, rupture and reflexive self-examination within artistic practice. The “Now” works, whether direct responses or conceptually complementary pieces, coexist alongside their predecessors without imposing linearity or teleology. Through this framework, the exhibition positions private stewardship as a form of critical and ethical practice, emphasising the responsibilities inherent in mediating knowledge and preserving cultural memory.
