There is much to be said about eliminating old ways and bringing into focus new light; fresh ways of looking at things. Sometimes we need to energise our perspectives. At other times change can be structural—in the ways we consider new workflows, and how we re-examine our paths.

Moving beyond the changes brought about by a global pandemic, new light can be a personal reflection of uncertainty, and an impetus for self-organisation and reinvigorating design thinking.

This theme is meant to be a message of hope and encouragement; of looking through new lenses. It reflects us as a cohort and how we’ve been adopting new ways of seeing, and choosing to forge ahead in our practice.

In New Light is a representation of us as the pioneer batch of ADM’s new BFA curriculum, and graduates in the aftermath of what is thrust upon us as a ‘new normal’. Despite all of this, we have—and still are—navigating through all the changes and ambiguity, transforming and embracing exciting new perspectives of the world around us.

ADM Alumni Collective Showcase, held in conjunction with the ADM Grad Show 2021, celebrates the post graduate life of ADM students through a showcase of an eclectic selection of works. It is an opportunity to inspire, motivate and share with the graduating cohort the possibilities beyond school. The show also aims to unite works of diverse forms into a single cohesive entity, mirroring the foundation of ADM where students are individuals as much as they are a part of a family.

Gillman Barracks,
Block 9 Lock Road, #02-21

Congratulations to every single one of you! It has been a long, and hopefully enjoyable, journey since you all took Intro to Art History with me four years ago. A lot has happened since then—to you, us, ADM, NTU, Singapore and the world. The last 12–18 months may have been challenging but you have coped well, demonstrating that you are resilient and resourceful, and that you don’t expect the world to be perfect. It is actually through these imperfections that creativity enters as Leonard Cohen says

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

Appropriately named ‘In New Light’, this exhibition demonstrates how crisis got redirected into opportunity and how creativity triumphed against the odds. In so many ways we will all soon see the world in a new post-covid light. Artists will be there not only to help us appreciate it, but to lead in the creation of it. The composer Robert Schumann, living at the far side of the world nearly two centuries ago, was succinct saying ‘To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts—such is the duty of the artist’. That is why the world will always need artists—like you.

We are proud of you and we hope in return that you are proud, and will remain proud, of your association with us at ADM. Stay in touch and don’t be a stranger. You will always be welcome back under our grassy roof!

Michael J K Walsh
Professor & Chair of
Nanyang Technological University
School of Art, Design & Media