From left: William Chan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan, Alvin Tan
PHUNK (previously known as :phunk and Phunk Studio) is a Singapore-based contemporary art and design collective founded by Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan, and William Chan in 1994. They have exhibited and collaborated with artists, designers and fashion brands around the world, producing work across a diverse range of mediums.
PHUNK was awarded Gold and Silver medals by Promax Asia in six consecutive years between 2001 and 2006. In 2007, the collective was conferred the Designer of the Year Award at the President’s Design Award in Singapore.[1]
Style
The work of PHUNK is greatly influenced by popular culture and its ever-evolving series of metaphors, codes and iconography. Having grown up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, its members are inspired by Hong Kong's kungfu movies and Cantonese TV series, Japanese anime and manga, American TV programmes, DC and Marvel comics, British indie pop, new wave and American rock music, as well as MTV. These continue to be part of a recurring theme that they express through their work.
Upon entering art college in the '90s, they began looking to various art and design movements such as the Bauhaus, Fluxus, Situationism, Pop Art, Swiss Modernist and Postmodernist design. This drove them to explore work that blurs the boundaries between fine art and commercial design. PHUNK is known for taking an experimental approach to their projects, combining various contexts and symbols to create a signature visual language and system. To date, they have produced across the fields of art, design, publishing, fashion, music, film and interactive art, exploring mediums ranging from silkscreen prints, mixed media pieces and sculptures to acrylic, wood, and vinyl figurines.
History
1992–1994: the early years
The members of PHUNK met as design students at LASALLE College of the Arts, where they studied Visual Communications. They had initially thought of starting a band while in college, but decided to found an art collective to further their shared interest in visual art. After graduating in 1994, they started PHUNK as a streetwear label. While the business endeavour did not take off, the name PHUNK remained.
1995–1997: experimentation, Guerilla Fonts
Between 1995 and 1997, the artists served a two-year period of mandatory National Service with the Singapore Armed Forces. They spent their weekends creating visual works and experimenting with various modes of artistic expression.
Eventually, they began to produce visuals and graphics which they sent out to friends and family. This led to their founding of type foundry Guerilla Fonts, which saw them create original digital typeface designs. These typeface designs were later sent to Garage Fonts in Del Mar, California.
1998–1999: Trigger Magazine, MTV Asia
Phiz dingbats
In 1998, Garage Fonts began distributing Guerilla Fonts' typeface designs worldwide. PHUNK was invited to write the introduction to the book New Typographics 2,[2] published by Japanese publishers PIE books. They subsequently founded Trigger Magazine, distributing 20,000 copies within a week. The launch of the magazine at Zouk further initiated a series of themed nights that the club became known for.[3]
PHUNK started a long-standing working relationship with MTV Asia in 1999, while in the design sphere, their creation of Phiz dingbats, marked the start of the collective's unique illustration style.
Early 2000s: global recognition, publishing
The early 2000s saw PHUNK gain recognition regionally and globally. Their artwork featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including the retrospective showcase A Decade of Decadence, which was held at the Singapore History Museum to commemorate their 10th anniversary.[4]
The collective also furthered their foray into publishing with the launch of two books during this period: Transmission 02: Utopia[7] and Mono Number One: Phunk Studio.[8]
2007–2008: solo exhibitions, President's Design Award, TRANSMISSION
In 2007, PHUNK was selected to exhibit at the Young Talents show in Art Cologne,[9] where they were nominated for Best of Show. They launched several solo exhibitions, including Universality, which opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei;[10]Universe, at Art Seasons in Singapore; and Universe II, at the Gallery J. Chen in Taipei.[11]
PHUNK was also appointed as artists for the Circle Line Art Project by the Land Transport Authority.[12] They began collaborating with Levi Strauss & Co. on a number of T-shirt series that were launched in Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific,[13] and presented a solo exhibition at the Levi's flagship store in Paris.[14]
That same year, PHUNK was recognised for their work for MTV's Top 100 Hits show packaging, receiving the Certificate of Typographic Excellence at the 54th Type Directors Club’s Type Design Awards. They were subsequently commissioned by MTV Asia to re-design their on-air channel. 2007 also saw PHUNK launch Universality, an art book published by Page One.[15]
PHUNK made history when they were named Designer of the Year at the President's Design Award 2007, becoming the youngest recipient of the highest design accolade in Singapore.[1]
In 2008, PHUNK was named as part of the inaugural design jury for the Cannes Lions.[16] They were also invited to participate in STPI’s artist-in-residence program, for the BMW Young Asian Artist Series.[17] They launched TRANSMISSION, an experimental, multi-disciplinary laboratory that saw them mentor and share their experience, knowledge and skills with younger creators.[18] Subsequent editions were held in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Elsewhere, PHUNK was represented at New Wave – Singapore's Contemporary Design Culture, an exhibition hosted by the Center for Creative Communications in Shizuoka, Japan.[19] They launched a solo exhibition at the Korea International Art Fair,[20] and was named as one of 50 Local Heroes in Singapore by Time Out. A collaboration with Giordano on the World Without Strangers – Giordano Tee Project for Asia Pacific saw the collective expand further into the fashion industry.[21]
2009–2010: international collaborations, public art
PHUNK's cover for Brain Magazine
In 2009, PHUNK exhibited Around the World / Across the Universe at Vallery in Barcelona.[22] In May, their artwork was featured on the cover of Time Out Hong Kong, followed by Japan's Brain Magazine the next year. The collective also collaborated with G-Shock on a limited edition watch,[23] and with Japanese pop artist Keiichi Tanaami on a series of artworks and exhibitions.[24]
Soon after, PHUNK's New World art series became part of the campaign visuals for MTV World Stage.[25] They worked with Nike SB to launch the brand in Tokyo, and put up the exhibition Welcome to Electricity at the city's Diesel Gallery.[26] Elsewhere in Japan, they teamed with Uniqlo for the global launch of the retailer's line of graphic T-shirts, producing an artist edition for UT Collection.
Back in Singapore, PHUNK's site-specific public art installation Dreams in Social Cosmic Odyssey was launched at Promenade MRT station.[12] They collaborated with Hermès for the exhibition P.S. I Silk You, creating a special installation featuring Mr Black.[27] They also designed the guests rooms of the now-defunct Wanderlust Hotel in the Little India neighbourhood.[28]
2011–2012: PHUNK, The Rolling Stones
2011 ushered in a new era for the collective after a fire destroyed all of the work in their studio, following which they officially became known as PHUNK.[29] They went on to launch a site-specific media pole installation in Seoul,[30] and design a series of FRANK credit cards with OCBC Bank in Singapore.[31]
Other notable achievements during the period include a collaboration with legendary rock band The Rolling Stones on a series of band merchandise,[32] and presenting their solo exhibition Empire of Dreams at various venues around the world: Art Seasons in Singapore,[33]Future Pass – From Asia to the World at the 54th Venice Biennale,[30] the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts,[34] Gallery J. Chen in Taipei,[35]Singapore Show: Future Proof[36] and Panorama: Recent Art from Contemporary Asia,[37] both at the Singapore Art Museum.
2013–present: global expansion, multimedia collaborations
In 2013, PHUNK launched a site-specific installation for Deutsche Bank in Singapore as part of OH! Open House Festival.[38] They designed a series of rugs with luxury carpet makers Tai Ping,[39] and were part of the exhibition Welcome to the Jungle at the Yokohama Museum of Art.[40]
2014 saw the collective collaborate with HBO Asia on an art exhibition to launch the third season of TV series Game of Thrones in the region.[41] To introduce the HTC One M8 globally, PHUNK worked with the electronics company to create a limited edition handset,[42] and was a featured artist and designer for the main festival visual for the Fukuoka Art Triennale at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.[43] They also put up the site-specific Art Toilet installation at Parco in Fukuoka.[44]
Artwork by PHUNK celebrating Singapore Airlines and Rolls-Royce
In 2015, PHUNK designed P for Proust, a customised alphabet inspired by Italian furniture maker Cappellini's Proust Geometrica Chair.[45] They launched several site-specific installations on New York's subway billboards as part of Singapore: Inside Out, a showcase to celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday.[46] In Singapore, PHUNK launched A to Z: For Children of All Ages at Art Seasons.[47] The collective was also featured in the publication Visible Signs: An introduction to Semiotics in the Visual Arts by David Crow.[48]
Thereafter, they launched a solo exhibition at Owen James Gallery in New York.[49] In 2017, PHUNK was commissioned to create a new piece of artwork to commemorate the 20th anniversary of partnership between Rolls-Royce and Singapore Airlines, and was named as one of 10 essential artist collectives to know in Asia by art website and directory The Artling.[50]
In 2018, they exhibited their series When The Saints Go Marching In at Art Stage Singapore.[51]
