The interview: Dennis Ouyang, founder of Loy Gallery, on ‘A Trail to Chase’

Transcending the usual gallery experience, Loy Gallery bridges the gap between multi-disciplinary art communities not just in Singapore but also all over the world. Its latest exhibition, ‘A Trail to Chase’, is no different, showcasing the intersect between art and design. Here, founder Dennis Ouyang talks us through the inspiration behind the gallery and its latest show, collecting art and more.

Boulevard: What made you want to open an art gallery?

Dennis Ouyang: Art has always been a deep source of inspiration for me, long before I started Loy Gallery. My visit to Art Basel in Miami back in 2019 inspired a deep-seated passion that eventually led me to start Loy Contemporary Art Gallery in 2023. Together with my co-founder, we established Loy Gallery as a platform for artists to showcase impactful and intersectional contemporary art, and to inspire ideas and dialogue around each exhibition.

Blvd: What’s the gallery’s mission? Is it doing things differently?

Ouyang: As a new, young gallery, we hope that Loy Gallery can first and foremost be a platform to inspire multi-disciplinary ideas across art and design. We’re inspired by a wide variety of influences across the realms of contemporary art, design, fashion, photography, music, and lifestyle, and there is a mission here to inspire fresh perspectives on creativity. We want to create a unique gallery space for thoughtful shows that give expression to artists with a clear voice, one that speaks to our moment in time.

This is why many artists on show at ‘A Trail to Chase’ are multidisciplinary and intersectional, showcasing art that speaks to the theme of pushing the boundaries of creativity. It is also this line of intersectional thinking that differentiates us and will continue to determine our programming ahead, bringing impactful and eclectic shows to our audiences.

Blvd: ‘A Trail to Chase’ presents quite a unique exhibition of usable art – is the gallery’s ambition, in part, to challenge how we interact with or use art?

Ouyang: You can see that at ‘A Trail to Chase’ we are welcoming visitors to interact with the works physically. This can be by pulling the drawers of J McDonald’s vanity mirror, taking a rest at Vincent Pocsik’s human-shaped bench, or sitting at one of Charlotte Kingsnorth’s amorphous table sets.

By allowing visitors to engage in ways that are not commonly found in other galleries, we hope to challenge the common perception of how art can be experienced, and to create entry points for visitors to interact on a tactile and dynamic level. Of course, we might not take the same approach for our future exhibitions, but the ambition here is to inspire fresh perspectives on creativity.

Blvd: Given your other interests in luxury furniture and fashion, do you feel that there’s an intersection between art and luxury?

Ouyang: Absolutely. Beyond Loy Gallery, I’m an entrepreneur with different business ventures in the luxury and fashion space, including Swedish luxury bed brand, Hästens, in Southeast Asia. And I’ve found that a shared appreciation for craftsmanship underlies our interests in luxury, furniture, or art.

Blvd: How do you approach art, yourself, as a collector? Does your own approach inform – or diverge from – that of the gallery?

Ouyang: I like artists who are forging new intersections across various creative worlds. This approach is undoubtedly echoed in our philosophy at Loy Gallery, with our focus on cross-disciplinary creative practices to create new perspectives and ways of expression.

For more information on its latest exhibitions and current roster, visit Loy Gallery.

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