The first major exhibition devoted to Minimalism, its history and impact in South-East Asia

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s minimalist installation Room For One Colour (1997), an empty room bathed in bright yellow light, is an intense colour experience in a gallery. Photos: Handout

Minimalism has a lot to answer for. The movement that took shape in the 1960s profoundly changed how art can be defined, and freed artists from old-fashioned attachments to realistic representation, the uniqueness of art objects and art as an expression of emotion.

Its influence is so pervasive that when a lot of people think of contemporary art, they associate it with aspects of minimalism that are hard to understand, and are put off.