Art Club visit to 8Q at SAM on 6 March 2010

This exhibition was full of contemporary Southeast Asian artists. The students were given about an hour to tour the exhibit armed with a response sheet. Then we had a mini SOVA lesson right in the gallery itself.

Fatin, Clara-Ann, Lynette and Cherie (above) reading about Montien Boonma's "The Pleasure of Being, Crying, Dying and Eating". The girls with Boonma's bone chopsticks and handkerchiefs.

1st Floor Gallery:

Theme: A critique on contemporary society amidst rapid social change. Forces such as industrialisation, rural-urban migration, tourism, education and income disparity put society in a state of constant flux. The artworks put forth questions about the individual being tied to society and the fragility of society.




3rd Floor Gallery (Right):
The theme in this gallery is politics and questions of power.



3rd floor gallery (left):
Existentialism and Identity. These artworks put forth questions of what does life amount to, what is our role on earth and what happens to us when we die.



4th floor gallery (right):
These artworks comment on institutions of domesticity vs. female sexuality, money (materialism & status), education and man's dominance/exploitation over the environment.

4th floor gallery (left):

In this gallery you will find various representations of woman. These artworks are a reflection on womanhood and sexuality; and women's status in society. In Southeast Asia's recent history, women have had the opportunity to step out of their traditional roles. However, gender equality may be a Western construct and Southeast Asian women have to grapple with their own shift in roles and identity that is peculiar to this region's context.

Some thoughts and concerns:

• When dealing with contemporary art in Southeast Asia, one cannot ignore the history, culture, economics and geography that is peculiar to this region. Recen't history's colonialist (save for Thailand) rule, adaptation, struggle for independence then post-colonial politics and rapid modernisation has meant this region constantly needs to re-evaluate itself. The sentiment is one of wonder at how society, values and the urban environment is changing so (if not too) fast. Hence the artist's role in society also changes and artists must create a common safe zone for expressing disgust, despair and perhaps hope that society will change for the better.
• The issue of censorship is a bitter one in Singapore's recent history. Tang Da Wu and Amanda Heng, both founding members of THE ARTIST'S VILLAGE (TAV) create performance art even though there is a ban on performing performance art publicly. Tang Da Wu's "Tiger's Whip" was performed in Chinatown and outside the National Museum before this ban was enforced. This work recalls a time when art in Singapore was undergoing a mini renaissance due in large part to the founding and collaborative atmosphere of TAV. In the last 10 to 15 years the government has taken a more liberal approach to censorship and specifically towards the artistic community/practice. However, this exhibit is a reminder of why artists feel a shared responsibility to deal with society's taboos.
  
  

Art discussion lead by Miss Enci and Mdm Lai

Post-visit homework:

Visit every other post with the tag "6_Mar". For each of the artworks, answer the following questions:

1. What does the artwork consist/what does it look like?
2. What is the artwork about/what is the artist trying to say through the artwork?
3. Why I like or dislike the artwork (don't give general answers like "it's nice looking")?