Seen Heard and Activated # 2

At the MICA building is a new art exhibtion of new finds initiated by the Art Galleries Association of Singapore to help launch "undiscovered talents". Its good to hear that something is actually being done by the especially commercially minded galleries of Singapore that some finger is even raised to take a risk with the younger artists.

But looking at the exhibition I could hardly buy the thrill. The works were not bad but other than one or two like Soo Bin's representation of Lina Adam, I found it hard to get excited to have a second glance. There's some gems in our own backyard if only these guys know what to look for. I don't spend enough time in Singapore looking at art these days but I know that among the recent graduates or even self-taughts, are struggling young talents who are being left out there in the "heat" and deserve more than half a chance if any body is asking me. What with this space strained Singapore and the slack art market here â?¦eh economy good also no one buy real art here anywayzzzzz but but but then good artists never die they live to starve another day.

Some of them are good enough to be in the news if only our news people even know what's news worthy these days (I'm saving my 80 cents for an extra cuppa). But alallah lah you know I know lah we got all the shining big bomb of an durian out there but its only a giant vacuum cleaner. And what's worse its sucking up the wrong corners of the world if u know what I mean and I ain't gonna bother till they do it right to move my ass in that direction so I can have a better look at Mike who should be at the Venice Biennale if these guys got it together in their OLD mindset what's art all abouts anyways.

But I thank god I'm still running from the adrenalin I picked up at the opening of another art exhibtion a week ago at "Your Mother Gallery" or else sure die one.

The blurb says its about youth and culture and the title is from a nursery rhyme, the invitation has an image reminiscent of Japanese manga. Now I maybe I don't want to admit that I also "OLD" but there's something here I don't understand and I hope its not the generation gap. Cause like I don't know how to dig into the manga thingy cause that's my pet hate of Japanese scenes anywayz though I know its central location in them pomo cum far easterners psyche and then we got guys here who wanna to do it too. Smack in the center of equatorial backwater of S>:E>:Asia? How come? But maybe the artists are mahjong players who likes speaking, reading and writing in Singlish and reads manga but kanna forced to study in English (post-colonial what) and kinda gets a philosophical high from nursery rhyme hence the title of the show. And they even had 2 performance art presented on opening night! What you think avant-garde until don't know how to be avant-garde or not?

But seriously folks the best thing in the show is in the vein of desirable action and spirit of self-organization of artists here. On a shoe string budget you still can kick some asses these bad news days if u got it man. Lina Adam and Jeremy Hiah runs "Your Mother Gallery" in their living room at Hindoo Road, formerly the office of Artists Village. This group exhibition is their third and the crowd that gathered jammed up the corridors. Beats some more established spaces and the works shown are above average. Although I may question their contextual frame somewhat they made me want to sit up and look them up and down and sideways too.

"Petit Keks" by Aidah Dolrahim parodies the Japanese tikam toys based on her obsession with baking cakes and tikam. The objects are fake mass-produced products however in each box are actually individually, hand made fake soft toys as fake cakes that are made to look delicious. I like the fact that they are actually simulating consumer bluff cuteness itself via a working process with human hands and commercial industry.

Marienne Yang's "Immobile" shows a strong reflection in linoleum print and painted gouache. Although working in a more traditional media, the work is skilled technically and she still manages to startle and captivate by a clever juxtaposition of soft and hard imagery.

The performance, "Contagious" by Cheng Guang Feng was an intense rendition which was well done considering the limitations of the space. Cheng who did a solo show at "Young Mother Gallery" before this current exhibition showed an ability to understand working in various media, including painting, sculpture in clay, video in the past and now performance which ends with a small installation.

Yah your mother never teach you ah? There's no need to drag them feet and wait for the revolution. There's not a minute to lose to keep on rocking in the free world, cause "the revolution has already begun".

Lee Wen
August 2005



This is Lee Wen, (at the point of time of writing this article) he is going to be master soon. He is involve in the international performance art scene and singapore is proud of him. He is initiator of the Future of Imagination, Singapore's only international performance art event and an honorary member of The Artists Village. He is also an agent of Black Market International. Photo by Dan Lim.