The three artists representing Singapore at this year’s Venice Biennale didn’t coordinate their exhibits, but stunning and meaningful similarities exist all the same. All three artists examine the role of memory when it comes to tradition and history in the lens of Singapore, an interesting coincidence that only came to light when their exhibits went up at the show, which opened last weekend.
One of the most prominent exhibits by Singaporean artists is the one that features an enormous rattan boat installation, along with audio, video, and written information to provide viewers with more context on what they’re looking at. The exhibit is the culmination of about 20 years of work researching and getting to know traditional communities in Southeast Asia that depended on the water for their livelihoods. The artist learned how to make the traditional boats by hand through his interactions with the communities, and he compiled what he learned about their everyday lives and history in the immersive experience on display in Venice, a city where water travel is also very important.
Another Singaporean artist is taking a look at traditional dance forms, recorded in the back alleys of historical neighborhoods throughout Singapore. These recordings will go a long way in preserving these traditions, which are in danger of dying out because of modernization and the desire to pursue other art forms. However, when the artist first presented this video exhibit, the display space was big enough to allow her to realize her original goal, which was to make the viewer a part of the exhibit with the dancers life sized. In Venice, the exhibit space is much smaller, meaning the dancers are smaller, too. This limitation in space has added an interesting new discussion point in the importance of this exhibit, miniaturizing the dancers and the locations of the film.
The third exhibit examines the life, work, and death of a Singaporean weaver who died while her work was being displayed in London in 1924. The installation features a display of textiles in the midst of being woven together, as well as a video documentary examining the life of the weaver whose works were on display. Since the Singaporean native woman died in London, she was buried there, as well. The artist who pulled the installation together documented her efforts in trying to locate the grave and body of the late artist to try and bring her back to Singapore. The fact that the grave still has yet to be found is just another discussion point.
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To learn more about the three Singaporean artist exhibits being featured at the Venice Biennale, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/charting-new-waters.