speak to me, walk with me 7 october 2011 to 1 january 2012 · 7 october 2011 to 1 january 2012 ....

Educator’s Guide – Speak To Me, Walk With Me

1

Speak To Me, Walk With Me

7 October 2011 to 1 January 2012


2

> Exhibition Synopsis

One of Singapore’s most established artists, Cultural Medallion recipient Amanda Heng (b 1951) is best known for her practice which examines themes of self-representation, community identity and historical memory. To Heng, Art is more than the pictorial tradition. Rather, Art is the direct encounter that is created when people participate in the art-making process. Another critical aspect of her practice is the investigation of how memories define one’s identity. Heng’s work thus asks us to reflect on, recall and reconstruct the ways in which unrecorded personal and social histories are being remembered and represented. Part of the pioneering generation of Singapore performance artists who came into prominence in the late 1980s, Heng sought to use the body as a compelling medium for contemporary art practice. Organised by SAM, Amanda Heng: Speak To Me, Walk With Me is the artist’s first solo exhibition that charts her fascinating multidisciplinary practice over two decades. Featuring more than 50 works of installation, photography and video, the exhibition draws upon the SAM collection, reconstructions of Heng’s previous ephemeral works, as well as rare 1990s performance documentation from her vast repertoire.


3

> About the Artist

Amanda Heng’s practice began in the late 1980s, corresponding with an epochal moment in

Singapore art history that saw the beginnings of contemporary art, where artists of the time

began exploring mediums such as performance, installation and other multi-disciplinary

approaches in art-making within public and community spaces. A full-time art practitioner,

Heng also curates and organises art events and forums, and has lectured at Nanyang

Technology University (NTU) and the National Institute of Education (NIE).

Heng is one of the founding members of Singapore artist collective, The Artists’ Village, as

well as Women In The Arts (WITAS). She has presented at the 1st Singapore Biennale (2006),

the 1st Women’s Performance Art Festival in Osaka (2001), the 7th Havana Biennial (2000),

the 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial (1999) and the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary

Art (1999). She is also the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Cultural Medallion award.


4

Worthy Tour Co (S) Pte Ltd

2006

Trade show booth replica, carpet, tables, chairs, video documentary and tour pamphlets

Dimensions variable

Artist Collection

First shown at the inaugural Singapore Biennale in City Hall in 2006, Worthy Tour Co (S) Pte Ltd is a fictitious travel agency, created in the style of popular Singapore travel fairs, known to draw large crowds in search of a vacation bargain. Heng’s agency promises the experience of culture and treasures, not of a foreign country, but of the nation’s own treasures, ironically housed abroad. The artist’s research on local Singaporean collectors of cultural artefacts led to the discovery that collections of Ming and Qing dynasty paintings and calligraphy, rare bonsai and film scripts from the local film industry dating from the 1960s to 1980s have been donated overseas. Worthy Tour Co (S) Pte Ltd, which also includes a documentary produced by the artist on these artefacts, parodies the holiday-habits of Singaporeans, and raises the pertinent debate of the nation being an economically thriving city that is a cultural desert. During the Singapore Biennale, Heng, stationed frequently at her tour booth installation, played the role of tour operator actively promoting Worthy Tour Co (S) Pte Ltd.


5

Singirl Revisits 1 – Long Fu Coffee Shop (Telok Kurau Road/Joo Chiat Place) 2011

Photo series (set of 8)

114 x 76 cm

Artist Collection

Singirl Revisits is the artist’s latest work which has been commissioned by SAM, for the

occasion of this exhibition. In the series of eight photo prints, Singirl revisits traditional

shops and social spaces, as her tribute to the common but significant sites that symbolise

her childhood memories of a different Singapore. By reflecting on, and endorsing of,

neglected places of cultural significance, the artist raises many questions on thoughtless

urbanisation in the name of progress, and at the expense of cultural identity and values.


6

Singirl in Lorong Buangkok 2011 Photo installation Dimensions variable Artist Collection Singirl in Lorong Buangkok presents Heng’s research into Kampong Lorong Buangkok, the last remaining village community on mainland Singapore, where residents still live in traditional kampong-style homes, relatively untouched by the hustle and bustle of urban contemporary society. Located in Hougang, Kampong Lorong Buangkok was established in 1956, and continues to house some 28 families as of 2011. Singirl in Lorong Buangkok is an interactive work, based on real images of Kampong Lorong Buangkok and its residents. In this photo installation, Singirl invites visitors to explore the village by interacting with the work and re-examine the costs and values of our heritage and urbanisation. This installation is a Singapore Art Museum commission.


7

Singirl – Objects 1, 2, 3 2009 - 2011 Modified batik and military uniforms Dimensions variable

Artist collection Since 1972, the Singapore Girl, or female cabin crew of the Singapore Airlines (SIA), has become a signature trademark of the national carrier both locally and internationally. In advertising campaigns, the Singapore Girl is said to engender ‘Asian values and hospitality’ and has been described as ‘caring, warm, gentle, elegant and serene’.

Heng has been appropriating this iconic image of the Singapore Airlines flight stewardess since 2000, donning the ubiquitous batik-print sarong kebaya uniform. Dressed as the Singapore Girl, Heng uses the contrasting reality of her version, Singirl, as a way of challenging mainstream perceptions of gender and national identity. This series of works shows the artist’s revision of the SIA kebaya and the Singapore military service uniform; two garments that are popular references of Singaporean identity, the former representative of a prescribed feminine ideal, the latter symbolic of manhood and the national military service all Singaporean men have to undertake. By modifying these garments, the artist reveals the sexist roles that public policies can dictate through uniform designs.


8

I Remember…

2005

Digitally modified print of the Civilian War Memorial, 16 interviews on DVDs, records of

WW2 deceased from the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, Cremation Memorial,

Unmaintainable Graves Memorial and Civilian Hospital Grave Memorial, news reports and

video documentation

Dimensions variable

Artist Collection

I Remember… was first presented as a collaborative public event at the M1 Singapore Fringe

Festival organized by The Necessary Stage, as a performance cum video installation at the

Esplanade Park in 2005. In the event, the artist performed a prayerful ritual in the form of a

walk and led the public to release balloons as a form of commemoration for the WW2

deceased. During the performance, Heng tattooed the words ‘I Remember’ on her body, as

a symbolic act of commitment to the memory of war victims.

The installation features interviews which the artist conducted with Singaporeans in

shopping malls, bus stations and museums on their memories and understanding of the

World War II. These include video recordings of the elderly recalling the days of the

Japanese Occupation in World War II which were projected at the Esplanade Park, to inspire

the public to reflect on issues of memory, the construction of history and its significance to

both individual and society.

When the work was shown at The Substation in the same year, Heng continued her

investigation of the historical memory of war, in relation to public monuments. Referencing

the existing Civilian War Memorial at Beach Road, a 70m war memorial erected in 1967 in

dedication to the civilian casualties of World War II in Singapore, she transformed the

gallery into a space for collective commemoration with her research on the names of

thousands of civilians who died during the Japanese Occupation, but were not officially

registered.


9

Missing

1994

Baby girls' dresses, fishing lines, hooks, black cloths, black sofa, table, doorframe, black

cards with texts and red strings

Dimensions variable

SAM Collection

One of the earliest installations that deal with gender issues, Missing is a commemoration of

nameless female babies who are victims of infanticide in cultures that pride male offspring

over female for a range of reasons, ranging from the economic and the cultural. The

installation takes a critical look at gender issues in the Asian context, where baby girls are

frowned upon, and wives are pressured to produce a male heir for the family. In other

traditions, daughters have been seen as a liability, because of their dowry obligations, and

the fact that they will not be able to support the family after marriage. The work includes an

interactive component where the audience is invited to take a piece of the artist’s thoughts

written on notes attached to red strings.


10

Let’s Chat

1999 – present

Mixed media installation and performance with tables and bean sprouts

Dimensions variable

Artist Collection

One of Heng’s most seminal works, Let’s Chat has been presented since 1996 in Singapore,

Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines to a variety of audiences who have actively engaged in

the work. The work recreates the familiar experience of preparing bean sprouts for a meal, a

customary practice in Asian households. This traditional chore is one that many

homemakers and children would recall, as conversations are exchanged during the course of

this domestic task. By bringing this activity to the public domain in locations like galleries or

shopping arcades, Heng encourages audiences to participate and recall the communal spirit

of sharing and conversing, which may have been forgotten, due to the fast pace of

contemporary life.

Let’s Chat is both an installation and a social space facilitated by the artist for engaging

audiences in the public discussion on issues related to the art and everyday life.


11

Bathroom Karaoke

2008

Reproduction of installation created during CAIS exhibition in collaboration with Malaysian

students

Dimensions variable

Artist Collection

The Contemporary Art In School (CAIS) Project is an exhibition organised by artist initiative,

Rumah Air Panas (RAP) in Kuala Lumpur. The project aimed to raise the awareness of

contemporary art in Malaysian schools. At the invitation of RAP, the artist proposed to

facilitate workshops with the students in Maris Stella High School to examine the meaning

of education and teacher-student relationships. In the workshop, the artist reversed the

dynamics of teaching, encouraging the students to lead the process with their own ideas

and inspirations.

The Bathroom Karaoke installation was created as the result of the exchanges, based on the

students’ love for pop culture.

For the exhibition Speak To Me, Walk With Me, the artist reconstructs Bathroom Karaoke in

the gallery to engage viewers and explore the belief of learning outside the classroom.

speak to me, walk with me 7 october 2011 to 1 january 2012 · 7 october 2011 to 1 january 2012 ....

Documents