Curatorial Rationale

My work is not intended to be aesthetically appreciated. Rather, by borrowing from the raw, unpolished visual appearances of Outsider Art, I remove the distraction of beauty and present the unglamorized, uncomfortable reality behind Singapore’s development. Like Outsider Art, I also use a variety of non-traditional materials such as iPhone screens, cables, and history textbooks. Familiar images such as the layouts of online platforms, and toys like the Rubik’s Cube, Jenga Tower, and Barbie Doll are also repurposed, where the toy packaging designs have been manipulated to reflect my concepts.

I have chosen to set-up my works in an L-shaped configuration. This allows them to be viewed in a sequential order according to the stages I have split them into: 1) modernization causing the loss of culture, and 2) modernization creating new culture. By strategically widening the spaces between select pedestals and walls, the audience is guided to view the artworks chronologically from stage 1 to 2, reflecting the progression from history to present day addressed in my works. This viewing order is also reiterated in my titles which transition from Chinese to English, signifying the loss of Chinese culture. Additionally, the space also feels more enclosed and personal, enhancing the viewing experience.

Ideally, when viewing my works, the audience should adopt an investigative mindset, seeking to understand and thinking critically about the case studies addressed.

The primary inspiration for my setup is a kindergarten play area, where my interactive artworks are presented like activity stations on lower pedestals. Yinghehuiguan is placed on a short square pedestal, allowing up to 4 players to interact with the work at a time, while the cubes in Listen, Speak, Read (Hate), Write are spread out on a short rectangular pedestal, inviting viewers to pick up the cubes. The pedestal heights also follow the viewing order, progressively increasing in height, symbolizing how society is growing more estranged and detached from their culture with time.

My smaller interactive works have been placed closer to the front, while my bigger works are on the walls. These bigger works resemble the walls of a kindergarten classroom, which are usually decorated with maps and children’s artworks. Their larger scale also counteracts their placement in the background, allowing them to still draw attention from the audience.

Yinghehuiguan, a work on the exhumation of graves, has been placed at the forefront of my set-up as it was the first work I created. It would also allow the exhibition to be more memorable as it is interactive. On the other hand, Follow @dielluted on Instagram, a work depicting my own columbarium niche, has been placed at the tail end of my set-up to mimic the promotion of social media handles. The controversial subject of the work would also surprise viewers, leaving an impression and provoking thought, allowing the audience to exit the space in a reflective state. Lastly, by juxtaposing works on death at the beginning and end of the viewing journey, I underscore the changes in Singapore’s death rituals over the years, where instead of burial, the dead are now cremated and placed in the columbarium to save land for infrastructural development. Hence, this reiterates the theme of the loss of culture in the pursuit of development.

Overall, the process of creating and curating my works has been cathartic, allowing me to express my opinions on tabooer sociopolitical topics. The experience has also been educational, motivating me to research my culture and heritage. My works therefore implore the audience to be more reflective and inquisitive about old and new culture, discovering their own cultural identities.