photograph and text, 1998
Digital Photograph and text
210 x 148 mm (8.3 x 5.8 in) and 297 x 210 mm (11.7 x 8.3 in)
"Bicara-Dialogue-Zaghata: Identity and anonymity",
Singapore Arts Festival, 1998
Caldwell House Gallery, Singapore
A photograph taken on a visit to the wax museum manipulated on the computer was used to spin an association with Picasso. It was a follow-up to one of the paintings in the series of four works, "Paintings of desire" showing a self portrait being crossed out, done in likeness of Picasso's. Below each painting is a small painting appended to them like explanatory signs or information for the larger works. It's a tongue in cheek poke at the common notion that Singapore's art is derivative of other histories. By adding the reference to Warhol it raises the comparison to that of a post-modern tendency of how we all harbor aspirations to masters of a by-gone age, that our trajectory is of our present age that can only take us away from the forms they found and established. The irony is how in aspiring to be like them one also participate in the iconoclastic destruction of their status quo in order to represent the changes that brought us to where we are to. The sepia tone giving a nostalgic effect to help soften the blow in delivering a post-colonial take at the same time submitting to an sub-altern's dream of being in friendly company with the masters and yet being disadvantaged.
210 x 148 mm (8.3 x 5.8 in) and 297 x 210 mm (11.7 x 8.3 in)
"Bicara-Dialogue-Zaghata: Identity and anonymity",
Singapore Arts Festival, 1998
Caldwell House Gallery, Singapore
A photograph taken on a visit to the wax museum manipulated on the computer was used to spin an association with Picasso. It was a follow-up to one of the paintings in the series of four works, "Paintings of desire" showing a self portrait being crossed out, done in likeness of Picasso's. Below each painting is a small painting appended to them like explanatory signs or information for the larger works. It's a tongue in cheek poke at the common notion that Singapore's art is derivative of other histories. By adding the reference to Warhol it raises the comparison to that of a post-modern tendency of how we all harbor aspirations to masters of a by-gone age, that our trajectory is of our present age that can only take us away from the forms they found and established. The irony is how in aspiring to be like them one also participate in the iconoclastic destruction of their status quo in order to represent the changes that brought us to where we are to. The sepia tone giving a nostalgic effect to help soften the blow in delivering a post-colonial take at the same time submitting to an sub-altern's dream of being in friendly company with the masters and yet being disadvantaged.