Uncovering Singapore's Utopia

Upcoming exhibition aims to explore the relationship between national identity and art

Artist Jeremy Hiah will present Coward (above), a performance artwork, at the Singapore Utopia exhibition. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JEREMY HIAH AND CHAN + HORI CONTEMPORARY
Artist Ahmad Abu Bakar's sculpture - featuring a saga seed-shaped ceramic head (left) - draws on his experience as a Malaysian who has lived in Singapore since he was a baby. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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Next month, performance artist Yen Phang will dress as an office worker, dip himself into a shallow pool of Chinese ink and use his body to "paint" on the white floor and walls of an art gallery which have been slathered with vaseline and KY Jelly.

This 30-minute ritual - which may be read, perhaps, as an ironic nod and love letter to the well-oiled bureaucracy of Singapore Inc - is part of an upcoming group exhibition at Chan + Hori Contemporary.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 09, 2019, with the headline Uncovering Singapore's Utopia. Subscribe