The term ‘brother’- a term often used to refer to the migrant workers in the profession of hard labour in Singapore- evokes a sense of both closeness and disassociation. Painting the word over knitted yarn, this gesture impresses a sense of the ‘brothers’ tainting the fabric of our society – one in which they are objectified as ‘Others’, and even more so during the current pandemic as they struggle for their rights to healthcare and safe lodging.
As the work is unravelled and then re-knitted in a different dimension, the word is rendered illegible, and its identity erased. Yet the paint marks remain woven into the very fabric of our society, reflecting the dissociation between the local community and the migrant worker ‘brothers’. The process of knitting a plain piece devoid of patterns speaks to the menial and monotonous nature of labour. Through the repetitive action of constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing, the transient character of Brother alludes to the state of liminality that migrant workers experience especially during the lockdown.
Commissioned artwork for the exhibition, Of Limits (2021) at Stamford Arts Centre (Singapore)
Of Limits
The vicissitudes brought about by the global disruptions have magnified existing socio-political fault lines. As groups of people and individuals are forcibly compartmentalised either from each other or unwillingly with another, divisiveness and connectedness are tried and tested within aggravated boundaries. When boundaries between people become more prominent, what does it mean today to be divided ‘together’? What does it mean to be together in isolation? While many of us remain grounded, quite literally, the toughest borders to overcome are perhaps the ones that are invisible. Art, however, has the ability to make limits and boundaries visible, calling attention to and suggesting ways of opposing their restrictions and even prevailing over them.
A showcase of works by six artists from the region — Lala Bohang (Indonesia), Okui Lala (Malaysia), Quỳnh Lâm (Vietnam), Kelly Limerick (Singapore), Hà Ninh Pham (Vietnam), and Crystal Sim (Singapore), this group exhibition contemplates the lines we draw consciously as well as those that we draw subconsciously. Faced with escalating tensions and disorientations, we cannot help but crave novel modes of internalisation and resolution. In response, these artists attempt to re-examine our basic concepts of borders, and hereafter confront our current state of liminality — where do we go from here? Are we to remain in a continuous state of limbo, or are we in the prelude to a new world?
‘Of Limits’ prompts audiences to reflect how we find common grounds in spite of newfound barriers and social conditions.
The exhibited works discursively explicate the limits and tangents through three layers: