So Near Yet So Far, 2017 – Chan Jia Yu

Imagine an empty space filled with lines of white objects stacked neatly side by side just like dominoes.  From far they resemble tissue papers that were taken out of packets but upon closer inspection, they were actually folded plastic bags.  Occasionally there were a few rows of plastic that were “out of place”.

At first, i thought it was regarding the concern about the difficulties of  selling tissue papers in the corridors of flats.  However after realizing it was plastic bags, i thought that environment had something to do about the artwork. Maybe the lines of plastic had something to do with the large amount of waste that one building was producing and the failure to recycle.  The plain and dull flooring gave contrast to the linear arrangement of the plastic bags which captures the viewers attention.

After reading the artist’s explanation of the artwork, i felt that my impression of the work is considerably different. The artists focus on the aesthetics and physical qualities  of how a simple object like a plastic bag becomes trash after being used for its purpose.  Elements like wind and light also emphasis the beauty and flexibility of the plastic bag.

I believe a variation of scale and size of plastic bags will allow the work to be more dynamic and interactive with the natural elements. 

l(a leaf falls)oneliness, 2017 – Ila

The artwork depicts a green metal container conveniently located in a void deck.

Initially when i walked towards the area, i thought that the container was just there for construction works. Little did i know that that container was actually an artwork in disguise. BUT. there was something much more than that. There was in fact this small little peephole that the majority of us missed out. Refer to the picture again and do you notice the black taped region with a small hole in it??

There we go! This is what i missed out at first. A worker’s jumpsuit with an image of a migrant’s dormitory projected on it. 

My impression of this artwork heightened after the second time i visited the artwork, finally discovering what lies inside. This brings light to the problem that migrant workers are so much in our daily lives that we are oblivious to their problems and living conditions. Back when i visited their dormitory for  a school project in polytechnic, i could tell from the compact and musty environment, the workers are really living in poor conditions. However, they can’t do anything about it as they came to work and this is the only accommodation that they could afford.  

The artist managed to portray his thoughts who what so i believe in this artwork. This was one of the works that really interested me due to his unique way of leading the audience around.

The artist impression is a little different from mine as she wanted to emphasis the loneliness condition that some Singaporeans are facing. The metal container is somewhat a confined space for the viewer to experience their own form or interpretation of their own solitude. In fact, this is true in a sense that Singapore is a  fast-paced society. People are getting left behind and they cannot catch up. As a result, these people often fall in a state of loneliness and emptiness. 

This artwork seems to work for me and i cannot think of any other betters ways to improve. I really love how it blends into the surroundings. If the artist didn’t put a sign, i would have thought it was just construction work.. So in fact he was