Gillman Barracks 1 Lock Road #01-01 - ME-QR
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Gillman Barracks
1 Lock Road #01-01
A STUDENT
SHOWCASE BY
NAFA FINE ART
PROGRAMME
14 - 23 MAY 2021Imagining New Futures is a collaboration between the Fine Art Programme at Nanyang
Academy of Fine Arts and Amsterdam-based multimedia artist Margret Wibmer which
contemplates the social, cultural, and political shifts as well as the deep uncertainty that
shrouds the current pandemic. Presented in this showcase are 10 selected projects by
second year students from the Diploma in Fine Art that are diverse in form and
expression, but more importantly, shed light on their individual preoccupations and
collective concerns, whilst looking towards new futures.
These projects respond to five given themes provided by invited artist Margret Wibmer:
Consumerism and Waste; Bodies and Screens; Maintenance and Care; Time & Space; and
The Domestic – Notions of Home. In the works of Kenenza Michiko Hasan and Nur Alya
Rahmat, there exists a desire to break out of patterns, to resist traditional frameworks and
cultural contexts that remain deeply entrenched in their identity, roles and obligations as
an Indonesian and Malay-Muslim woman, respectively. They ask: “How does one birth a
new beginning while in a state of chaos?”, while carefully negotiating fragile boundaries
and fixed ideologies.
From the pandemic also surfaces unspoken conversations – Seetharam Poorvaja’s
haunting portraits of self-made women, who grapple with the loss of individuality in the
selfless pursuit to provide and care for their home and family, highlights the
often-invisible labour that precedes gender roles in our society. Parmar Simrat’s video
documents the everyday domestic space inhabited during lockdown, questioning the
ways women present themselves at home and to the outside world, inherently shaped by
cultural and social norms. The touch of violence is permeated in Nur Dini Suradi’s work,
revealing the hidden terrors and rising incidences of rape and sexual assault in domestic
settings during the pandemic.
As our society begins its long process of healing, the power of community, solidarity and
a growing kinship proves more significant than ever. Wan Wing Lam’s installation is a
poetic homage to her homeland, embodying the strength of hope and resilience of the
human spirit, which never fades but changes in appearance and form. The pandemic has
also drastically altered the way people connect – the collaborative performance between
Jasmine Ng and Putri Erina Fitriyana mediates upon the idea, “How can we be physically
distant but emotionally intimate?”
In seeking human connection, there arises an urgency to remember, to collect stories and
memories. Vaidya Riddhi Abhijit’s participatory project explores the thesis of “What
makes a house a home” and draws upon stories of 30 participants which are translated
into motifs and embroidered onto their personal items. Nur Adlina Tan’s projection of
personal photographs is a nostalgic memento of her past, while Nathan Tan’s stencilled
silkscreen prints of misplaced, lost and forgotten objects, similarly harbour stories of the
past and much like the works of this exhibition, carry the potential of possible futures.
PARMAR SIMRAT
SEETHARAM POORVAJA
VAIDYA RIDDHI ABHIJIT
WAN WING LAM
1ARTIST BIOS
STATEMENTS
A STUDENT
SHOWCASE BY
NAFA FINE ART
PROGRAMME
KENENZA MICHIKO HASAN
NATHAN TAN YEW WAI
NG JASMINE +
PUTRI ERINA FITRIYANA BINTE MOHD ANUAR
NUR ADLINA TAN
NUR ALYA BINTE RAHMAT
NUR DINI BINTE SURADI
PARMAR SIMRAT
SEETHARAM POORVAJA
VAIDYA RIDDHI ABHIJIT
WAN WING LAM
21. Seetharam Poorvaja
Suyam, 2021
Mixed media installation, publication
Dimensions variable 4
2. Nathan Tan Yew Wai
Lost and the Abandoned, 2021 5
Stencilled silkscreen prints 6
42cm x 29.7cm (12 pieces)
7
3
3. Wan Wing Lam
Road of Thorns, 2021
Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable
4. Nur Adlina Tan
Nostalgia II, 2021
Video installation 8
9
Dimensions variable
2
5. Parmar Simrat
Unfiltered, 2021
Video
3:30 mins
6. Nur Alya Rahmat
Pengebumian di Kaki Langit, 2021 1
Mixed media installation 10
Dimensions variable
7. Kenenza Michiko Hasan 8. Vaidya Riddhi Abhijit 9. Ng Jasmine and Putri Erina Fitriyana 10. Nur Dini Suradi
penggalan balada kusut kalut, 2021 Eye of the Needle, 2021 Why, Sayang?, 2021 UNCONSENTED, 2021
Mixed media installation Embroidery hoops, printed zines Performance installation with video Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable Dimensions variable 178.5 x 202.5 x 108cm, 4:34 mins 190cm x 290cm (6 pieces)
31
Seetharam Poor vaja
Suyam, 2021
Mixed media installation, publication
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
Addressing the theme of domesticity and home, Poorvaja's work seeks to
speak about the domestic lives of self-made women working hard to
support their families. Spending a majority of their lives taking care of
those around them, they lose their individuality in the selfless pursuit
of providing the best life they can for their children, parents and family
members. The painting seeks to emphasise the heaviness in the
expressions of the women, weighed by the baggage of stories they
carry around with them every day.
Artist Bio
Poorvaja Seetharam is an aspiring artist currently pursuing her education in
Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. She believes that art,
apart from being a practice of skill and creativity, is a practice of endurance
and narration. Influenced by her cultural background and heritage, she
makes a statement on culture and femininity through acrylic paintings, textile and
mythological motifs. She has always believed in giving back to society, and has
since started “What's your story?”, a project that invites migrant workers to share
the stories they carry on their backs everyday.
42
Nathan Tan Yew Wai
Lost and the Abandoned, 2021
Stencilled silkscreen prints
42cm x 29.7cm (12 pieces)
Artist Statement
Lost and the Abandoned is a series of 12 stencilled silkscreen prints of objects that
were misplaced, lost, abandoned and forgotten on the streets of Singapore during
and after the lockdown. The purpose of this work is to spread awareness towards
our surrounding to reconnect to objects and things around us. The location, space,
time and date are key points for the audience to generate their own narrative and
interpretation of each object. There are endless possibilities to what kind of stories
or futures each object could hold.
Artist Bio
Nathan Tan Yew Wai is a Singapore-based artist and printmaker. He is currently
pursuing a Diploma in Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Nathan specialises in printmaking using techniques such as relief printing, intaglio
printing and screen printing. His works are influenced by Hindu and Buddhist
mandalas, and therefore often utilise geometry and symmetry. He is looking to
further deepen his interest in the readymade object.
53
Wan Wing Lam
Road of Thorns, 2021
Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
Road of Thorns draws from the artist’s observations and reflections of the
socio-political movements in her homeland. This process-driven work embodies the
strength of hope and resilience of the human spirit, which never fades but changes
in appearance and form. The various elements of this poetic installation represent
the past, present, and future, as enduring symbols and promises of better futures
for the artist and her fellow youth. The artist firmly believes that we each have the
right to strive for what we deserve. Amidst difficult times, she hopes people will
keep hope alive and support each other until the end.
Artist Bio
Wan Wing Lam is an art student who is currently majoring in Fine Art at the
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Because of her cultural background and
upbringing, Wing Lam is very invested in using socially-engaged artwork to spread
messages to others. She is interested in exploring different art approaches,
including installation art and performance art. She hopes to inspire more people to
be brave and express themselves.
64
Nur Adlina Tan
Nostalgia II, 2021
Video installation
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
Time and space, and bodies and screens. Going back into the past when you feel
down is what we all tend to do as a form of escape from the present. It is how we
choose to pause the present and go back to our past. It is the pictures we capture
at the moment and the screens we choose to look from to remember. This work is a
collection of pictures, which are memories that people hold closest to their hearts,
and which they tend to return to most frequently.
Artist Bio
Adlina is currently studying at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, practicing 3D
studies which includes ceramics and contemporary sculpture. She chose to learn
something new to work with and this allowed her to explore the different mediums
and ways in artmaking. She chose to study Fine Art and is intending to pursue
curatorial roles in the future. As of now, Adlina makes autobiographical art that is
based on her own personal stories.
75
Parmar Simrat
Unfiltered, 2021
Video
3:30 mins
Artist Statement
How do you present yourself at home? Is it the same way you present yourself
outside your domestic space? Women are expected to look and present themselves
in a certain way at all times and this work explores that aspect of society. In the
midst of a pandemic, makeup and nail polish is the last thing on anyone’s mind.
This work revolves around the lockdown period and asks whether women became
more comfortable in their own skin during the pandemic. Were women able to
escape from society’s unreasonable standards especially when there is a bigger
issue at hand? The sound piece is created by using the everyday sounds the artist
heard during the lockdown.
Artist Bio
Simrat Parmat is an artist studying at the Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts,
Singapore, majoring in 4D practice. She never stops learning nor stops herself from
experiencing different things. Simrat has always been into portrait photography as
she finds working with people fascinating. Humans are such complex and exciting
creatures with so much to offer, and she always tries to tap on concepts she learnt
in psychology in her works. Simrat lives by the motto – Never stop learning, never
stop experiencing.
86
Nur Alya Rahmat
Pengebumian di Kaki Langit, 2021
Video installation
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
“Pengebumian di Kaki Langit” roughly translates to “Burial on the Horizon”. This
work attempts to articulate the artist's identity anxieties as a Malay-Muslim Woman.
There are so many disparities and overlapping of ideologies in the Malay-Muslim
community where sometimes we do not recognise if a certain tradition originates
from Bangsa Melayu or Islam.
The word Kaki Langit literally translates to “sky feet”. The oxymoron in this word is
interesting, as the feet are the furthest part of the body from the sky. Kaki Langit
alludes to the middle ground between these two drastic opposites, and speaks of
the absence and presence of the being-in-between.
Pengebumian di Kaki Langit attempts to cleanse the body from being a
Wanita/Melayu/Muslim. However, even through the cleansing and dissolution of past
traditions, the question still lingers: How far can we reclaim our own identity?
Ultimately, what is left after the cleansing?
Artist Bios
Alya Rahmat’s artistic practice revolves around secrecy and the clandestine. She
works with photography, performance and ready-made objects. Alya is interested in
both the societal and supernatural aspects of Malay-Muslim culture. Her works are
based on individual and collective experiences. While her course of study is
grounded in oil painting, Alya is constantly exploring various mediums and
practices, resulting in explorations in installations and writings. In an attempt to
carve new meanings through art, Alya hopes to spark conversations through her
work and to further understand herself.
97
Kenenza Michiko Hasan
penggalan balada kusut kalut, 2021
Mixed media installation
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
"Perempuan" "Empu" "Diempu-kan"
"Wanita" "Wani Nata" "Wani ditata"
penggalan balada kusut kalut (fragmented ballad of the tangled) is a resistance of
the traditional labels, obligations, and stereotypes placed on her as an Indonesian
woman. As a preface to the work, different Indonesian words for 'woman' are
dissected and altered to embody a different meaning: to be put in place, to be
respected. The work responds directly to a statement that said it is a woman's job
to be a good weaver. In her work, deliberately lacking maintenance and care in the
weaving is an act of challenging this conservative mindset that has been uncon-
sciously embedded into her inner self, a burden that still hangs around like a ghost.
Breaking out of the pattern is an act of power, gaining back the place and voice
from the self and for the self.
How does one birth a new beginning while in a state of chaos?
Artist Bio
Kenenza Michiko Hasan is an aspiring artist currently pursuing a Diploma in Fine
Art from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She uses installation and mixed media.
Kenenza's art practice is concerned with cultural backgrounds, traditions, and
exploring the idea of femininity around the South-East Asian region, especially in
Indonesia. Her artworks are chaotic in nature, using different expressive methods
to transfer and create energy. Her processes involve deconstructing and recon-
structing, as well as growing and decaying, to draw attention to current issues and
diverse perceptions. Kenenza hopes for her works to be highly visceral, evoke
critical thinking and create conversations when experiencing the piece.
108
Vaidya Riddhi Abhijit
Eye of the Needle, 2021
Embroidery hoops, printed zines
Dimensions variable
Artist Statement
Revolving around the theme of domesticity and home, Eye of the Needle is a
participatory project that explores the thesis of "What makes a house a home?" It
follows the stories of 30 participants, aged 18-36, and how their upbringing and
backgrounds have varied their ideals of family and home. These ideals and stories
were translated into motifs that were then embroidered onto the particpants'
personal items. The eye of the needle is a metaphor to all these stories collected; it
is something small and seemingly insignificant because it goes unnoticed, yet it
holds the ability to create a space for comfort and relationships – a reference to
both the intention behind this concept, as well as a home.
Artist Bio
Riddhi Vaidya is a Fine Art student at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in
Singapore. She has over six years of experience in art-making, and she specialises
in acrylic and oil painting while exploring 3D and installation art. As an aspiring
artist and writer, Riddhi is inclined towards pursuing socially engaged art and
text-based work. Her interest is based on incorporating other people's stories and
experiences along with her own. Her subject matters revolve mainly around the
people she meets that have a significant impact on her, as well as her idealism for
the future. Her work focuses on the creation of metaphors and symbolism, and
providing a space where people can find something to relate to.
119
Ng Jasmine and Putri Erina Fitriyana
Why, Sayang?, 2021
Performance installation, video documentation
178.5cm x 202.5cm x 108cm; 4:34 mins
Artist Statement
The pandemic has drastically altered the way people connect with one another. Not
being able to touch is more intimate than being able to touch, as it makes us yearn
for it and search for new ways while being protected due to the pandemic. How has
that changed our perception of intimacy?
In response, this work is an exploration on the fear and paranoia in one's
relationship with another, caused by the inability to be physically close, as physical
distance comes with an emotional distance that we might not be aware of.
How can we be physically distant but emotionally intimate?
Artist Bios
Ng Jasmine is a Fine Art student from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts,
Singapore. As an aspiring fine artist, photographer and art therapist, she values
having conversations with people and the self, bringing attention to things that are
often overlooked. She mainly works with and is interested in images, text and
performance. Jasmine believes that her purpose is to provoke emotions, thoughts
and questions in people who confront her works, so that conversations can exist
and therefore, completing her works.
Putri Erina Fitriyana is a Singapore-based visual artist, currently pursuing a
Diploma in Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Putri is majoring in 4D
practice which includes photography, sound, video and performance art. Through
her raw and authentic works, Putri's subject matters often involve conveying
feelings based on personal experiences and responding to global issues to spread
positivity. With her art, she encourages her audience to stay positive with hopes in
being able to heal people through her art.
1210
Nur Dini Suradi
UNCONSENTED, 2021
Mixed media installation
190cm x 290cm (6 pieces)
Artist Statement
The performance intends to create awareness of the rising incidences of rape and
sexual assault during the pandemic. Although sexual assault is a longstanding
issue in general, this piece focuses on the damage and the after effects due to the
assaults that had escalated in the domestic space during the pandemic. It
questions how rape culture views what beauty is. The piece includes four different
sets of white clothing, ranging from highly revealing clothing to modest clothing.
The performance consists of a reenactment of unconsented touch collected from
victims using red paint that symbolises the strong emotion of terror.
Artist Bio
Nur Dini is a young enthusiastic artist majoring in 4D practices such as
photography, performance art, video art, and sound art. Her art journey is a fluid
exploration of different media. Her works are influenced and informed by aspects of
daily living.
13ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Curatorial
Magret Wibmer, Kimberly Shen, and Geraldine Kang
Design and Publicity
Sharon Choo and Wong Gin Ming
Logistics
Gan Kwang Chuen and Jack Fong
Artists
Kenenza Michiko Hasan, Nathan Tan Yew Wai, Ng Jasmine & Putri Erina Fitriyana,
Nur Adlina Tan, Nur Alya Rahmat, Nur Dini Suradi, Parmar Simrat, Seetharam
Poorvaja, Vaidya Riddhi Abhijit, and Wan Wing Lam
NAFA Fine Art
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