Suki Chan: Viewing Through Prisms of Senses

Still Point, Film Installation (2012)

Abstracting from a smorgasbord of experiences, influences, and issues, installation artist and curator Suki Chan traverses multiple terrains and teases out the familiar and the unfamiliar. Describing her work as using light, moving image, and sound to explore our physical and psychological experience of space, Chan's artworks invite viewers to participate in an entirely experiential experience, literally immersing themselves into the parallel universes she constructs. Whether navigating the journey from macro to micro or engineering a marriage between sound and image in her works, she seeks to both resolve her personal questions and ponderings as much as compel the viewer to view through multi-faceted prisms of senses and accordingly engage with her art.

In the following Q & A, Chan provides a fascinating account of the processes through which she approaches and constructs her productions.

You were born in Hong Kong and now reside in London. How have both these places defined your work? Do your roots influence you on a subliminal level or do you access a more universal range of experiences in your work? 

Your question reminds me of a wonderful quote by Borges, “I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited.” Many places that I have lived in throughout my life have defined me and my work, ranging from my early childhood experiences in Hong Kong to Oxford, teenage years in Winchester and then, studying in London. Each of these places, with their own character, geographical and cultural differences - rural versus urban, traditional and modern, Western and Eastern - have left their imprint on me at significant points of my life. My early works were informed by often contrasting experiences of these places. 

The move from Hong Kong to Oxford is perhaps the most significant. For me, it is the juxtaposition of places that triggers certain interests or attitudes towards a subject matter. I am always curious why certain ideas, customs, beliefs and values exist in one society and place but not in another. From a young age, I experienced this contrast of ideas between living in England and Hong Kong. Growing up straddling two cultures, I was exposed to different viewpoints, beliefs, customs, traditions and value systems as well as the inconsistencies that exists between languages, when meaning does not follow through from one language to another, especially if they have a completely different structure and symbol system. The concept of time in Chinese for example is not conveyed through the use of tenses and verb forms and that was very confusing for me as a child as I was learning English. As a child, I found those inconsistencies perplexing but as an artist, it is such a rich terrain to draw from. 

Moving from one place to another, or one culture to another, you come to understand a little more the interrelationship between people and places as well as the importance of context, when things do not necessarily relate and connect. My roots influence my work in many ways, sometimes subliminally, but I consciously choose to explore concepts and emotions that are universal, from the abstract and metaphysical, such as time and space, to the personal, such as home and belonging and the somewhere in-between, our relationship to our environment and to society.

What impels you to create a work: an arresting sight, fragment from a dream, or a line from a book/writing that refuses to go away from your head? Subsequently, as you build up the work, what are the influences motivating the process of creation? Do you read extensively, journal and make notes, and/or expose yourself to kinds of cinema?

It is all of these things and more. I have previously been inspired by the memories of a place, the sight of a starling murmuration, a line from a poem, an idea or a metaphor from a novel, a conversation, a chance encounter on a train, a difficult political situation, meditation and walking. I am impelled to make work because of my curiosity to understand why things are the way they are or why we feel and behave in a certain way in a given place. Much of my process of making art is intuitive though I enjoy looking for patterns of thought. I often ask myself why I am drawn to this and not that? Why do certain things resonate with me more than others? Sometimes, ideas and thoughts that seem to be separate will come together later on as I build up the work. Often, it is the contrast between ideas and materials that allows me to draw attention to it or imbue it with new narratives.

Tomorrow is Our Permanent Address, Video Installation (2008)

The Singh Twins: Re-Interpreting Miniature Art

An example of a miniature painting from Rajasthan

I have been a long-time admirer of miniature paintings, especially those originating from Rajasthan, the north-western Indian state which I belong to. However, while in awe of their beauty and technical finesse, I often find myself pondering the paintings' subject matter. Apart from the miniature artists' superlative ability to so effectively create and convey a microcosm through the minute, painstaking nature of their art, I also think much about the two-dimensional figures that populate these paintings. The ubiquitous presence of Hindu deities, kings and queens, courtiers, and their attendants: yet, who are they? What are they thinking? Why is it that they happen to be where they are in the paintings? At times, it seems that the lovingly detailed leaves conjure up a greater air of vitality than the figures themselves. The figures in turn are shrouded in mystery, performing within the painting and yet, their faces are impassive, refusing to reveal what lies beneath their perfectly manicured features. Indeed, these characters seem as anonymous as their creators. 

Many contemporary artists are nowadays engaging and reinterpreting the miniature art traditions, and when I encountered The Singh Twins' miniature art, I was fascinated and wished to explore more of it. 

Internationally acclaimed artists and twins who were born, raised, and work in the United Kingdom, Amrit Singh Kaur and Rabindra Kaur Singh, create their art together, hence, their moniker: The Singh Twins. Deriving inspiration from Mughal miniature paintings which they encountered during a trip to India, they were drawn toward the richness of technique and presentation -- and were keen to practice and revive the art traditions, which were otherwise in decline and neglected. Their artistic journey has witnessed them introducing the miniature art techniques and legacies to a wider audience while simultaneously interweaving contemporary narratives, themes, and issues into their work, creating a  vital, dynamic form of miniature art.

Examining two of their paintings reveal how they incorporate the miniature art traditions into their work while infusing them with their unique identities and perspectives.

Nrymla's Wedding II

At first glance, Nrymla's Wedding II (1985/6), depicting the mehendi (henna-painting) ceremony taking place for their sister, is layered with meticulous, beautifully ornamental detail, as per miniature art traditions; however, as one looks more closely, it is evident that the painting exists beyond mere aesthetics. With the post-modern aspect of artists themselves entering the frame, being both the creators and subjects, the painting also explores the interface of domestic and public spaces. A joyful, traditional atmosphere permeates the interiors, as evidenced by these signifiers: the dancing little girl, the bright-yellow dressed boy playing upon the drum, a videographer documenting the event, and a woman arriving laden with fruit. However, as the artists' commentary denotes, outside, for instance, we see the McDonalds' logo, a universal visual byword for globalisation and despoiling of the environment, triggering a debate about globalization and its impact upon cultural heterogeneity. The paintings are therefore no longer static, frozen moments; aesthetics and debate co-exist, encouraging the viewer to both admire the artistic traditions defining the work as well as being used a medium to create a space of interrogating contemporary issues.

Love Lost

Love Lost (2001) channels elements from the Persian miniature traditions while simultaneously being utterly modern; reinterpreting the tale of the traditional star-crossed Persian lovers, Laila-Majnun, the artists refer to it as being a commentary on the contemporary nature of love. This work demonstrates that while the artists showcase knowledge of various miniature traditions, they also playfully reinterpret styles and structure associated with each and imbue it with their personal artistic language. For example, rather than strictly adhering to boundaries (as typically seen in Persian miniature paintings with their thick borders), they literally step out of the box as seen through the presence of the car and ladder. The artists also draw upon various literary and cinematic romantic traditions in this visual commentary: the cell-phone clutching and television watching figures are Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's famous lovers whereas reference to a popular romantic Hindi films emerges through images of the films, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Mughal-e-Azam. The combination of satirical commentary, mixed media, and traditional Persian art features make it an intriguing interpretation of both the traditional tale and technique. 

The Singh Twins' work is not as much a deviation from the miniature art fashion as broadening its scope for engagement with a global, contemporary audience; their work revitalises and reiterates the traditions while placing it in context to personal and contemporary global narratives. 

Please see and read more about The Singh Twins' work.

Photo credit: The Singh Twins' paintings' images courtesy The Singh Twins

Female Genital Mutilation in Western Countries

News about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has resurfaced this month, but in areas of the world that are unexpected. Artist Makode Aj Lindein in Sweden created the extremely controversial cake piece around the time news broke that around 100,000 girls and women living in the United Kingdom have been mutilated by FGM. FGM is a highly contentious and sensitive issue, often left open to stereotyping of women without taking into account their cultural context. One thing is certain:  health professionals and groups do not think FGM is good for a woman’s health. Therefore, it came as a shock and revelation to some people that health professionals in the UK were offering the service to women under the table.

Female genital cutting is a cultural custom practiced in mainly African and Middle-Eastern cultures.  The tradition transcends religions and has been practiced for thousands of years. The process involves cutting the female genitalia, and depending on the custom this can be cutting of the clitoris and/or cutting of the vaginal lips. It is an excruciating and horrific process that violates young girls. It is condemned by the World Health Organization and all medical bodies as a practice that is unnecessary and endangers the health of women and girls.