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)

Meriem Bouderbala: Female Arab Art

When we speak about the Arab Countries, and specifically of Arab Women, we immediately associate them with the idea of harem, veil, and dance. Arab women are seen as oppressed and repressed by a culture that does not leave space for the feminine side of itself. This can be true if applied to a certain sphere of that culture. But, it is also true that female Arab artist have come a long way to gain recognition in the contemporary art world. This is the case of the Tunisian Meriem Bouderbala.

By using her own body in her work, the artist challenges the enduring Orientalist vision of the image of the Arab women by comparing her own body with that of exoticism that become established in the collective imaginary. Meriem studied painting and engraving at the school of Beaux-arts in Provence from 1980 to 1985 obtaining a Post-Graduate Diploma in Plastic Arts. She then moved to London in 1986 to study engraving at the Chelsea School of Art.

Since 1986, Meriem has exhibited her artwork frequently in Tunisia and throughout Europe. Meriem’s work has received wide recognition and she has won a number of prizes and important commissions. Some of her work are parts of the permanent collection of the Arab World Institute in Paris.

Meriem’s work is theoretically conditioned by her passion to explore and exploit the potential of "minority art," or contemporary art that works outside of traditional schools of thought. Her works play with photography and installation, and challenges the body representation and identification of oneself and of the other.

Lamia Gargash: Presence in Absence

The Staircase, Lamia Gargash (2005-6)

I first discovered award-winning Emirati photographer and visual artist, Lamia Gargash's work in a British Council exhibition, My Father's House a few years ago; a travelling exhibition, its first port of call was at Bait al Baranda museum in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. While I admired the other featured photographers' works, I instantly gravitated towards Lamia's images, which depicted interiors of buildings situated in United Arab Emirates, both inhabited and abandoned. Starkly devoid of people, these were piercing portraits of spaces -- and yet, they are also portraits of the invisible inhabitants occupying those spaces as well, documenting their presence through the way they are somehow present but not seen. I found her images of abandoned buildings and structures particularly haunting and powerful: even in or perhaps, because of their derelict state, they are palimpsests, each layer reverberating with voices, echoes, and stories. Since then, Lamia has extensively explored the subject of dynamics of interiors in UAE, working on a number of projects pertaining to this theme.

What prompted Lamia to document these spaces, notably the interiors? "I love what the camera captures, paying attention to details and using it to record and preserve what intrigues me. Space is a hub for many changes that occur around us; it dictates not only styles and eras but also a way of living. How a room is experienced leaves many stories within its walls. One always looks at the outside word as a sign of progression and expansion but the true essence of change occurs within our own quarters. How one identifies himself within his own room and how he chooses to present his individuality and persona through it is what’s exciting," she remarks.

Red Television, Lamia Gargash, (2009)

Through 'Presence,' she chose to document a culture that was located and reflected by ways of interiors and which was becoming extinct due to modernization and globalization. "When I first started this project, I was studying in UK; coming back home [to UAE], I was more aware of the changes happening and felt the desire to document my old home – and the work developed from there," she recollects. She documented moments of migrations and transition, as people shifted from their old homes to newer ones as well as recording abandoned homes. "I am often asked as to why there are no people present in my photographs. To me, the spaces and interiors not only narrate stories of the lives that existed in them but also give the viewer an insight into our culture: how swiftly things change in our country, the rate at which things are being destroyed and built is probably more obvious in the space we inhabit on a daily basis than merely the exterior urban landscape," she says.

The Brown Bedroom, Lamia Gargash (2005-6)

She also found it challenging to explain to the homes' inhabitants as to what she found so interesting and intriguing in the interiors that warranted them being photographed. "We live in a quiet, conservative society, which admires and respects privacy so taking one’s photographs is quite a challenge enough -- but taking pictures of their private spaces was even more challenging," she mentions, adding that many perceived it an intrusion and invasion of privacy to expose their most intimate spaces, whether it be kitchen, bedroom or even bathroom. "They would question: why would anyone be interested in living quarters? Go photograph the garden or the sunset instead! Initially it was very hard but I gradually found a language by which I was able to communicate my message," she says.

Apart from her photographic meditations upon interiors intertwined with cultural identity, she has embarked upon other projects, which were distinctly different in subject matter and approach -- but also dealing with identity. One such project was the Through the Looking Glass, which Lamia mentions as investigating how we constantly view ourselves in comparison to an ever-elusive standard, prompted by the constant bombardment of media imagery dictating "how we should look." "Minor defects become drastic, resulting in even more drastic measures undertaken to reach that ideal standard of beauty. Our self- perception, and subsequently our identity, becomes indistinct, as if viewing ourselves through a distorted looking glass," she mentions.

Anne Keala Kelly: U.S. Occupation of Hawaii Killing Indigenous Roots

If you've just tuned in and missed Part One of this compelling interview with Hawaiian filmmaker, Anne Keala Kelly on her documentary film 'Noho Hewa', then go check it out.

In the Part Two, Keala:

• shares how Hawaiians have lost their spiritual center 
• talks about desecration of the land 
• offers her opinion of what we can do 
• briefly touches on how poverty kills resistance 

Exploiting Natural Resources is Part of the Ongoing Genocide
Our natural resources are exploited in every conceivable way.  Water is diverted from farming to golf courses and condos and hotels.

Our land is tortured and used to death by the military industry… 60 % of what the military uses right now in Hawai'i is on the most contested land in the archipelago, the Crown and Government land of the Hawaiian Kingdom, referred to as “ceded land.” But it’s land that was never ceded… it’s land that was illegally taken and is illegally and immorally occupied by the U.S. military.

Another issue is with regard to land is desecration.

Our people’s bones are buried throughout this place and our sacred sites are everywhere as well. The practices here is removing our ancestors and bulldoze the sites to make way for foreigners.

It’s part of the ongoing genocide in Hawaii. Cultural genocide and spiritual genocide of Hawaiians, nobody else, just us Hawaiians.

And the GMO industry here… we have the largest concentration of open field genetically modified organism test sites in the world.

While we have more endangered species habitat per square mile than any other place on earth, we have the largest military command on earth to go with it.

So our natural resources are being used to manifest the most unnatural things imaginable: food that cannot be eaten and the practice of murdering people and dominating the world through the U.S. military.

And just a quick note on resources: water and land are finite. To waste it on polluting industries that can’t feed us, and only destroy what we need to survive here is evil.

But it’s business as usual here.

Our land can grow whatever we plant in it. Instead of living off the land, about 98% or more of what people consume here in Hawai'i is shipped in from the continent. So the way natural resources are used here is insane, economically and otherwise.

Poverty Has Taken Its Toll on Hawaiians

As the economy gets worse and worse, yes, the homeless population grows. There are lots of people out there who are not Hawaiian, but about 70% or more are Hawaiian.


It’s an ongoing problem because a) our disappearance or assimilation, which is the same thing, is the U.S. agenda here, and b) poverty is a powerful tool for removing a people from their land. It keeps them from political action because they are too busy trying to survive.

The homeless woman you see in the trailer is Annie Pau. She was a friend, and I say was because she died this past August. Poverty probably shortened her life by 20 years or more.

Image Credit: jayul

Destroying Our roots Has Caused Spiritual Damage

This is a tough one for me right now because I see so little resistance these days. I see fear and assimilation and I see Hawaiian gatekeepers, mainly from the academic industrial complex and non-profit industrial complex.

I see Hawaiians selling us all out for their individual middle class lives and personal gain. There is more energy put into containing the movement than there is into growing it.

What Makes Us Different Vs. What Makes Us Alike

“What makes us different is so much less important than what makes us alike.”

– Oprah Winfrey

Do you think of a specific person right away when you hear this statement? I did. And it struck a chord with me because I realize I feel this way about not just one person, but several. In fact, for most of us, this is probably true.

It is said, “Like attracts like;” or “Show me who your friends are, and I can tell who you are.” Therefore, we might be more apt to look at this in terms of our friends -- what we have in common with them being what makes us friends. However, the way I think this was meant is in light of race and culture – our differences and our similarities – and how the likenesses are that which gives us strength as a global community.

A very real and present example of this today may be: our cultural and racial identities as Americans, compared to, say, that of Iraqi, Afghani, Jordanian, or Turkish women. We all see the differences in religion, in dress, and their women’s disallowance of certain freedoms we American women typically take for granted. But, what we do not often stop to realize is just how much they are like us: They care about and have deep concern for their families, their children; they undoubtedly miss their loved ones who are also off fighting in a war; and they take pride in who they are and what they believe in. Similarly, they have hobbies and crafts that they do to pass the time, (or by which they make a living). These all are similar ideals, thoughts, and ways of living that you and I are likely to have.

What does this mean to you and me? Hopefully, it means that we realize there are similar traits among our fellow Americans and fellow citizens of the world, which often divide us: Muslim against Jew, Catholic against non-denominational, gay against heterosexual, or White against Hispanic or Native American. But, what comes to my mind, from these instances in our similarities with Iraqis, for example, is that if nothing else, they bond us. I, for one feel more compassionate towards them when I realize those seemingly “small” details of their lives. They have children, too; they have loved ones who are suffering, too; and they want to see an end to violence, just as we do. I recall the early days of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, when every day I would look, cringingly, while we passed a hillside while on the train, covered in white crosses: one for each American life lost. There are many such hillsides – marked or unmarked – so many places in the world.

So, my challenge to all of us is that next time you encounter someone whose looks, views, or way of life is different from yours, take a moment to see what you might have in common, instead. Perhaps ask yourself: If he or she was sitting before me, what would I ask them in order to know them better? Or more to the point: How would I go about suggesting a commonality we may have? I know from personal experience just how rewarding such a revelation can be.

Once you have stepped outside of your “comfort zone” to see another culture or way of life through someone else’s eyes, your world grows. You will feel how such an eye-opening experience can help you and enlighten you. And, all this is possible because you chose to find out, not, "how am I different from this person next to me?," but how are we the same. At the end of the day, and in the words of former President John F. Kennedy: “What unites us is far greater than what divides us.”

Health and Cultural Impacts of Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a cultural process that involves the cutting of the female genitalia. Although it is widely known as FGM, in the field prefer to address it as "cutting," so that the stigma of mutilation is not endowed upon women who have undergone this rite.

FGM is mainly practiced in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Its presence has been historically documented over thousands of years and it transcends religious affiliations. Until recently, many people in the West attributed to a practice of tribal communities. However, this is not always the case, because tradition seems to prevail regardless of social status. In the increasingly global community in which we live, the custom of FGM is often brought over with migrants who move to Europe or the United States. Young girls of immigrants may be sent back home on holiday to undergo the rite or a cutter, the person who performs the rite, may be in the community.

The awareness of FGM in the West has posed new problems both around cultural understanding and health management toward these female immigrants. In the West, FGM is generally viewed as a barbaric, cruel, and unnecessary procedure for women and girls. This view is valid and the World Health Organization (WHO) has also put weight behind eradication of the procedure. However, many people fail to acknowledge that communities practicing FGM do so out of custom. It is not seen as an act of punishment. This may be difficult to digest, but communities who do this to their daughters do so to preserve their honor in marriage. The cutting, and sometimes sewing, is what a man expects when he marries to ensure his wife’s honor has been preserved. Without this seal of approval a woman can be rejected and in parts of the world where a woman’s livelihood depends on her allegiance to a man, not having undergone this violation can result in a life spent in solitude.

Tears are wiped from the face of a 9-month old following her circumcision
Copyright: Stephanie Sinclair, New York Times

From a health perspective, the complications resulting from FGM are often not openly discussed in communities due to respectful discretion. Yet, the complications are often severe and can be lifelong. Cutting any of the vulva tissues causes intense pain; women can die from hemorrhage; and shock from the procedure is common. Then, there is the risk of infection. Most FGM is not practiced in sterile conditions, a blade may be used on a number of girls. Some cutters employ the alternative of sharp stones or broken glass. There is also the psychological trauma that these girls suffer and may continue to be affected by as women. Finally, there is the possibility of long-term complications. These can range from painful or blocked menses, difficulty in passing urine, urinary tract infections, infertility, increased risk of fistula and, finally, increased risk of maternal and child morbidity due to obstructed labor.

Women Gather for a Cutting Ceremony
Copyright: IRIN - Integrated Regional Information Networks

In traditional settings, herbal remedies and rest would be used to alleviate the symptoms. In the West, women may try health clinics to access treatment. This poses another problem: immigrant women often face a multitude of barriers preventing them adequate access to healthcare to begin with. Many women who have tried to access treatment express the cultural incompetency of health professionals who often judge the practice and express visible horror at the sight of their genitalia. Health professionals in the West have often not seen genitals that have been cut, and some minority women may feel too timid to even see a doctor. Furthermore, health professionals may not have an understanding about what the consequences of FGM are or how to effectively deal with the problems resulting from the procedure. Education on the topic among health professionals remains a highly specialized field and enough information has not trickled down to more generalized health professionals

On the upside, clinics have been formed in communities of immigrants to specially address health problems from FGM. On an international level, work from UNICEF, WHO, and other global health agencies as well as celebrity campaigns such as Waris Darie through the Desert Flower Foundation have helped reduce -- and sometimes eradicate --FGM from communities where it is practiced.

Through appropriate dialogue and education, communities can continue to make progress in this area as should the medical community.

Art and Citizenship

Image via WikipediaLast week, President Obama made a trip to Ireland, and it was described in terms of finding his "roots." I watched a video in which he was described as a "rockstar," and felt the immense anticipation and pride that the audience (and the Obamas) felt that day.

To stand in a space and consider your roots and your legacy can be a joyous occasion. Art can also facilitate the connection between one's personal identity and their cultural heritage, and may reveal paths to a greater understanding beyond monolithic depictions of race and ethnicity. (Even Obama had to confront such misunderstandings recently when he presented his birth certificate to the public, finally putting the questioning of his citizenship to rest.)

I wonder, "How do art and citizenship intersect?" The first image that springs to mind is that of Peter Paul Rubens' depictions of war--but why? First, he was quite fascinated by the topic of war, as explained in this succinct Guardian UK article. This seems a timely thought since it was just Memorial Day weekend, too. I think that the reason that Rubens' works stand out to me has to do with the fleshy women that stood for national vulnerabilities, such as family (losing a member of family to war is a common tragedy), life in general (the ability to produce life), and on a more symbolic level, one's "land." Here's the image of the Allegory of the Outbreak of War:




An artist that honored history and our contemporary understanding of war and national identity is Maya Lin. She designed the internationally recognized Vietnam Memorial monument (shown above). Considering the subject matter, it was considered a controversial work because of its design. The symbols she used were not in keeping with the more traditional symbols of American citizenship, such flags or images of the soldiers who were in the Vietnam War.

There are other works, such as Picasso's Guernica, in which women played a major role in either the symbolic content or the creation of the works. Which spring to mind? How do they address citizenship and a nation's identity?