I wanted my graduation work to be an embodiment of my entire identity, as an artist and as a Chinese who grew up in Singapore, under a very much Western influence. A summary of everything I have learned in school thus far and my stances on identity at this point in time. A little rebellious, a little ambiguous, a little lost and spontaneous. It was a personal journey to piece together my own set of symbols and stylistic identity.
Mixed Media on wood panels (acrylic paint, pen and ink, photo collage, clay relief, found object) 2016 |
"Chinese society, throughout all of modern history, has constantly reinforced the idea of a homogenous community within their society. Individualism was a western ideal, something that simply did not fit into the lifestyle of the Chinese youth. The ideal image of the Chinese child is one that conforms (to the point of mindlessness) to the needs of the society.
However, the modern Chinese race is no longer homogenous. Many of us are now free to build new selves in the post-modern world beyond the seas, away from the home country. The connection and love for our origins sometimes will not stay with us, but will never disappear either. Cultural hybridity, is an idea that has become increasingly prevalent in modern times, where people endlessly migrate and adapt to new cultures. The modern youth walks a broad line between a 2nd and the 3rd culture, and is free to choose as they pleases how they wish to express themselves, taking reference to all the different cultures they are exposed to. The connection and love for our origins sometimes will not stay with us, but will never disappear either.
The fictional secret society called the “2.5” represents people who have found their place between two separate impulses, one that adopts the trends of another culture to express ourselves, while still strongly maintaining their cultural identity, visibly, through visual motif. Bound and unbound by history, a new generation arises, emotionally connected to another culture, yet still inherently, being influenced by those strong icons and symbols of the one they were born into. Characters who wear their stylish clothes like armour, standing among the modern cityscape like a proud statement of themselves and their unique existence."