WHCHEN

Here I have put a page dedicated to Chong Boon Pok(Andrew) who I have collaborated with on a project ‘As Much As You Like’ for GIL2007 in China.  Project website has been set up, please visit http://www.asmuchasyoulike.org for more information. Please also visit Andrew’s weblog for his latest works ‘the Ground We Share’

Artist’s statement:

“We do a lot of looking; we look at things through our eyes, and even through magnifying lenses to enlarge them on display screens for a closer look at their detail… to see is not to grasp something, simply looking at something is a consequence of our conditioning.To see something is to be grasped by it.” 

       Frederick Franck.

EVERYDAY AS A MEDIUM 

My work explores the quotidian – the humble and disregarded ordinary of everyday life. Not only that I examine the common objects that surround us everyday, as my work develops, I also take on board our mundane activities into consideration. The resulted work orchestrates in a complicated mixed of sculptural, drawing, video, installation and interactive performance. And, these can be basically divided into two main flows: physical based work and interactive performance based work.   

Physical based work   

Domestic, retail and workplace objects that we introduce into our lives fascinate me. These are the things we use and look at everyday and yet often failed to give attentiveness on its existent – the physical qualities, the way we interact with them, the connection with us and with other objects.  

Alongside studying its characteristics to expose the “as-it-is-ness”, the work also seeks to reveal the relational nature of these things; and making sense the ground that objects and human shared. It conveys the essential features of the objects itself with the spirit of playfulness and humorous.    

Interactive performance based work  

The process of observing everyday objects conduced my development into contemplating daily activities which; resulted a continually working relationship with my artist friend Yak Beow Seah.  We collaborate to replay quotidian activities in galleries to engage with visitors.  The interactive performance based work examines sociable activities such as cooking, eating, sharing convivial moments, visiting boot sales and etc that gave us aesthetic pleasure. Our installations transform “white cube” galleries into provisional sociable spaces to freshen, interact and share common everyday activities with our visitors.  Correspond to the object based work; it meditates on trivial things in order to resurrect the primal mysteries missing from the mundane-ness and expands the viewers’ consideration of the everyday experience.