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One hundred and eight small-scale, and twelve large-scale fibreglass sculptures, modelled in the likeness of Thai artist-activist Vasan Sitthiket in the nude, holding up picket signs while sporting full erections, lined the floor at Yavuz Fine Art. These were set against a backdrop of bold new artworks, all of which put the city-state’s authorities’ tolerance to the test.
Curator Iola Lenzi and the artist decided upon an exhibition in which history and communication would be central themes. According to Lenzi, the inundation of trivial information via social media has essentially drowned out critical voices in, particularly, Southeast Asia, where democracy is still in its infancy.
Well known as a socio-political provocateur who campaigns against the negative effects of urbanisation and global politics, Vasan recalls the recent history of Southeast Asia through his new paintings. Nine black canvases sketched over with chalk and acrylic depict recent and historic moments of uprising, retold under an eclipsed sun: the 1998 riots of Indonesia, the non-violent anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks in Burma (2007), the 1964 and 1969 race riots of Malaysia, the 2010 farmer protest for agrarian reform in the Philippines and even the Occupy Wall Street movement. Drawn in strong swift lines capturing the spirit of those chaotic and unstable moments, these canvases demonstrate the power of free speech, the right to protest and the sort of democratic change capable of bringing autocratic regimes to their knees.
But among this regional chaos and flux lies a calm red herring. Vasan portrays a naked man reading the national paper of Singapore, the Straits Times, upside down. Two headlines read ‘Lee Love You’ referencing the young nation’s proud patriarch Lee Kuan Yew