Exhibition
Useless
Anwar, Bibi Chew, Chong Kok Choon, Jane Stephanny, Ong Cai Bin
Exhibition runs through 31 Dec
The pandemic, its consequential lockdown policies and forcible new norms have induced a general sense of reassessment. From the formulation of government policies to the calibration of individual lifestyle, principles, priorities and values are undergoing a harsh test. What is more important than the other? What deserves more effort and resources than the rest? What is useful and what is useless?
While art was categorised as non-essential in public policies, its physical programmes were slow to re-emerge after the first wave of lockdown. This has inevitably triggered the discourse among the practitioners so as to reassert the relevance of art in times of trouble. Five artists were invited to shed some light on their respective contemplations on the futility of our time and the immateriality of art, alongside the revelations they chanced upon while putting themselves together in response to such an unprecedented situation.