Week 7: Made in Singapore - Three Quarters of a Century

Ang Sookoon, The Waves/Waifs, 2009, Wood, strings, artifical hair

Ang Sookoon is a Singaporean artist. This was one of her works that was diplayed in NAFA gallery. I think that she is a highly talented artist. In this object installation artwork above, I feel that that is a strong feeling of juxtaposition. Perhaps it is because for her, there is no one way of seeing things. So it is important to try to see as much facets as possible to get a better picture.

I think she got her inspiration from lietrature such as Cinderella. Cinderella had blond hair but she was forced to do housework by her step-mother and step-siblings. Just like brooms which are often left in a corner, Cinderella was neglected by her family and thrown aside.

I was intriuged by this installation art because from afar they looked like normal brooms to me, but only upon closer look, I realised that they were made from wigs and artificial hair. I think having a thick long beautiful hair is a symbolism of feminity in many cultures. In this installation art, the artist has inverted the luxurious golden locks onto the dusty floor. I feel that the idea of the lush tresses against the dirty ground is a comparison of beauty and degredation. In my opinion, the artwork conjures surrealist ideas of displacement, contradiction, and metaphors to the subconscious as well as otherworldliness.