“Art, frolicking in the sand playground of our memories, has a crucial role amidst Singapore’s endless cycle of demolition and rebuilding and the accompanying logic of pragmatism and state control. Contemporary art can critique but also console.” – Clarissa Oon, Writer
The humbling element of a playground is its pre-ordained status as a fun zone, an active, mobile site for bodies and minds to roam. This same need for fun activity is crucial in an artistic process. In spite of our limitations structurally, we are all able to carve an essence of a space to forge a momentary bubble of unadulterated play. The solid dimensions of structure give rise to environmental and external commentary, the way we play can also be traced to the way we live and die.
In State of Play (2022), seven artists invite us into their pursuit of alternate creative zones traversing play, catharsis and myth. Showcasing works by Ash Ghazali, Hu Qiren, Mengju Lin, Faris Nakamura, Ivan David Ng, Melissa Tan and Samuel Xun in varying mediums, the exhibition conveys their respective visual languages in the common denominator of play in art.
