Local artist Zai Kuning has the privilege of being part of the Singapore Biennale in the oddest way possible — twice.
Back in 2006, he had proposed the work Talk To Me, a series of no holds barred interviews with some of the country’s prominent names in the arts and culture scene. It didn’t make the cut. You can read a bit about it here.
This time around, his work is I Will Send You To A Better Place, a project to bring back the old Substation Garden (as in that photo up there). The proposal was that for two months, there won’t be any Timbre, just the garden as we knew it (up until a couple of years ago), an extension of the arts centre’s performance/exhibition space.
Unfortunately, it would cost a cool million dollars to pay for the entire undertaking. It was scrapped and the only trace you’ll find is in the Biennale catalogue — an email correspondence between Zai and SB2011 AD Matthew Ngui.
There will also be a related exhibition soon, which carries the same title (and also refers somewhere to a famous quote by the late Kuo Pao Kun). Details to be found here.
I had wanted to interview Zai about both works but for the longest time, our schedules couldn’t match so last Sunday, I had a chat instead with curator June Yap, who was privy to Zai’s projects.
And then Zai went online. So in the end I got my chat — albeit through Facebook.
Here it is, our uncensored “interview” from 4.27pm to 5.59pm Sunday, where Zai explains his work(s). A really uncensored interview. Grammar Nazis, you have been warned.
I shall dub this entry, I Will Send You To A Better Proofreader. But On Second Thought, Nah.
Continue reading ‘We RAT on Zai Kuning and his invisible Biennale work!’
