Art Stage Singapore was held in Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre this January. An artwork which had attracted much attention was T. Venkanna's work.
a stark naked man has attracted attention from over 350 peple so far at the Art Stage Singapore exhibition, currently held at Marina Bay Sands. Pay $250 for a photo with nude artist. Visitors to Art Stage Singapore can join him in the room, hold his hand, and get a photograph taken for $250. -AsiaOne
according to reports, posing naked and taking photgraphs is part of his art installation about "removing the trappings of identity", other than that, i dont really know what is the meaning behind his artwork. the artist also pointed out that most of the visitors who took a photo with him did not dare to look him in the eye and they treated him with respect and did not undermine or question his artistic intention. i think people are just attracted to his artwork because it is unconventional, i mean can you imagine seeing a naked man? i guess most of us in AEP are immune to the sight of nude people in paintings but in real life? thats a whole different story. singapore is rather conservative so i guess such an artwork is considered unorthodox. also i think that if he doesnt explain the meaning behind his artwork then his art is not that meaningful. doesnt 'why is he naked? what does his artwork mean? what is the context and reason behind his work? does the painting behind affect the meaning of his work?" if i were there, i would definitely be thinking about these questions.
okay i just researched a little on Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas painting.
Subject: a double self-portrait painted shortly after Diego Rivera asked her for a divorce. Frida was undergoing an emotional crisis. She shows herself split in two: one Frida wearing native Indian costume, the other wearing European dress. They are connected by a bloodline that runs from heart to heart. The Frida in white snips the bloodline so it drips blood directly over her lap (her womb). A graphic image of heartbreak in which Frida's inner suffering is turned inside-out. A turbulent sky fills the background. Focus is on inner identity and the desiring body.
credit : http://www.csulb.edu/~karenk/20thcwebsite/438final/ah438fin-Info.00059.html
so i guess T. Venkanna is trying to imitate the artwork? he and a visitor suppose to represent th two fridas in the painting? but i still dont get how his artwork and frida's painting links. i wondered if he placed a short description to tell the visitors more about his artwork
The predominant subject in my works has been sexual imagination, which also questions and engages with the stereotypical ways in which sexuality is understood and defined. - artist statement
i get that his artwork has something to do with sexual imagination but why Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas? is there any other ways he could be presented his message? must it be and is it the most effective way to present his message in the form of an installation with him being naked?
however, the gallery owner was asked to stop the performance and T. Venkanna's art was taken down. i feel sad for him, its like someone is violently objecting to your artwork, i can imagine how sad and angry i would be if i were him. i wouldnt really mind if someone violently dislikes my artwork but you should not disallow others a chance to view my artwork, the work belongs to him and i believe he has the right to showcase it. furthermore permission was sought from the Media Development Authority (MDA) before Venkanna's exhibition was given the go ahead. but soon after he was forced to take down his work. but that being said, he is showcasing his work in singapore so i guess the authorities have the right to have the final say. however i think its a pity that his work was taken down.
if singapore wants its people to be more learned in the field of arts then i think that Venkanna's artwork shouldnt be taken down. its unique and very different from the normal artwork in most of the galleries. people have to be open to new possibilities and maybe be more liberal? art is very diverse, there is no right and wrong, art is a form of expression, if an artist is being forced to stop showcasing his work, isnt it tantamount to not having the freedom of speech? :/ okay i dont really know what i am trying to say but i just think that his work shouldnt be taken down.
on a side note, maybe the visitors reaction to the artwork itself is part of the artwork?
Hi Shiyin!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that too little information regarding Venkanna's work is available to those who have not seen his exhibition, and as such it would not be right for people like us who have not seen the work first-hand. Maybe the artist has his own reasons for placing 'the two fridas' behind him, maybe it is crucial that he appears naked, but we are not sure of those exact reasons, and we are not sure of the correlation between 'the two fridas' and his artistic intentions. As such, we cannot criticize it.
However, I do agree that Venkanna's work shouldn't have been taken down halfway through its exhibition. The decision has only succeeded in bringing about much unfounded criticism and controversy, casting a negative light on the artist and the authority responsible for this decision. Instead, signs at the entrance of the exhibiting room would have been enough to act as a warning to the exhibition-goers.