In a vacant house along Jln Kelabu Asap, the artist sanded down the walls of a bedroom, revealing layers of history under coats of white paint from the past 60 years. The paint, residue and dust was collected and moulded into British Empire campaign service medals from the 1960s, referencing a time in Singapore when British troops were withdrawing from its-then colonies post-WW2. 

Inspired by the organic development of the neighbourhood, the artist has inked, stacked, layered and bundled toilet paper, making delicate sculptures that intrude quietly into the homeowner’s space. These “soft disruptions” in ignored or under-utilised areas are compared to the audience’s voyeristic invasion of space.

This artwork speaks of Singapore’s tightly controlled nature and growth, where lush greenery flourishes only within the narrow strips of the Rail Corridor. 

Set within the same house as, and therefore in direct comparison with, Creep in Three Movements (2017) which intrudes into space and represents organic disorder. In Between Spaces (2016) on the other hand, disallows and contains movement, representing imposed order. 

Here, heavy strands of yarn burst forth from the defined borders of a ‘carpet’ and the lushness of the material contrasts heavily with the minimalist form. Audiences were invited to consider how this was similar to Chip Bee Garden’s history as insular living spaces for British military families, yet the presence of this community affected the surrounding area of Holland Village.

This series of photographs feature a fictitious political exile returning to Singapore after a long absence. He contemplates the view before him – Mt Faber, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station & Kanji War Cemetery – of places of historical significance, remembering a time lost past. 

As an exile, the figure in these photographs represent someone who is both within and outside, familiar and unfamiliar, and cannot cross a border either by force or by choice.