Singapore – A Growing Nation, 2022
The film is based on a longstanding documentation of, in Zhao’s words, ‘wasteland’. This wasteland refers to a particular patch of secondary forest that emerged after urban deforestation. The scenes capture some of the operative functions — trimming, felling, removing — of our complex management of nature that is intertwined with urban development.
Within this forest, new possibilities emerge, as different species adapt to the new ecology. Zhao’s films reflect the complex relationship of man to nature, nature to man — a relationship that cannot be reduced to binaries of exploiting or preserving nature.
In documenting the wasteland over several years, he skirts the scientific gaze of taxonomy developed by colonialists, opting simply to observe. In particular, a family of young wild boar thrive within this new habitat. It is classified as waste-woodland, but it is no
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Robert Zhao Renhui (b. 1983, Singapore) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, exploring the human relationship with nature through critiques of objectivity and scientific classification.
He holds a BA in Photography from Camberwell College of Arts (2005) and an MA from the London College of Communication (2011).
Robert is representing Singapore at the 60th Venice Biennale (2024). Recent exhibitions include the 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023), The First Beijing Biennale (2022), and the Busan Biennale (2020). He received the Young Artist Award (2010) and was a finalist for the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award (2017) and the 12th Benesse Prize (2019).
Within this forest, new possibilities emerge, as different species adapt to the new ecology. Zhao’s films reflect the complex relationship of man to nature, nature to man — a relationship that cannot be reduced to binaries of exploiting or preserving nature.
In documenting the wasteland over several years, he skirts the scientific gaze of taxonomy developed by colonialists, opting simply to observe. In particular, a family of young wild boar thrive within this new habitat. It is classified as waste-woodland, but it is no
***
Robert Zhao Renhui (b. 1983, Singapore) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, exploring the human relationship with nature through critiques of objectivity and scientific classification.
He holds a BA in Photography from Camberwell College of Arts (2005) and an MA from the London College of Communication (2011).
Robert is representing Singapore at the 60th Venice Biennale (2024). Recent exhibitions include the 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023), The First Beijing Biennale (2022), and the Busan Biennale (2020). He received the Young Artist Award (2010) and was a finalist for the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award (2017) and the 12th Benesse Prize (2019).
Artist:
Robert Zhao Renhui
Single-channel Video
12 minutes 16 seconds
Robert Zhao Renhui
Single-channel Video
12 minutes 16 seconds