‘If you were a triad … If you were a police officer …’ – Hong Kong protests infuse art at Singapore Biennale
- Interactive quiz that’s part of Clara Cheung and Gum Cheng’s art installation on show in Singapore includes questions arising from current Hong Kong protests
- The premise of the biennale is to promote public engagement with contemporary art, with works on show at various venues across Singapore
“If you were a small potato in a low-level triad gang, which clothing would you prefer?”
“If you were an undercover police officer infiltrating a protest but you have become suspected by a journalist, in order to maintain your undercover identity how would you respond?”
Questions such as these make their way into Hong Kong artist duo Clara Cheung and Gum Cheng Yee-man’s Am I a Ghost?, an interactive installation showing at this year’s Singapore Biennale.
The work at the National Gallery Singapore plays on the Cantonese character for “ghost”, which also translates as gangster or spy, and is made up of sketches, posters and film clips. It is the quiz part that is the most immersive. Viewers have to use a dial to input their answers inside a dark phone booth. Upon completion, if a light flashes your status as a ghost is confirmed.
Both playful and challenging, Am I a Ghost? emphasises the importance of community engagement. (Cheung was elected a district councillor for Happy Valley, Wan Chai, in Hong Kong’s district council elections on November 24).
