Elaborating on his thought process, Liew said there was a point in Singapore’s development where a vibrant art scene was considered important to be a global city.
“That, I think, created a tension, because some artists would have values or ideas that are different from the state’s,” he said.
“And so, by bringing (these elements) together in performance art, I hope the audience will tease out their own meanings.”
BALANCING REALISM AND CARICATURE
In fact, it was precisely Liew’s ability to provoke reflection and conversation – and not just in traditionally exclusive art spaces – that drew The Culture Story to him. The company’s co-founder Ning Chong said they had specifically sought out a “non-traditional fine artist”.
The brief given to Liew was straightforward: What does Singapore, or being Singaporean, mean to you in this day and age?
Chong “naively thought” that Liew, as a cartoonist, would produce an illustration or comic strip panel that she could frame and hang. Instead, he proposed a performance art piece inspired by toy figurines a la Star Wars’ Boba Fett and Marvel superheroes from days of yore.
Then came selecting the ministers. They had to be recognisable enough to the average Singaporean, at least by name, if not by their contributions.
Lee Kuan Yew was an “obvious choice” because he’s widely recognised as the primary leader of the ruling party, Liew said. “Goh Keng Swee was formerly the second best known, and S Rajaratnam was the primary ideologue of the party. So I think they were quite easy choices.”
