An exhibition curated by Mia Riley

featuring the work of Lux Habrich, Logan Kenler, Shaun Mallonga, Mia Riley, Mabel Tan and Queenie Xu

It is an exciting time for art as the world moves into a new era of cultural studies. The shedding of binary absolutes of how we define ourselves has lent to a more multivalent look at identity. Artists of mixed cultural and social backgrounds question the concept of ‘fitting-in’ as it relates to wholeness - arguing that identity is not a sum of distinctive parts but rather a fluid and extensible existential experience.

Many things at once is an exhibition that brings together 6 emerging Canadian artists working in clay. Navigating the complexities of family history, cultural diaspora, language, migration and popular culture, these artists use the material to reflect on their mixed identities and sense of belonging. As young artists we often seek to situate ourselves within our community, but while trying to define ourselves we get lost in an endless struggle between craft, art and design. This exhibition considers this challenge and transforms it as the artists create work that synthesises many ideas based on their lived social, cultural and ancestral experiences. The title plainly describes the essence of our mixed identities and situates the work of the artists in this specific emergent and cumulative time in their practices.

Why not bring christmas wherever you go?

Wasn't there a popular saying that 'eyes are the window to the soul'? 

I wanted to explore language capabilities in other material. Including readymades, steel, fibre, and plastic. 

My first exploration of the 'clayground'

“Walking Symphony” humors the unconscious act of spitting, whereby it inspires commentaries of being ‘spit at’, ‘spit on’ and ‘being spitted on you’. This installation utilized a light sensitive circuit attached with additional four 20 second sound module; each playing one spitting sound when it detects a person/shadow.

Technically and visually, this is an interactive piece where by people are encourage to walk on this tiled surface, unknowingly interactive sensors that plays spitting sounds when activated. 'Walking Symphony' is a playground humorously reminds us of spits; to spit at and be spitted on. Spitting is a serious offence in Singapore, my home, and it would grant that person heavy fines and jail time. Although spitting is apparently fined here in Canada, I think that the spitting aspect heres wins in our walking symphony. Maybe since gum is well intergrated in the social fabric here, and illegal in Singapore, that could well be a contributing element? Who knows. Though it is still rather humourous, if all but the spit sounds were present in our walks, wouldn't that be quite something?

grass/asleep/balance