Singapore Art Museum's building may be undergoing redevelopment now, but the contemporary art museum has been going strong with its programming. This Singapore Art Week (SAW) is no different. Case in point: CosmicWander: Expedition, which launched the museum's 2021 exhibition and programmes calendar.
An investigation into the relationship between humans and worldly phenomena, the exhibition is an ongoing project by Berlin-based Singapore artist Choy Ka Fai. The artist embarked on an 18-month extensive research trip across Asia, bringing him through remote mountains, rolling hills, cities, to speak to more than 50 spirit mediums. His goal? To learn about dance, shamanism and the supernatural.
CosmicWander: Expedition explores shamanic dance cultures in Asia, delving into the process of worlding across different communities – whether it's Siberia, Vietnam, Central Java, Taiwan or Singapore. The exhibition takes over an industrial space at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, set up as an experiential platform that presents the artist's perspective on humanity's attempt to connect, to question, and to perceive and interact with different states of reality.
Choy's project is presented in three parts: an exhibition comprising video installations and a costume; a multimedia performance; and a lecture. It's a wild, immersive experience. At the core of the industrial space at Block 39 is The Wanderer, a six-channel video installation spotlighting supernatural dance experiences of contemporary shamanic practices in different parts of Asia, each corresponding to a natural element such as metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Visitors are invited to stand in the centre, surrounded by six huge screens showcasing footage shot by Choy Ka Fai during his spiritual expedition.
Get acquainted with the Dao Mau folk religion in Vietnam (a religion which worships mother goddesses); rise to the rhythms of Dolalak, a folk dance from Central Java that comprises both traditional Javanese dance and imitations of Dutch soldiers partying in army camps; get to know the ancestral spirits of the Buryats in Siberia; encounter Taiwanese boy-deity Nezha's various incarnations over a spectrum of bodies and contexts; and dive deep into the heart of Yishun in Singapore and see how Chinese deity Kuan Yin and Hindu goddess Kali coexist within the body of a single medium.
After which, check out Getai of Virtual Gods, a five-channel video installation. It presents a fictional band of spiritual beings of various Asian descent dancing to hit songs and familiar tunes, in a show of cultural harmony. There's also Uncle Ho who can recall your future lives. It showcases Choy's hypothetical design of the Vietnamese Len Dong Shaman’s ritual costume, inspired by the revolutionary “Uncle Ho”.