Envisaging Hollowness in Contemporary Singapore

Abstract

In discussions of contemporary Asian visual art, the one nation, region, or locality that always seems to escape scrutiny is Singapore. It is too perfect, and thus too boring. We, in the West, as well as in other parts of Asia—insofar as such blanket terms as the “West” and “Asia” can be used to refer to sociogeographical spaces—want our contemporary Asian art to be about oppression, suffering, and the like, because, after all, Asia must always be in a state of transition, turmoil, or conflict. Singapore, on the other hand, appears to have been immune to these struggles, at least in the past ten years. Under the guidance of its resident omniscience, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore in the present moment is a magical kingdom, carefully constructed for maximum sustainable efficiency and comfort. Every conceivable consumer good is available in the glistening malls lining Orchard Road, the streets are immaculately and perversely neat, and the manicured highways conveniently double as airplane runways—just in case extra runways are needed in the event of a surprise attack. And in constructing or partaking of this paragon of efficiency, one never has to work up a sweat, because the air conditioning is on all the time. In the beauty pageant of statistics, Singapore takes the crown with its low crime rates, high literacy, and equally high per-capita income levels. The city-state is poreless, a pristine model of development to envy and emulate.