09/06/2023
“Land and Water” is an exhibition by Siuli Tan, from Singapore. The title itself can be written in Chinese as “山水(Shānshuǐ)”, with the first letter meaning “land”, and the later meaning “water”, but together meaning “landscape”.
The works are similar to landscape painting, but Zen has done it in her own way, as she is also a photographer. The first part on the 1st floor representing “water”, is a series of photo collages, printed on aluminum, accompanied with the video of oil floating on water. To my surprise, the video was taken in Singapore near her house, which contrast to the image of Singapore being very clean. So I guess some problems are not that easy to deal with, even by the best people.
On 2nd floor, the “land” part, is a series of photos hanging on walls and in the plates with magnifying glass. They are part of her residency in Chiang Rai. She found the forests that are planned to be constructed. So she took photos as documentation, before they would be gone for goods.
The works might be telling us to stop destroying nature. And in fact, it would be ideal if we could stop. But it’s a necessity. The population is growing, so the need for more space and more facilities are increasing. But with the images of oil on water, and the photos of forest we look closely with magnifying glass, maybe it’s about consideration. For us to consume with care, and not pollute nature as we can already see the impact of it in a form of health problem and global warming.
“Land and Water”
by Zen Teh
curated by Siuli Tan
at Warin Lab Contemporary
On display until 29 July 2023