To be Visually Impaired is to Ignore the Society

(Visual Contemporary Art)

Visiting museums has never been a habit in my course ever since. It was a reason perhaps
I was enthusiast of the educational for I thought that it would be valuable to do a thing away
from your usual trail. However, the overwhelming number of aesthetic creations made it difficult
for me to choose only one piece to be involved with in this account. That was until I passed by
this artwork and felt it was resonating with me which was I have been looking for during the
whole trip.
Amanda Hengs artwork entitled Singirl had this captivating effect on me even I did
not actually understand the whole thing at once. I was able to read first the Singirl before I
noticed the background image was in fact a naked behind of a woman. According to the account
beside the piece, it was created in a handmade whitepaper with the use of lithograph and
silkscreen. It was very tempting to touch it beyond the glass of the frame since it was also
described to be embossed on silkscreen, and find out what were the parts that she elevated from
the surface of the paper. As lifted from artsy.net, lithograph is considered to be one of the most
difficult methods to learn and to master when it comes to printmaking. To make it look like a real
digitally printed photo, Singaporean Amanda Heng is said to be very much experienced with the
technique and whom I also found out to be a professional and known in contemporary art. Her
approach with modern art includes multidisciplinary performances photography and installation
art which mostly tackles social issues, individuality and identity, and gender politics (artsy.net,
2013). It has also come to my knowledge that this artwork created in 2006, was just a part of her
work series that goes with the same title that started since year 2000.
Unlike other artworks, hue was not the dominating aspect and only the value of lighting
and shadowing of the background image gives life to the picture. As a trace of the human body,

Heng utilized curved lines. Additionally, the design of the cloth surrounding the image is
dominated by rounding and curving lines. The lines resemble flowing manner which I think
resembles the graceful representation of Singirls. I was really expecting that some parts were
raised from the level surface since it was initially described to be embossed. Therefore, it was not
just plainly flat or two-dimensional and the artist must have gave emphasize on the parts that
were embossed. She also maximized the space by placing the focus at the center and surrounding
it with further details of the story of the artwork. The texture, as the same the form was not
actually experienced by its viewers since the glass was used for preservation purposes.
Geometric shapes or any other definite shapes were not observable in it but free flowing curves
were more manifested. All of these elements have become more significant in my understanding
when I made my own interpretation on the Singirl.
Initial reaction I came up was that the piece relates sin, woman and the issue of sexuality
which I thought had literal meanings. As I read the description, it states, rather, that Singirl was
about the Singapore Girl popularized by the Singapore Airlines in the year 1972 as a part of
their advertising strategy. The airlines related the Singapore Girl as the personification of Asian
hospitality that are depicted to be wearing their signature uniform, sarong kebaya; but in her
work, Heng uncovered the lower rear of the woman.

In my own interpretation, Heng

communicates through the famous Singirl in line with the cultural identity of her nation in a way
that questions on how should the country really be symbolized. Heng put the artful pattern of the
batik cloth around the image as if setting aside the foreign touch of the designer to the uniform
and presenting plainly what the country owns: Singapore girl. From her own statement, I think
that she subjects colonization to her query. How can you represent your own if you are wearing
something that was not originally created by your fellow countrymen? Is the Asian hospitality be

pictured with it or plainly the features by a Singapore girl? Moreover, I have come up with
another interpretation of the work: no one has ever shown their bare bottom without thinking of
any reaction from others. This part of our body has been given less attention unlike the face, arm,
legs, abdomen or the like, but in this way makes it more private and more uniquely individual
representation in nature. As Heng stood up and shown her behind, I think she declared her role as
a woman in the society and explicitly showing the pure Singirl and not created by anything that
covers her body.
The most exact version would always still come from the creator and just like any other
viewer I could make a lot of opinion on every element Heng have utilized. My analysis of the
artwork, however, is limited in my own understanding of what I have perceived. With the
knowledge on the elements of art, I am now able to appreciate this not just by mere looking into
the pleasant appearance but the use of each element in the course of communicating social issues
through art. I used to judge art based on the aesthetic aspects only and yet now, every possible
significant aspect of an artwork is what I have been taking into consideration. Viewer should not
be visually impaired to what it means in the society is ignoring the concerns of the community
you are living with. Personally, I liked Singirl the most to confer with since its lack of bursting
colors made more sense to me in comprehending its value. This print helped me recognize that
artworks are not just plain recreational activity but a way of communication among the artist, the
audience, and society they are living with. It is ones language of telling the other what he/she
wants to change or advocate. Hence, visual arts should not be just be appreciated in their
aesthetic and literal value but should be more considered for their social significance that speaks
the unconscious minds of the people of the society.

Artwork:

Description:

Clearer photo

retrieved
from: http://artsy.net/artwork/amanda-heng-singirl