Text-based installation

I just found out on monday...
I love to use text in my art work.
I will show something mundane but change it's meaning with text.
I like to use text to maneuver and present my ideas.

And so far...I am happy with my text base work.
And began to see some repetition in terms of style.
Maybe using text together with objects is my style.

I am starting to see some light now.
And that is something I am happy about.

Oh...suddenly...I have this thinking...
Maybe my blue is due to the fact that i was too happy on monday
That I have found some distinct style in my work...
that i have used up my happy quota for the next day..
hence...I feel blue today.

That could really be the reason.
Really...really really really...

This is a happy day...

I ask my student to write a comic strip story
about anything they like.
And I got this from a little girl.

Eligible(perfect) vs Suitable

First of all,
Let me just admit that I am aware that
those cute and handsome guys from korean drama...
DO NOT EXIST IN REAL LIFE.
Or maybe as far as I know.
Maybe there are...but I have yet to meet any.

However, I would like to clarify the idea between
ELIGIBLE (PERFECT) and SUITABLE.
This guy may be perfect.
All the girls like him including me.
BUt he may not be suitable for me.
This I am fully aware.
Notice I used eligible with a bracket perfect beside it.
It is just the normal way of understanding how the normal people will see...
very eligible guy as the perfect guy.

Maybe my friend YH did not realise that her best friend has grown up.
As she always insist that I am still the me she knew 10 years ago...
When I told her how obsessed I am with korean drama and the guy in it...

Meanwhile...
Let me give an example to illustrate my point.
Well...this guy may be perfect.
He is rich and handsome.
Well dressed and well mannered.
Act like a prince charming.
But...in real life..
He will scare me off...
Erm...to be precise..
I WILL SCARE HIM OFF.
Hence this is a case of perfect but not suitable.

This guy may be sloppy and casually dressed.
Unshaven and wear dirty jeans.
But he may be my cup of tea.

I can only imagine this much as I have got no idea who is suitable for me yet.
So far...
There was once in my life that I thought
I had found someone perfect FOR me...
which i though was suitable for me...
Turns out...
It was the worst choice I have made.
Hence...I cannot gauge who is most suitable for me now...

Until I meet the next.

Meanwhile...
I am not looking for anyone perfect.
No one is anyway.
Just someone who is suitable.

Word Verification.

Did anyone of you out there notice that the word verification
is getting harder and harder to recognise??

I remember doing word verification in the past
and felt insulted when i have to verify ABC
to prove that I am human...

After getting used to this system for a while..
I get annoyed again...
this time...
by how difficult it is getting..

Why I feel blue today?

Man.
Likes to solve problem.

I was telling JM about my blues today...
I just wanted to tell someone.
Becos I believe by telling someone about my sadness...
I will release that sadness in me...and be free of it.

But I ended up doing analysis with JM about why I am feeling blue.
That was hard.
He is manage that quite well.
And the root of my sadness was MONEY indirectly.
which is a good try.

As my day proceed...
I was sharing my woes to as many people as I can get my hands on...
I begin to realise another source of my blue.

I actually had that moment in me today..
To think of just giving up art...and just settle down to find a full time job.
Actually...if i really do that...
All my financial issue will be resolved.
But the tot of giving up art...
Upset me.

I am not sure which part of art I cannot bear to part...
Sometimes I wonder if i really passionately love to produce art...
As I do not have the motivation to produce them sometimes...
As there are no incentive to.
The more i produce...
the more trash I create.
I can't sell them...and not meant to be sold.
And i wonder why i produce them
and after spending time and money to make them...
they worth nothing.
Maybe art...can be reduce to the level of apreciation...
or even teaching for me...
And I shall just live with that...
But the thought...makes me sad.
What exactly do I like about art?
What is it that i really need about art??
I do not have a concrete answer yet to that.

But I am sure...I am sad today...
More or less because...even though I am free for so many days...
I did not spend more time with my art making...
And i just wasted my time away.
I am afraid that I am just using art as an excuse not to work hard.

That is why I am feeling blue.

Chinese contemporary artist from China.

Painting by Yue Min Jun

Last week a few of our colleagues gathered for
a small party to bid farewell to a fellow colleague
who is going away to study.
As we are feeling cosy and nice
in the dimly lit office...
One of my colleague(from Lasalle) commented
that she do not like NAFA.
I just smile. I am proud to declare I am from NAFA.
There are things I don't like about my school as well.
Just like when she will also complain about her own school sometimes.
But she gave a reason that I cannot accept.
She said...there are too many CHINA student in NAFA.
Not that she is discriminating against them she claim..
she insisted that it is about nationalism.
I cannot keep my silence anymore and rebutted her.
There are nothing wrong with chinese student from china.
In fact, most of them are way better than us.
Then she admit..."yes they are better in techniques....but"
She is trying to argue that..they are just good in technique...
and cannot compare in terms of conceptualisation...
from what i can understand...as her arguement moves along..
I can only say..she did not realise what is going on in the global market.
Not to mention those work of art from china which fetches millions...
China Conceptual artist are now making bombastic,
radical, outrages and experimental art beyond our imagination.
And their skillful technique...is merely part of their asset.
To enable them to express.
Having impressive skill in art making is like having a good tool.
If the artist do not have essential concept about their art...
their work will only be worthy as craft.
However...if an artist over conceptualise their work...
but is not able to visually express themself..
it will then be worst then a piece of craft.
For me..
I conceptualise..yet...I am constantly reminding myself..
To improve my skill to express my concept vividly.
Finally, as someone who once studied overseas...
I realise the importance of accepting and learning from differences.
If techinique is what most singaporean artist is lacking,
then it is the best opportunity for us to learn from those
who are better then us in this area.
Disliking them...will not improve our ability.
Learning from them is my best advice.
As for concept...
honestly...singaporean artist are sometimes
too rootless to define ourself in art...
and we end up...
mostly producing "western-like" art which lacks identity.
Sadly, that is most of the case.
Look at a piece of painting from China..
you will probably know it is from china...
the moment you see it.
Their political references...their skills and craft...
is simply too distinct.
I do not like to admit myself that I am guilty of being inferior as compare to fellow chinese from china ...I am a chinese from Singapore.
Let's just say...
We still have a lot to learn from each other to be fair.