Warning: This article features an image that contains partial nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is inviting public participation in one of their latest collaborations, and this time, you can contribute by submitting photos of your butt. Yes, your butt.
The online Exhibition, known as the Singirl Online Project, was started by Amanda Heng, a renowned local artist and one of the pioneers of contemporary art in Singapore.
The Singirl Online Project
Started in 2010 by Amanda Heng, the Singirl Project is an ongoing project that aims to bring awareness of a body part that is unique to every individual, but a body part that we do not pay much attention to. It also aims to help the participants of the project become more aware and question their role in society. The Singirl Online Project was started in 2011 and was part of her solo exhibition then called “Speak to Me, Walk with Me”.
Speaking in an interview in 2013, Amanda Heng mentions that the Women that participated in this project reflected on their role as women in society and female representation in pop culture, where she noted that pop culture has been reinforcing an image that caters only to the male gaze.
Who Is Amanda Heng?
Amanda Heng, is a contemporary artist that is known for her collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to art. Her art pieces usually explore and present real-world issues in the context of Singapore and our ever-changing society. She left her civil service job in her late 30s, and pursued a printmaking diploma in Laselle College of the Arts in 1986.
She graduated Laselle in 1988 and helped found the art collective known as The Arts Village. Amanda would also be involved in the creation of the first artist-run women collective in Singapore, known as Women In The Arts (WITA) in 1999.
With her various notable works locally and globally, she has earned her recognition in Singapore and was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 2010.
Wikiclicki Exhibition at National Gallery
Wikicliki: Collecting Habits on an Earth Filled with Smartphones, is an exhibition held by National Gallery in Collaboration with the Singapore Art Museum. The exhibition explores the question through six artists whose modes of working provide unique but interrelated points into a wide range of issues that confront contemporary artists today.
Amanda Heng’s Singirl Project will be part of this exhibition and SAM hopes that it will put forth a “playful and defiant counterpoint” to the “Singapore Girl” – a demure image of the Singapore Airlines stewardess which grew to become a national icon and a standard for feminine beauty. More details on how to join the project can be found here.
The exhibition runs from now till 11 July 2021 at the National Gallery. Admission is free for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents.
Wikicliki: Collecting Habits on an Earth Filled with Smartphones
Date: 22 April – 11 July 2021
Location: National Gallery (1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957)
Opening Hours: 10am to 7pm daily
