Guilt becomes gilded - the politics of fun
Insomnia48 will reflect the changing circumstances of different countries
in Southeast Asia where artists are retreating from the bastions of overt
politics to a highly personalised and individual expression which can
sometimes be mistaken for apolitical art. perhaps the political act is
in the movement back into a personal freedom of expression sans gender,
race and post-colonial politics. this is particularly so with artists
who are in their twenties, no longer bound by historicisations which limit
their territories and align their politics, these artists are liberated
to enter into eccentric spaces which are terribly free in their irreverence
towards genre. they are glib and savvy, embracing the language of globalisation,
consumerism, appropriation without guilt and with a deliberate naiviete
which is refreshing in the face of the gloom and doom of world politics.
in their ironic refusal to comment is the comment. this is the politics
of fun.
This politics of fun has been a big inspiration for me in the last years.
It will definitely be a strand of work that I will continue next year
in TheatreWorks’ new inclusive regional nucleus, the ICAA (International
Centre of Asian Art).
ONG KEN SEN
Ong Keng Sen actively contributes to the evolution of contemporary
identities and aesthetics. His juxtaposition of different art forms and
cultural styles has created a trademark interdisciplinary approach. He
is the first to receive both the Young Artist Award (1992) and the Cultural
Medallion Award (2003) for Singapore. He is the Artistic Director of TheatreWorks
(Singapore).