after life, reverse rituals
2020
wax-resist and dye on silk-viscose fabric
after life, reverse rituals is a reflection on both religious and secular world views on life and death in light of the pandemic. In response to the forced isolation and closure of spaces of worship during this time, the artwork considers the ways that spirituality is articulated within these solitary circumstances.
The curved, delicate arrangement of the suspended fabric is intended to draw the viewer into and around the artwork. This set-up demonstrates the collective nature of religious rituals that involve human participation. The fabric alludes to the abstract symbolism of ritual exercises like circumambulation, where one walks around a sacred point as a devotional practice. The writing on the fabric describes the intimacy of spiritual contemplation, further contributing to the artist’s own sense of the sacred.
Installation view in exhibition An Exercise of Meaning in a Glitch Season, National Gallery Singapore, 2020-2021, curated by Syaheedah Iskandar.
