diacritic | art and culture

I'll be in Bangkok for Asiatopia and won't be able to attend this event. Congratulations Khai, wish I could be there!

Two Coats of Paint
Third installment of the Performativity series

What: Performance art video exhibition

Artists: Khai Hori (Singapore)
Veliana Veli (Indonesia)
Thao Nguyen (Vietnam)
Maria Chua (Malaysia)

Where: Praxis Space
LASALLE College of the Arts
1 McNally Street
Singapore 187940

Dates: 5 - 13 Nov 2008

Project Abstract
Derived from combining Performance Art and TV, Performativity was first jointly curated by Thanavi Chotpradit (Thailand) and Khairuddin Hori showcasing performance-centered video pieces by emerging artists from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and The Philippines. It was launched at VER Gallery (Bangkok) belonging to internationally acclaimed artist and Hugo Boss Prize recipient Rirkrit Tiravanija in 2006. Last month, Performativity 2, consisting of video pieces by seven Singaporean artists had a one-month screening at 24HR Art, The Northern Territories' Center for Contemporary Art in Darwin, Australia.

It's upcoming third installation subtitled Two Coats of Paint will be exhibited at Praxis Space, an experimental gallery dedicated for students and alumnus of LASALLE College of the Arts from 5th to 13th November 2008.

Two Coats of Paint suggests a destruction (of sorts) through an action not dissimilar to laying fresh paint over a masterpiece. In this instance, the four artists will respond, adapt, appropriate, borrow and even steal from classic pieces of performance-centered video art by European and American avant-gardes from the 1960s to the 1980s such as John Baldessari, Marina Abramovich, Bruce Nauman and Yoko Ono.

This collaborative endeavor also extends the tutelage between former tutor and LASALLE alumnus (Khairuddin Hori) and his students (Veliana Veli and Maria Chua).

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Who is going to police this policy?

No, I'm absolutely not joking. This comes from a legit news source. For all my earlier rants questioning the strange logic behind arts and culture policy, here's one that effects "Châu-the-plumber". Under consideration is the proposal to ban small chested people from driving the roads of Vietnam.

The Ministry of Health recently recommended that people whose chests measure fewer than 28 inches (72 centimeters) would be prohibited from driving motorbikes -- as would those who are too short or too thin.

The proposal is part of an exhaustive list of new criteria the ministry has come up with to ensure that Vietnam's drivers are in good health. As news of the plan hit the media this week, Vietnamese expressed incredulity.

"It's ridiculous," said Tran Thi Phuong, 38, a Hanoi insurance agent. "It's absurd."

"The new proposals are very funny, but many Vietnamese people could become the victim of this joke," said Le Quang Minh, 31, a Hanoi stockbroker. "Many Vietnamese women have small chests. I have many friends who won't meet these criteria." - Intellasia

The article states that "statistics on average chest size were unavailable." Apparently so is the deluded wackjob rationale behind this nation-wide policy proposal. And yes, absolutely, this is art. What can we expect next? A redesign of motorbike seats to increase the nation's sperm count.

Sources:
+ Intellasia. Vietnam might ban small-chested from driving
+ Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese): Muốn lái xe, phải qua 83 "ải" tiêu chuẩn!

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