On resourcefulness and rejection
By Ian Tee

A&M's Fresh Faces is where we profile an emerging artist from the region every month and speak to them about how they kick-started their career, how they continue to sustain their practice and what drives them as artists. Read our profile on Singaporean artist Divaagar here.

Divaagar, 'Singapore is for Lovers', 2019, installation view at The Substation, Singapore. Image courtesy of The Substation.

Could you talk about your background? And at what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in art?
I was born in Singapore, and grew up in the west side of the country. I can’t exactly pinpoint when I wanted to pursue art, but it was always a mix of being skilled in the formal qualities of art and teenage rebellion. When I was 18, I quit the sciences stream in Junior College to study Fine Arts at LASALLE College of the Arts, completing my diploma and bachelors. I have been hustling ever since.

How have you maintained your practice after graduation? What are the important factors that allowed you to keep going?
It is a little sad to say this, but I’ve learned from practising as an artist that I shouldn’t rely on it for a living, especially as someone who works in installation and performance, which are quite unsellable.

I have realised that works for me instead is delving into other fields, such as interior design or service-based work. They bring me into a different headspace and feed new ways of thinking and working after. It’s a continuous cycle of learning that informs each other, and for me, a way to keep my income sources diverse.

Desigirl69, 'How to Write a Compelling Proposal', 2018, performance lecture documentation (left) and presentation slide (right). Image courtesy of the artists, photo by Desigirl69.

As part of the Desigirl69 Collective, you organised together with Chand Chandramohan 'The Rejected Proposal Showcase' (2018), a performance and exhibition at Coda Culture. What were the questions or conditions you were responding to? And what are your thoughts about these issues today?
The inspiration behind that show was a rejection letter that we received from the organisers of an event. Our initial thoughts behind the project was to highlight the artworks that you didn’t get to see. There are many reasons why one wouldn’t get to realise their artworks. These factors are usually dictated by organising bodies, whether due to budgets, censorship, or even interpersonal politics. As such, we decided to do a satirical performance lecture to educate one on how to best get their proposals accepted while critiquing issues we’ve observed in working in the arts.

Last year, we submitted a copy of the collected proposals to the Substation's 'Rejects' show (2019) and it was sold for a dollar. Ideas aren’t worth much if they don’t come into fruition. Recently, the new Substation directors, Raka Maitra and Woon Tien Wei, invited us to re-present this performance as part of their 'Isolation' web series. In a way, the project has come full circle in that it is absorbed and backed by a public institution.

I think many of these issues are still prevalent, but ultimately the arts are defined by regulations on what kind of works get funded or supported by the state. Their effects trickle down to public institutions and private spaces, through artworks that follow or resist these invisible hurdles.

How did the opportunity to present 'Singapore is for Lovers' (2019) come about? What was the process like preparing for it?
I was approached to respond to the topic of public space by Valerie Ann Tan, who was a programmer for The Substation and organised this exhibition as a start to their ‘Public Square’ programme. After a site visit to some of their spaces, I was enamoured by the stories they told me, such as rumours of the men’s toilet being a cruising ground in the 90s. Prior to the exhibition, The Substation also erected their 'First Botanic Garden' in front of the building as part of the bicentennial commemoration. There were a lot of rich narratives to play around with and to weave new imaginings of spaces.

Particularly for 'Singapore is for Lovers', idealism is crucial in creating comforting, joyful queer sites. This is because discourse around queer spaces often surround melancholy and oppression, especially in artistic manifestations. In catering to a community that has always devised spaces for themselves, I felt it was important to position safety and luxury in my imagination.

Who has been a mentor or an important artistic influence?
I think mentorships are a little overrated. In many ways, I feel that mentorship and exploitation are two sides of the same coin. There are truly too many individuals and spaces that prey on young artists and take credit for their work.

While there isn't anyone I would consider a mentor, I continue to learn from talented friends and peers. It is inspiring seeing programmes run by platforms such Etiquette SG, a multidisciplinary feminist platform co-founded by Tania De Rozario and Zarina Muhammad. They were important influences in the early stages of my practice as I learnt to develop a voice and visual language, and in imagining the sort of spaces I’d like to see.

Divaagar, 'Resistance Training' (detail shot), 2019, gym equipment, yoga mats and text. Image courtesy of the artist.

What is your favourite art space or gallery in Singapore?
I'm a little fickle, but at the moment I'm really enjoying I_S_L_A_N_D_S. The space has always had a peculiar charm, back when it occupied the bulletin board forms to its current shop-front display. I've enjoyed seeing their recent projects both physically and virtually.

What are your hopes for your own local art scene, and regionally as well?
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, I’ve seen a lot of online exhibitions that don’t seem to engage the virtual beyond replicating virtual walls. I’m still learning myself and hoping that we can learn to embrace the screen. Beyond that, I hope for less tokenism, nepotism and cronyism; and better opportunities, modes of representation and funding for all.

Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you would like to share?
I am showing two new illustration works, one as part of the next round of National Art Council’s Streets of Hope, and the other is a commissioned project with Plural Art Mag, in conjunction with the #sgcultureanywhere initiative. I’m also collaborating on a sensual take-home dining experience ‘— to your tart’s desire’, with Sonia Kwek and SPRMRKT, with cocktails concocted by Telok Ayer Arts Club, which you can pre-order via our Google Doc form.

In September, I’ll be showing a new installation work ‘Render Tender’, in an exhibition by Singapore Art Museum titled ‘Time Passes’, which is part of the initiative ‘Proposals for Novel Ways of Being’.

Click here to read our profile on Divaagar.