Navigating choppy seas in a global pandemic
By Clara Che Wei Peh

Cao Fei, ‘Fu Cha’, 2020, kinetic sculptural installation, 5m tall. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.

Standing on top of National Gallery’s Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden is the kinetic installation, ‘Fu Cha’, a 5-metre tall structure of a hanging wooden boat created by the artist Cao Fei. The shape of the boat pays homage to the sampan, also known as the kolek, a small wooden boat that was widely used along the Singapore River for fishing and transportation until 1983. Hailing from Guangzhou, China, a port city located on the Pearl River, Cao sees many parallels between her hometown and Singapore, another home for the artist after her marriage to Singaporean artist Lim Tzay Chuen. Located in the Civic District in central Singapore, the installation responds to the nation’s identity as a port city and the boat as a crucial vehicle in Singapore’s migration history and connection between her two homes. In the seven months since Cao’s installation was first unveiled, it has taken on a new set of meanings, for it now stands against the backdrop of a world washed over by uncertainties brought on by the global pandemic outbreak.

Cao Fei. Image courtesy of Myrzik and Jarisch.

Cao, as one of China’s most prolific contemporary artists, is well regarded for her futuristic films and multi-media artworks that continuously blur the distinctions between the physical and virtual worlds. While her works are often seen as responses to the rapid changes of contemporary societies and imaginations of an eminent future, Cao’s practice is heavily grounded in historical research. ‘Blueprints’, her current solo exhibition that recently re-opened at the Serpentine Galleries in London, is the product of a significant research project undertaken by the artist and her team over the last five years. Each edition of the Ng Teng Fong roof garden commission aims to enable further understandings on Southeast Asia’s heritage and histories from a contemporary perspective. Given Cao’s fluency in creatively reimagining historical events and weaving together narratives that traverse the past, present and true, the artist presents a natural choice for the fourth commission of the series.

‘Fu Cha’ is activated every 15 minutes, presenting an almost theatrical experience for its audience. Taking the roof garden as its stage, the hanging boat swings back and forth, bringing with it four different soundscapes as well as water, which tips over the two ends of the boat as it moves. Transitioning from a silent and still sight to a moving spectacle, the installation draws from Cao’s ongoing practice in moving images. The artist says that while it is an outdoor installation, the artistic considerations that lie behind her creative process is not so different to that of her approach to working with theatre, moving images and even Virtual Reality (VR). Cao’s aim to deliver a dynamic scene that creates colourful sensorial experiences for her audience remains at the heart of her practice and allows the work to transport us into different environments as it moves on the spot.

The title ‘Fu Cha’ is a reference to the mythical raft that traverses the seas and the milky-way in ancient Chinese literature, bridging between fantasy and reality. It may also be seen as a vessel that transports us back to the past, to reflect upon the journeys our ancestors embarked upon to search for better lives for their families. Additionally, it could allude to the adventures we constantly confront, be it for survival or by choice, in hopes of approximating our visions of a better life.

The boat is painted with nautical motifs, such as a pair of fish eyes, which are borrowed from the Fujian tradition. It is believed that boats painted with eyes on their prows will help them find their ways at sea. The back-and-forth motion of the boat suggests that it is sailing on stormy waters, full of dangers and unknowns for its passengers. The neon sign at the top of the structure optimistically announces that the boat is “almost arriving”. Despite the rocky journey, ‘Fu Cha’ seems to be inching closer and closer to its destination with each swing. Yet in reality, the boat is fixed in its location and will remain in the state of “almost” arriving, but never in arrival.

In this particular moment of social upheaval triggered by the pandemic, one wonders if ‘Fu Cha’ may be a foreshadowing of the months to come. Suddenly, our global economy fuelled by frequent and rapid air travel has been forced to a halt, becoming much like ‘Fu Cha’ as we are forced to stay rooted in our places. We remain “almost arriving” atop choppy seas, not yet certain when we will reach safer shores, or what will greet us when we get there. Perhaps we too, are in need of a pair of big, bright eyes on the prows of our boats to guide us into the future.