By Eva McGovern
Malayan Exchange: Studies of Notes of the Future by Singaporean artist Green Zeng, presents deconstructions of propaganda and multiple historical moments through the physical and ideological positions of money within culture and society. Money, although worthless in itself, functions as a system of exchange values for physical and virtual acquisition and investment. It is also a tangible object of paper notes and metal coins handled on a daily basis by almost every citizen of its represented country. However, despite its relationship to wealth and poverty, currencies also have a system of images ideologically exchanged on a daily basis. Encoded with a series of symbols, designs, pictures and text, money is a daily reminder of national heritage, social values and political doctrine. These semiotics form complex visual dialogues that actively and subconsciously ingrain themselves into the collective psyche, to propagate particular versions of history and identity. Malayan Exchange, presented by Valentine Willie Fine Art Singapore at The Arts House, features designs of computer-generated digital prints of re-imagined Singaporean currency featuring images of forgotten activists and politicians, important buildings, maps, flags, natural history drawings, poems and significant dates and texts. By presenting another type of exchange, the exhibition contributes the possibilities of contemporary Art as a starting point on the status of Singapore’s history and social identity.
Zeng destabilises our expectations of currency imagery to present an alternate view of the nation. Although fictitious, the series is rooted in reality and the artist’s understanding of the construction of images found on Singaporean money. The present official series of purple, green, red, blue, orange, purple and gold Singaporean bills is known as the ‘Portrait Series’. On the front is an engraved portrait of the first president of the country, Encik Yusof bin Ishak, and on the back of each denomination are thematic scenes that deal with educational values, sporting excellence, young people and the future, Singapore’s position as a Garden City, concepts of knowledge and technology, and the establishment itself as represented by the Executive, legislative and judiciary offices. Previous series selected themes based on ships, birds and orchids that represented the ideals of the country. Maritime vessels symbolised the development of modern Singapore, birds were noted for their strength, adaptability and independence that supposedly ‘characterizes the young Republic of Singapore with the potential of soaring to greater heights in its progress’ and orchids are the national flower. Such icons all suggest a strong and dynamic society. But it is nevertheless a type of propaganda to control public opinion by subtle reminders of government leadership and political articulation. Under the guidance of (now retired) legendary statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, and the People’s Action Party, Singapore has prospered to become one of the richest countries in the world, but the city-state is well known for its tightly regulated bureaucracy and strict censorship – an enduring legacy of the former Prime Minister. Such control continues to purposefully move the country into a stable and successful future enjoyed by its citizens and tourists alike. Problematically, the government, in order to maintain control, supports numerous ambitious development schemes that radically alter the landscape of the country, erasing the complexities of the past. A more simplistic national narrative is then recreated with officially sanctioned and polished histories to present a peaceful and conflict-free society.
Green Zeng is less interested in these idealised versions of the past. Instead he examines and questions the construction of national narratives and the scripting of history and its relationship to identity through the images found on money. History is a choreographed methodology, often confined to straightforward linear narratives, repackaged for public consumption. The reality is a far more complex and fluctuating entity with multiple perspectives in relativity to one another. Describing history as a shattered vessel of clay that is picked up and reconstructed, Zeng draws inspiration from why certain fragments are not selected for dissemination. The images he creates, rich with details and layering, then act as triggers of memory to retrieve, re-present and re-imagine history for viewers to make their own conclusions about the past. Six denominations of alternative Singaporean currency ($2, $5, $10, $50, $100 and $1000) have been printed in various configurations of repetition and installed on the glass panels at The Arts House. On the front of the notes are portraits of left-wing unionists, politicians and journalists who played active roles in the anti-colonial and pro-independence movement in the earlier years of the fledgling nation. Often relegated to the backwaters of historical significance, contemporary and younger audiences may question the identities of James Puthucheary, Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan, Poh Soo Kai, Said Zahari and Lim Hock Siew. What would Singapore have been like if the Barisan Socialists led by Lim Chin Siong had come to power in the general election of 1963? This remains forever unanswered, due to Operation Coldstore that took place on 2 February 1963. The date itself is included, as a subtle reminder, on the front of all of Zeng’s notes, signifying the imprisonment of BS leaders, including Lim, for fear of a Communist threat to the nation.
Such taboos are juxtaposed with the silhouetted figure of Lee Kuan Yew himself on the back on the notes. The ever-present shadow of the Statesman, portrayed at various ages, is combined with text taken from the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. These two sides create clear tensions between civil freedoms, control and dominance, as well as the forgotten and the official. This is echoed by Zeng’s use of natural history drawings from the collection of the first Resident and Commandant of Singapore, William Farquhar, who was also relegated to the shadows of his more glorious contemporary, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles. Despite important discoveries, his failure to alert his findings to the Royal Society of London led to nothing more than a footnote of a grander version of history. These dichotomies are further emphasized by a purposeful exhibition installation. Zeng presents his works in a frame that can be viewed from both the front and back. A decision must be made by the viewer to choose which version he wants to experience since he must move around the glass panels to see one side at a time. Forced to negotiate the historic old Parliament building that The Arts House occupies, Zeng encourages his audiences to absorb both his own complex observations on history and the historic setting of his chosen gallery space. This presents an additional site-specific reading and contemplation of architecture, itself a carefully constructed fixed symbol for government authority and cultural heritage. What emerges is a friction for audiences to negotiate as they begin to understand the fragile nature of history.
The title of the exhibition, Malayan Exchange, takes place in 1963, the time when Singapore was part of Malaysia. This was an optimistic moment of progress for the Federated States of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and the island nation. However, audiences are well aware that two years later, this optimism would be tainted by Singapore’s expulsion from the alliance and the subsequent founding of the country as an independent nation in 1965. As such, Zeng once again problematises official versions of a glorious and solid nation, reminding viewers of the debated reasons for Singapore’s departure. The exhibition therefore presents alternative possible timelines, spaces and places of history. The figures who shaped the texture of Singapore, both through direct representation and more subtle reminders – Zeng includes the anthems and flags of the nations that governed Singapore before independence (Great Britain, Japan and Malaysia) – all create a dense and layered archaeological site with hidden clues from the past. By selecting currency as his starting point, Zeng then highlights the counterfeiting of national heritage. History is not fixed; it is a loose and fluid concept filled with gaps and different configurations of ‘facts’. Providing the entry point into such complex interrogations, the artist encourages a certain liberation. Unencumbered by the burden of prescriptive narratives, viewers will hopefully make their own informed choices on the stories of the nation, collective memory and the coercion of the past, in order to look more clearly towards an unknown future.
Eva McGovern is a curator and writer. She managed and curated for Manila Contemporary, a commercial gallery that focuses on contemporary Filipino Art. From 2010-2012 she was Head of Regional Programmes for Valentine Willie Fine Art managing the exhibition programme of the 4 partner galleries in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and Yogyakarta. Eva has guest lectured at the Lasalle College of the Arts and the Sotheby’s Institute, Singapore and has contributed to international journals such as Off the Edge, Malaysia, Broadsheet, Australia, Timeout KL, Esquire Malaysia and Arts Asia Pacific, Hong Kong. She was the Contributing Editor for C-Arts, Singapore and Managing Editor for http://www.arterimalaysia.com. Eva writes broadly on South East Asian contemporary art. Prior to living in South East Asia she worked at the Serpentine Gallery, a public contemporary art institution in London on public programmes, exhibitions and publications. She is currently based in Manila, Philippines. Essay written on the occasion of the exhibition “Malayan Exchange: Studies of a Note of the Future” at The Arts House. Exhibition Dates: 1 – 13 March 2011. © Green Zeng, All Rights Reserved
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