Friday April 20, 2012

Artist Talk: 4.30-6pm

Opening Reception: 6-8pm

Additional Program: Artist Talk at RMA Institute, April 21, 2-3pm

Born out of the artist’s own disconnection with her cultural roots, Convergence uses photography and audio interviews to explore ideas of the Chinese diaspora and Asian identities against the backdrop of growing globalization. More specifically, it is a personal investigation into the question of what it means to be Chinese in contemporary Singapore and Malaysia.

A second-generation ethnic Chinese who was born and largely educated in Singapore, Wei Leng Tay is currently based in Hong Kong. She is interested in looking at how people juggle their lives, live within their community, and how the place they live in affects the way they deal with other people and their relationships. Between 2009 and 2010, Wei Leng set out to photograph fellow ethnic Chinese living in Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Collaborating with sitters made up of relatives, friends and acquaintances, the artist created a body of work focused on a particular subset of people, entering the domestic spheres and private lives of her subjects. The results are beautifully-crafted, cinematic portraits and still life photographs that offer an intimate glimpse into the lives of the ethnic Chinese.