The Brutal Truth

Took advantage of the free admission to visit the Biennale at City Hall on Deepavali. I must say that the flavour of the installations was very different from that at Tanglin Camp. Aping the function of its venue, the works tended towards socio-political statements. Still, they were enjoyable; I especially liked Donna Ong's installations in the four judge's chambers, as well as Jane Alexander's Verity, Faith and Justice. The Bohemian Rhapsody Project commandeered the room at PSC that I had my interviews in, and I had a much more enjoyable time watching the adaptation of Queen (feat. chio angels!) than I ever had facing the board.

I guess it's a perk of being an artist that people get less offended if you make controversial statements about people and the state of society. As events proved this week, the same is not true for politicians, or for that matter, their children. Although to be honest, saying 'get out of my elite uncaring face' on the internet is rather like jumping into shark-infested waters whilst smeared with blood. Evidently, there are plenty of out-of-bounds markers, even (or should I say especially) for the elite. Life, it seems, does not always imitate art.