Today we’d like to introduce you to Weng San Sit.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
The story began in my family; an ingrained knowledge that we do not possess the ‘artistic DNA’, and verified when I received a grade of 0 out of 100 for a still life assignment in secondary school. Growing up in Singapore, I do not remember seeing an original photographic art print in a museum, nor crossed paths with a photographer.
The idea of being a photographer/artist is more remote than being a space explorer. While many of my peers became successful bankers and accountants, I was roped into the maintenance chemical business. It was between these nine years of cleaning the diesel tanks of military vehicles and producing disinfectants for child-care centers that I picked up the camera, in an attempt to learn a language of expression. Since I can barely draw stick figures, I thought photography may be a little more feasible. So I taught myself photography by nerding out on books I find in the library and tagging along with seasoned photo enthusiasts.
Photography became my relief from my full-time job. Then came a chain of events that included participating in a photography mentorship program, winning a rather prestigious photography prize (out of sheer luck in my opinion) and being able to leave my job that led to my move to NYC for a ten months program at the International Center of Photography. And to my own surprise, since I didn’t know what an MFA was when I left Singapore, I went on to one at the California Institute of the Arts. It was a steep learning curve since I didn’t have much of an art education prior, so I allowed myself to be a sponge, absorbing as much as possible despite being rather lost. Till today, I am still digesting this knowledge which I am beginning to translate into my own art practice. Now, I play complementary roles as a visual artist and an art educator.
Please tell us about your art.
Like most cultural producers, my projects are informed by my immediate experiences of the world and are constantly evolving. One thread that ties different bodies of work together is my interest in exploring and challenging the systems and power structures that create the mythologized representations of marginalized, invisible and unspeakable bodies. An early project in Singapore inspired by my own experience was to photograph women whose bodies were deemed too ‘fat’ to be represented in the media beyond a cautionary tale. I presented a three channel video installation that explores meditation practices across different cultures and world views in relation to social justice and recently completed a short film that follows a Chinese legend called the Butterfly Lovers that reflected diverse ideologies among a community that is often represented with homogeneity.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Being honest to our own practice in the midst of all the distractions including high rent, and making work that is relevant to our political, social and cultural conditions of our times. I always go back to James Baldwin’s quote “The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.”
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can visit my website to see my work and support my art practice by commissioning me for artwork and/or hire me as a photographer.
Also, I am currently working on a project (inspired by my own experience of being touched by cancer) with the working title ’Routines’ that will film and photograph woman-identified folks and our physical or mental routines that we incorporate into our lives as our bodies go through transformations and deviate from the societal ’norm’ due to illnesses, disabilities or aging. Please email me at [email protected] for more information if you relate to the project and is interested to participate.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wengsan.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siwesa/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Portrait Credits : Angeline Wong
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