“I want the viewers to be forced to interact and understand what I am trying to say in my works. It is like while I cannot hear a bit or nothing, the viewers cannot see a bit or nothing.” – Michael Gabriel Goo

Introduction

Handover “Michael” is a solo exhibition by the WINNER of the 2nd France + Singapore New Generation Artists (FSNGA) 2010, Michael Gabriel Goo.

The FSNGA2010 featured 10 Finalists in a group exhibition, selected from the open call visual art competition and aims to provide a platform which introduces the creative potential of these new generation artists from both countries to its international audience, hence creating awareness of the emerging styles in art and contributing in shaping the landscape of the art scene. It is also organised to promote an exchange of artistic knowledge, experiences and ideas between the new generation artists from France and Singapore.

Michael, a hearing impaired artist known by his wax hands installation, was selected by three judges from the creative industry namely Chua Soo Bin, Bridget Tracy Tan and Rosihan Dahim as the WINNER of FSNGA 2010 during the FINALIST group show.

Curator's Article

Art is music to the eyes. Music is an art to those who can hear.

It reminds me of a song 'Silence Is Golden' by The Tremeloes in the '70s which made into the top charts worldwide. Silence to a few is truely golden and it has its way to communicate.

By the deft of his hands, an artist whether he is a sculptor or a painter, whether he listens or speaks, or in this case not even listening or speaks but who can see and uses his pair of hands to mould sculptural waxes is a unique gifted artist who works in a quiet world.

Michael Gabriel Goo, a recent graduate from NAFA whom I first knew when I was judging his contested artworks at Alliance Française de Singapour, is deaf. He is the winner of the 2nd France + Singapore New Generation Artists 2010. He is a very passive artist and someone who observes very deep in thoughts and uses his hand as his only language tool in this modern art world which we know today.

So here it is, his art language in wax all coming from his hands, a language unspoken but nonetheless viewable reflecting his deep idealistic views in world condition and personifying his feelings in encountering sign languages that many of us are not too familiar with. Such works such as 'What's Up' and 'Communication' question on society. In 'Communication' for instance, he pictured talking feet as his point of contact. His works are very peculiar in subject matters using his own sculpted hands to form images, embodied with some facial expressions and sometimes animated with references to a social backdrop. For some of his assemblage, he uses electronic gadgets or TV monitors to depict communicative patterns or behaviour.

HANDOVER “MICHAEL” – the exhibition is simply inspired and derived from a name of a country called HANOVER in Europe. The late iconic superstar Michael Jackson once did a memorable 'live' performance there. A telling sign that Michael Goo the artist can also make his way there or anywhere else someday. On the contrary, it is HANDOVER - a symbolic reference to his hand sign language and getting over it. Two different terms with an almost identical pronunciation but with a clear definition.

As much known to Michael, the sign languages used by most hearing impaired people across the world such as USA, China, Japan or Indonesia are not internationally standardised although there is the so called 'GESTUMO' language which apparently didn't catch on.

In most countries, the hearing impaired uses their mother tongue as their sign language whereby here in Singapore, it is solely based on the English text, word for word. Communication with foreigners with hearing impaired has its problem.

Michael explores his waxworks in various mould signifying the language differences of the deaf community in the world that he knew personally and through the internet.

The works by Michael in his first solo show challenges the realm of a sculptor by using wax. They are unique artistic messages done with his hands. The same hands were scaled in a passionate drive to escalate his only mean of communication to the viewers. The gestures in his wax works are related to his feelings and somehow he manages to intergrate his feelings to the viewer.

A 'moment of silence' was originally adopted in Michael's mind and senses while preparing for this show. This is in a sense a private moment for him as an artist. Here is a man who is living his life in a muted world with his working mum and dad and sharing also part of his quiet moments with his live-in auntie.

In his early days, Michael was sent by his parents to begin primary one in a mainstream school in Bedok but was later transferred to the Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired (CSHI) in Aljunied. After graduating from CSHI, he enrolled into Montfort Secondary School, a mainstream school before attending Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts - a decision he made on his own. It was in this academy that he self taught his way in sign languages with his close hearing friends (Michael did not learn any form of sign language while in Canossian School).

This first solo show by Michael is without a doubt a new stepping stone into his art path. It was heartening for me to be able to understand his quiet role as an artist and perceiving a great ideology.

My thanks to Madam Stephanie Kessler, a former school principal whom I had known during my stint as art mentor to the students of Singapore School of the Deaf from 2006 to 2007 and who assisted me in interpreting my conversations with Michael in detail.

I shall hand over this show to Michael for being himself and for the public to engage his works. By coincidence, it will also be Michael's birthday on the official opening evening on 4th April 2011. Handover Michael.

- ROSIHAN DAHIM