One of Singapore’s most prolific woman artists in 1990s contemporary art, Amanda Heng is known both locally and internationally for her multidisciplinary practice which traverses the domains of installation, photography, performance and public art. To Heng, art can be used as a critical way of activating society to engage with social concerns.
Speak To Me, Walk With Me charts her practice of over two decades, where the artist often uses the element of participation in art-making, to work with various communities as well as explore cultural histories. Heng’s work revolves around the themes of collective memory, identity and gender, many of which have developed in response to new sites and situations, revealing the body as a compelling visual language in contemporary art. This exhibition features works from the Singapore Art Museum collection, new commissions as well as rare performance documentation from her vast oeuvre.
Born in 1951, Heng is one of the founding members of Singapore artist collective, The Artists’ Village. She has presented at the 1st Singapore Biennale (2006), the 1st Women’s Performance Art Festival in Osaka (2001), the 7th Havana Biennial (2000), the 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial (1999) and the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (1999). She is also the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Cultural Medallion award.