10 Questions with | Chua Ying Qing

1. Tell us about yourself in one sentence.

Ah I’m terrible with stuff like this, because I’ll be everything I describe, and then less. (When cornered, as in Veni Weedy Vici, a description like this would appear: Ying Qing writes and muses on language, culture, music and theatre. She tumbled headfirst into conceptual art one Wednesday and now wades in/out of the zeitgeist with her partners-in-crime.)

Photo Credit: Selene Yap

2. How did you end up in Curating Lab?

Well I have been drawn to the process involved in curating from the very beginning, although it was mostly in the space of writing, theatre, and exhibitions; when I heard about Curating Lab, I thought maybe it was time for me to start talking to people who are actually doing it for real, instead of just doing these thought experiments on my own.

3. What has been the defining moment of Curating Lab so far?

Probably meeting all the artists and curators along the way. I’m pretty new to the visual arts scene, so hearing all these voices firsthand definitely led me onto some interesting trails.

Photo Credit: Luca Lum

4. What should I know about Veni, Weedy, Vici (akupendatang, lalang, penakluk)?

It is an exhibition that features three works -  “Weeding Singapore” by Isabelle Desjeux, “(Re)Thinking Invasive Alien Species” by Sewon FoodLab, and “I Have Read and Agreed to the Following Terms and Conditions*” by NUSMUS and it’s part of the More than [show] business - Post-PopUp at CCA. It was one of our NUSMUS experiments and you know, it was probably our version of the NUS Museum prep room (transmuted - after too much time in the Lab :P).

5. How did you end up with I Have Read and Agreed to the Following Terms and Conditions*?

We were playing with the idea of time and space and you know being all existentialist, discussing how space shifts to accommodate us and how we alter ourselves to fit the space... we toyed with the notions of lost time, ‘other’ spaces, boundaries, control, parasitism, and somehow came up with this, or as Raksha affectionately calls it, one of the biggest lies of our time. There is also a distinct possibility that we were haunted by some of the Concrete Island passwords that were echoing at that time.

6. What was the biggest take-away from the show?

Besides all the observations/reactions that we recorded (which were pretty fascinating), I think it was the fact that we actually carried it out that was possibly the most liberating, because most of our ideas do not usually get past gestation period.  If it was for any other project, we would probably not have presented *T&C the way we did.

7. What are you up to at present? / What’s next for you?

I am working on a couple of projects at the moment so we’ll see how it goes.

8. Favourite book.

Oh dear, I wouldn’t be able to announce my allegiance to a single book, without feeling like I’ve betrayed the rest! Maybe I’ll just be faithful to what I am reading now – Georges Perec’s Espèces d’espaces and Nicholson Baker’s Traveling Sprinkler.

9. Favourite artwork. (First work that springs to mind)

Kim Nam Pyo’s.

10. Favourite local art space.

Nestled between/under covers.

Photo Credit: Koh Nguang How