Deborah Ong

Deborah Ong is an artist from Singapore and a graduate from Central Saint Martins. She has recently been working in the mediums of Chinese painting, conceptual photography and performance sculpture.

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Buang Suay

with Jennifer Ng and Wilson Goh Fourth Series + 19 Jul 2019 51 Waterloo Street 01-01

When you are Suay, you need to Buang Suay. This expression means to remove bad luck. Suay ness can vary from having a bad hair day, missing the bus to work, to more unfortunate events like losing your job and facing a relationship crisis, and then losing all your hair. Whoa, damn suay.

The idea of 'Buang Suay' grew out of the strong inclination to counteract daily negativity. Every day, impurities build up on the surface of our perception and alter the quality of our life. These impurities include pollutants that challenge our psycho-immune system, weakening it and increasing its sensitivity. Gentle deep cleansing on a regular basis preserves not just our sanity but also the cutaneous barrier that protects the artistic spirit from external attacks.

In this performance, we will invite the audience to Buang their Suay.

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The Act of Remembering

Moving Arcade +

3 Aug 2019

Dhoby Ghaut Green

A young woman grapples with history in the form of a Samsui woman during the celebrations of Singapore’s bicentennial. She seeks to be like the Samsui women, enduring hardship, the paragon of resilience and tenacity. Ironically, she also realises that for many, there is no option but to live such a reality in their everyday lives, hers included. Since Raffles’ landing, the labouring class has been an ever-present part of Singapore, as maids and construction workers; factory and production workers. There are many who come to Singapore looking for a ‘better future’. However, this national identity of hardship, resilience and its rewards of successful, first-world-country benefits does not yet apply to everyone. The Samsui women, the Coolies, they live in the ever present, carrying the weight of meritocratic discipline on their shoulders, waiting and believing. She continuously walks the line between history, national memory and the present, stumbling ever forwards and backwards.