ARTIST's CORNER - Kok Siew Wai

What is the central concept that governs your work?
Subjects that happen to me or around me, some would describe as “the little things in everyday life.” I believe that art is about life. The art that an artist’s create is his/her life experience or insight.

What inspires you? What do you do to get inspired? What inspires your work?
Anything can inspire me … As an artist, I’m attentive and sensitive to things that happen around me. It can be anything. I’ve made work with the sound of water pipes, in the bathtub, cooking in the kitchen, my mother, visiting abandoned factory, cruising on the train, friends’ chatting at a party etc. It really can be anything. And I don’t like to categorize myself that I only make work about this or that. I keep changing, so does my life, and the world at large.

What engages you as an artist? What issues engages you? Does it drive your direction of work in any particular area?
To create art is a way of expression. I respect individual expression. The modern society has created many clones of products, ideologies and lifestyles. We need a space and a medium to think and act critically and express ourselves freely, I feel. For an artist, perhaps this place is art. I have an urge for self-exploration since I was a kid. So I guess this has become a serious life-long pursue manifesting in my artwork. Buddhism, Taoism and modern spiritual practitioners have always been indicating “to understand the world, you have to start from understanding yourself. No scripture, theory and no sage can do this for you, you have to do it by yourself, go for this journey.” I feel the truth of this notion and therefore am investigating my own life as a “case study” to understand humanity.

In your opinion, do you consider yourself a contemporary artist?
Yes.

What do you think is the role of a contemporary artist in society?
To tell some truths in the time period that they live in.

Do you think the role of a contemporary artist has changed from the 20th century to the 21st century within the social structure of society?
Has this effect/influence your practice of art in relation to this shift/change?
The methods and mediums might have changed, but the subject matters of art can pretty much be the same. For example, I can talk about human immortality using a solo voice piece or fusing this idea into a web hypertext project or a video. The medium doesn’t matter that much to me. The issues that we concern are more interesting. Today’s audience is more receptive to multidisciplinary work because of the multimedia and the internet culture. This might be something unique in our time.
Do you think art education plays a big role in shaping our future generation/nation building? If yes, how?
Yes. Art is culture and spirituality. A country without culture and spirit is like an empty building. It is an empty structure without content.

Are there any role models that you’ve had (within/ with out art practice)?
Tony Conrad and Maya Deren.

Who’d you like to meet (passed on/alive) if you had the chance to?
Jiddu Krishnamurti.

What is the most recent book you’ve read?
Shuntaro Tanikawa’s selected poems.

Do you have a favourite superhero? Who?
No.

What would you be doing if you were not an artist?
An art audience.