Entanglement: separated by a bed of water (2021)

acrylic paint on canvas, video, wall text and photographs

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Looking into one of the busiest border crossings in the world, more than 300,000 people cross the Johor causeway daily for work and school purposes between the two neighbouring countries Singapore and Malaysia. Hence, the border closure due to the recent global pandemic has drastically disrupted the flow of commuting and halted the daily routine of these travellers. In a state of uncertainty, many Malaysians had to come to a critical conclusion of either returning back to their home country or moving into Singapore to keep up with their livelihood before the Movement Control Order (MCO) commenced. Many chose the latter.

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Focusing on the lived experiences of Malaysians like myself stuck in Singapore, there is a need to grapple with this notion of displacement in the intangible longing for home, belonging, and lost time in relation to a drastic change of routine and location. The past seems to co-exist within the present as it was imagined or remembered to have been left behind by these Malaysians.

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The maritime border that was once a space of transit has changed its spatial context into a barrier of separation. The sea located at a mere distance of 1km bordering Malaysia and Singapore has now become one of the means in achieving some form of spatial, physical, and familial reunion. Through narratives of the lived experiences, Entanglement: separated by a bed of water presents a series of works that draw upon the artist in evoking fragments of the visual boundary in the apparent distance that connects yet separates these two countries apart.