The Sea is a Field reveals the inner workings of the inaugural SAM Fellowship programme with artists Simryn Gill and Charles Lim Yi Yong. During the pandemic years, they put forth a question that became the basis of this exhibition: How to travel between where they live in Port Dickson, Malaysia and Singapore by sea?
As it turns out there is no simple route. In August 2023, a trip was taken, utilising a network of local ferries that connect small port towns across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. This journey was an opportunity to continue a collaborative method the artists have developed, with Lim making observations by video and Gill by photography and writing. Through parallax perspectives, the artists annotate stories of everyday crossings, migrations, and borders that connect to a deep cultural and political history of the region.
This portside warehouse, left in its raw state, becomes a place where the process of collaboration is exposed. The artists consider this less a finished exhibition space than a site that can hold both of their observations and sensibilities — a zone of convergence for solitary and private undertakings, now made public.
Venue: 37 Keppel Rd, #01-02, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065
When: 12 Jan 2024 - 21 Apr 2023, 10am - 7pm
By: Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
