Avatar

YIM SUI FONG
AVATAR

2020
Sound and video installation

Developed for Otherworlds - as part of Singapore Art Week 2021

CONTROLS

Use the mouse to click and select the various options given to you.

DESCRIPTION

“Avatar” is the second gathering of the on-going artwork series “Assembly of Disquiet”. It is a seasonal thematic communal gathering that discusses the uncertainty of society. It also contemplates the nature of human relationships and life coexistence. The artist first set up a situation, and the participants respond in the process. The practice transforms the participants’ emotions by incorporating elements such as body moment, sounds, settings, and time.

The artwork explores the theme of “companionship”. It is an audio-visual installation, with the video content contributed by a pair of performers. The invisible invasion of the pandemic allows us to question the nature of relationships and magnifies the inherent dangers of close connections. The term “Avatar” is commonly used to describe an online persona or a representation of oneself and activities happening in the virtual realm. In the work, the avatar represents a companion of those who shares the same path. It is our own projected self and shares many similarities to the point that it is not easy to distinguish one from another. At the same time, those with shared values often frequently confront each other.

With the social movements of 2019 and the raging pandemic in 2020, members of society are required to become isolated. The connection between peers is being tested in unprecedented ways. Therefore, the work proposes a new way to heal relationships - It is a way to gain a thorough recollection of the past. It is also a form of action to recall memories of your body, transforming everyday movements into mental markers. While being an avatar maintains a sense of tension, the process also allows us to explore a boundless world of stealth and interactions

ABOUT ARTIST

Yim Sui Fong is a cross-disciplinary artist. She is the co-founder of the artist-run organisation Rooftop Institute and a member of the Hong Kong art group, L sub.

Her work explores various kinds of uneasiness people face in society and examines the relationship between individuality and collectiveness. Through artistic actions and gathering, she provides a platform to study and connect people’s emotions, while refracting the perplexity and imagination of social phenomena. She was awarded the WMA Masters Award 2017/18. Recent exhibition and project includes: “Still Life Objects” (L sub, Hong Kong House at Echigo-Tsumari, Japan, 2020). “Landskrona Foto”(Sweden,2020), “Artists’ Film International” Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2019), “Hic Sunt Leons” (Surplus Space, Wuhan ,2019), “The man who attends to the times”, (Oi!, Hong Kong, 2018). Yim currently lives and works in Hong Kong.