Sugar Pills for a Bitter World
Curated by Daniel Chong with works by Desiree Tham, Eng Kai Er, Mike HJ Chang, Ryan Lim Zi Yi and Yeyoon Avis
Recipient of Curator Open Call 2022
Presented by Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film
23 Sep to 6 Nov 2022
Chapel Gallery, Objectifs
Free admission
“We live in an age of absurdity. Every new event is somehow more ridiculous than the last. Our financial systems constantly hang in the balance; we’re forever in a health crisis; even the concept of truth has changed. What a time to be alive.
Yet in this post-truth, late-stage capitalist, populist, Anthropocene, I’ve found sweet relief in a new brand of humour. This serotonin boost goes by many names: Gen-Z humour, TikTok humour or Post-Dada irony.
This exhibition functions as a sampler – a conceptual pillbox. Containing the work of 5 artists, each of them have developed their own sugar pills, placebos to process and guide them through their times. They too are honest responses created in the vernacular chaos of our era, synthesising works that sit between the poetic and the hilarious.
Their art is an incidental reflection. While not a direct response to the ailments plaguing our world today, they are clearly of its time. Sugar pills do not inherently heal, but through belief, affect change. Similarly, it is the artists’ earnest responses that have led the curation of this show. Selected for their commitment to their practices and their embrace of the absurd, they have formed their own internal structures and logics – crystallisation of their pursuits.
With each practice comes its own brand of sugar pill, and with each pill an acknowledgement of its size. A sugar pill is small. It pales in comparison to the monstrosity of the world. Yet, this tiny pill, with enough faith, commitment and hope, can help relieve even for a little while.”
— Daniel Chong, Curator