REDRESS: Stop the Traffic

PUBLISHED November 12th, 2012 03:42 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 08:32 am

It never ceases to amaze me what a powerful tool art for social justice is. Somehow it enables us to question that which we may not otherwise entertain a thought to, communicate what is hard to understand so perfectly, break down barriers and unite, and open our eyes to some of the hardest issues faced in our world. This week will see a poignant example of this, as artists join forces in a four-day exhibition – entitled REDRESS –  to raise awareness of sex trafficking and the exploitation of minors in Nepal.

The exhibition will see the pooling of a major collection of over 70 pieces of distinct and unique paintings, textiles, prints, photography, glass and sculpture from well-known artists from Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond, a portion of which have been especially created for the cause.

It was these artists, who had created works especially for the exhibition and cause, that I was particularly keen to get inside the minds and hearts of…I wanted to find out more about their journey in this project, and how they went about creating art for such a challenging subject.

On speaking to artists Dominic Fonde, Billy Ma, Adele Hetherington and Marcel Heijnen, it emerged that whilst for the most part they had some degree of knowledge about the issue of global trafficking, the journey of being involved in the project was exceptionally eye opening, as perfectly put by Marcel Heijnen, ‘I had only a general awareness of the global trafficking issue and did not know much about the specific Nepal issue. What was an eye opener were the mechanisms that lie behind the trafficking process; the drugging, the corrupt police, the general practices of brothel owners etc.  Shocking.’

What is evident from speaking to the artists is their passion for the project, and the emotions that it has stirred up inside them ranging from anger to disgust and everything inbetween, inspiring and driving them in their quest to create their pieces for the exhibition. Dominic Fonde’s These Hands is a brilliant example of this as he explains:

‘The work I created is called These Hands. Through all the testimonies of the girls that were abducted and taken to the brothels there was this repeated theme of someone taking them by the hand and leading them away. Often it was someone they knew and trusted, they would be told they would be visiting a doctor or a relative and they put their hand in that of an adult who then sold them to a brothel. How is a child to know you can’t trust this person? That image of the hand offered in trust, and it being a total lie, was very powerful, very shocking, so the artwork is images of a hands, some are a child’s hands in adults hands, some are adults hands counting money or holding keys to lock the children away. Each image is accompanied by a single line of text that makes it explicit what is happening in the image, for example “this hand offered trust then broke that promise. The work is a glass engraving because glass is my chosen medium.” Hopefully the viewer is moved to protest as strongly against these injustices as the artists who made these artworks have.

Artist Billy Ma explains how during his reaearch for his work, Caged Spirit, his perspective shifted from that of disgust at the exploited. As he dug deeper into his research for the piece, that disgust turned to empathy for the girls.

‘I felt it was pertinent to involve Nepalese themed visuals to reflect on the beauty and history of the culture as a paradox to the issue at hand. I borrowed from the imagery of Shiva in Nepalese Buddhism to depict the various emotions endured by the victims. Those include: Helplessness, Desperation, Faith, Isolation, Anger & Peace. In the end I just want people to be able to empathize with the victims and to support Maiti Nepal.’

Adele Hetherington’s work, Soul, is a piece which asks traffickers to ‘reach into their soul and question what they are doing. Within the multi-faceted painting there are photos of breasts, poetry and sacking (simulating the sacks that are thrown over the girls heads when being taken) – this is all captured within resin, making a powerful finished product with harsh red colours’.

Last but definitely not least because this is my favourite out of the four works, is a piece by Marcel Heijnen entitled Worth. Using photography as a medium, it is a departure from the usual realism associated with photography which creates something altogether more emotive.

Intriguingly, Marcel surfed the Internet for source material, ‘almost like a voyeur, and capturing images. not directly though – I was shooting the screen through different panels of treated glass. This intervention creates a ‘veil’ that distorts our vision and colors our perception, making us question what exactly it is we see. Perhaps it results in a more pleasing and acceptable view of what we’re looking at. The veil is a methaphor for our illusion. The viewer automatically becomes voyeur, but one who questions the veil and the story behind the image. The veil is a large part of the problem when it comes to prostitution and human trafficking, and once we are aware of the veil it would eventually dissolve and we can see the full picture. Only full awareness of the situation will eventually eradicate it.’

The REDRESS public art exhibition runs from 14th —17th November 2012, 10am to 10pm at ION Art, Level 4, ION Mall, Orchurd Turn and is free of charge.

The following panel discussions will also be taking place at the same location…

Wednesday,14th Nov 2012, 7.00 -8.30 pm Art+ Activism Panel Discussion: Come hear a lively discourse between critics, curators and artists, moderated by acclaimed playwright Huzir Sulaiman. Iola Lenzi, Paul Khoo,Heri Dono, Bharti Lalwani and others will discuss the dynamic role that art can play as a catalyst for social justice.

Friday, 16th Nov 2012: 6.45 – 8.00 pm, Human Trafficking Panel Discussions, In partnership with “UN Women Singapore”, ION Art Gallery: Come learn more about the pervasive and serious issue of human trafficking. Maiti Nepal founder, Anuradha Koirala will be a keynote speaker, joined by foremost experts and researchers.