Shayne Phua
Burning bridges, bleeding river, 2024
Ceramic
29 x 24 x 19.5 cm
Copyright The Artist
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The scene that graces the cover of a container is a gory diorama in the style of those found at Haw Par Villa – one of Singapore’s best-known cultural curiosities...
The scene that graces the cover of a container is a gory diorama in the style of those found at Haw Par Villa – one of Singapore’s best-known cultural curiosities – depicting a terrain of rivers and bridges. The bridges are fashioned in the shape of broken bones, referring to the oft-repeated story that Margaret Mead identified a healed femur bone as the earliest sign of human civilization, since it implies nourishment, shelter and protection over time. No evidence exists to suggest the veracity of this anecdote, but its premise—that altruism and mutual care underpin civilisation—is belied here: the bone-bridges are burning, alluding to the violence and exploitation at the heart of so-called civilisation, whether practised by ancient empires or colonial powers; the rivers run red with blood. The value of care that is central to the narrative of the healed femur is belied by the artist’s scepticism about the foundations of human society.
Exhibitions
ART SG 2025, presented by Yeo Workshop, 17 – 19 January 2025, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore.A roast of Asian nine tails topped with broken femur and bile, accompanied by more curious ingredients, 20 July – 1 September 2024, Yeo Workshop, Singapore
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