Returning to the sea

CHARLES LIM'S newly-opened exhibition Sea State at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art represents a return in many ways.

Firstly, it is being exhibited in Singapore for the first time since returning from the 2015 Venice Biennale. That showcase itself marked the return of Singapore at the prestigious biennale after being absent from the 2013 edition, following a controversial short-lived government decision to discontinue participation.

External factors aside, the work itself seems to call on Singaporeans to re-examine our relationship with the sea. For an island state surrounded by water, many Singaporeans have grown curiously indifferent to the sea. Because the waters have become less than ideal for swimming and wading compared to that of our nearby neighbours, we tend to engage in more land recreation activities instead of sea ones. This is despite the fact that the sea is never m…