The Royal British Society of Sculptors Bursary Awards 2008
"Who am I, British, Black-British, Asian or Other" Rice and Suitcase Installation at The RBS Gallery
5-27 November 2008
bursary Exhibition
The hardship in immigration rules and the superficial diversity policy have created ambiguity and dilema among the minority. Survival is a major concern of everybody especially a person who lives and works on the foriegn land where it lacks of neighbourhood and support. To survive phisically and socially where equal opportunity is limited, one may have to face the inner war within oneself between 'who I am' and 'fitting-in or being included' in order to get from A to B.We may find some people who choose not to get to B and insist to maintain their spiritual identity. It reflects the lost-in-identity within multicultural identity caused by social forces. Number of people from ethnic background manipulate/modified their being in order to feel fit in which they believe it will bring them to achieve equality socially and physically. This can be seen as it defeats its own purpose that there is no such superiority and inferiority among different cultural backgrounds while those people try to be someone else. The piece reflect s the sarcasm of superficial Equal Opportunities policy on race and the inequality in reality
The spiral in the intallation creates the puzzling sense while the entirely white painted suitcase acts as a blank canvas and directs the viewers to associate it with a relocation of a person. Where would you stand, maintain spiritual freedom by insisting on being who you are or go along with what will take you there?
©2009 Chutima Kerdpitak
RBS Bursary Awards 2008 Winners: