On 1 January 1994, Singaporean artist Josef Ng carried out a performance titled Brother Cane, criticising the raid on, arrest, and caning of 12 men for homosexual activities. Ng was arrested for public indecency, and performance art was subsequently banned in Singapore until a decade later.
cane? serves as both a tribute towards Ng’s original work as well as an ongoing criticism against the censorship of both the arts scene and the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore that still exists today. Especially within families, discrimination against the queer community is still prevalent and painful, and Brother Cane is an important stain on Singapore’s LGBTQ+ history.
cane? serves as both a tribute towards Ng’s original work as well as an ongoing criticism against the censorship of both the arts scene and the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore that still exists today. Especially within families, discrimination against the queer community is still prevalent and painful, and Brother Cane is an important stain on Singapore’s LGBTQ+ history.
cane? (2019)
red ink, fabrics, plates, table & chair, plasticine, dried tofu
dimensions variable
red ink, fabrics, plates, table & chair, plasticine, dried tofu
dimensions variable
