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Singaporean visual artist John Clang (b. 1973)'s work frequently spans the multiple realities of global cities, free of time and location constraints.
A double-sight navigator in a constantly changing environment, he collects seemingly routine and prosaic exterior inputs while conveying his mental views and ruminations via photography and film. His method, suggestive of a barometer, gives his works a distinct place at the intersection of the open-ended and definite, fantastical and factual, personal and global. Clang's debut exhibition, at the age of 20, was a pair show at Singapore's contentious (and now defunct) art collective 5th Passage Artists. He went on to present solo exhibits at Jendela Gallery, Singapore (2004), The Substation, Singapore (2007), and 2902 Gallery, Singapore (2010). Pekin Fine Arts in Beijing (2012), the National Museum of Singapore (2013), and FOST Gallery (2016, 2023).
He has also taken part in several group shows, including the Singapore Art Museum (2009), National Museum of Singapore (2010), LACE, Los Angeles (2011), 1X1 Art Gallery, Dubai (2017), Germany (2021), and Gajah Gallery, Singapore (2021). His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore. In 2010, he became the first photographer to get the Designer of the Year prize from the President's Design Prize, Singapore's most prestigious design distinction. In 2013, the National Museum of Singapore hosted an exhibition of Clang's over 90 pieces.
Clang received his Master of Arts Fine Arts degree from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2015, in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2017, he made his feature debut with Their Remaining Journey, which debuted at the 2018 International Feature Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and received a nomination for the festival's Bright Future Award. It also serves as the opening video for the National Gallery Singapore's Painting with Light: International Video Festival on Art. In 2020, he returned to the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) with his second film, A Love Unknown. Clang resides and works in New York and Singapore.
Image Analysis
John Clang's image is intriguing and draws attention right away with its clever composition of four people coming together to form a single image. It seems, at first glance, to use the idea of combining several people into one image by using paper. But a closer look at Clang's collection of works on the climate change movement reveals a strong anti-racial motive.
The combination of people from different social and cultural backgrounds in this piece represents the solidarity required to fight climate change. People of various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds are used by Clang to emphasise the idea that we are all equal contributors to a larger environmental concern. The picture goes beyond simple depiction; it reflects the general themes of diversity and multiculturalism that run throughout Clang's series.
The careful attention to detail in this picture is what allows the viewer to pay closer attention. Except for minor differences in the features of their faces, such as their lips, eyes, noses, and eyebrows, every person appears to have been photographed from the same viewpoint.
These subtleties show that despite differences in looks, culture, or interests, people are still fundamentally human. It supports the idea that, despite our outward differences, we are essentially the same—a powerful message reinforced by the juxtaposition of different faces that come together to form a cohesive whole.
There is a great deal of skill in how the medium of paper is used. Clang's ability is demonstrated by the flawless fusion of different parts, whether they are created digitally or physically.
In addition to honouring Clang's contributions, my goal in pursuing this project is to investigate the significant implications of unity in diversity in the context of climate action. In the face of environmental challenges, I aim to embody Clang's message of shared humanity and communal responsibility through the outward appearance of several faces.
It's using pieces of paper to combine multiple people to create one image, but deeper.
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Here I can see mixing genders doesn't particularly work to the full extent however if they were taken at the same zoom and closer up on one of the images it would've have made a difference
Here i can see when i place too many images on top of each other to create one conhesive image to make up one person it has been one sized image and taken all at the same angle
This is me selecting a specific style of how I wanted to arrange my images to make them fit the styles of work produced by Clang, so using paper and printing out portraits of various people i started to mix and match faces and shapes to make and compose one image.
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