4 minute read
The Everyday Artist with Yam Chew Oh
by Nivia Herron Hernandez
Yam Chew Oh is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and storyteller whose work explores circumstance, time, and attention through history, relationships and the everyday. Here, Yam Chew discusses some of the things he does as an artist when feeling creatively blocked and why he is so drawn to a certain object that he uses in his work.
How would you describe your course?
The Everyday Artist was conceived from the belief that art is all around us in the everyday and that every one of us can make art out of it. The course asks the question: “Are life and art really separate from each other?”
Using the work of artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Rachel Perry, Richard Tuttle and El Anatsui as examples, we examine the various ways artists have engaged with the everyday and discuss topics like the blurring of the art/life dichotomy, everyday aesthetics, materials and materiality, meaning, content and process. The course includes a hands-on component where participants experiment with making art in a communal setting using everyday materials, and [they] receive critique from a guest artist.
What would you tell students who are feeling creatively blocked? And what are some of the things you do as an artist?
I would tell them to be patient, as creative blocks are often temporary if one puts in effort to try and arrest the blockage. When I’m creatively blocked, I try not to “push it.” I “give it a rest” by doing mundane things like tidying up my studio or doing household chores. Or I do something other than make art—e.g. read, exercise, listen to music, have long showers and take my dog for long walks. Insights and inspiration can appear in unexpected places and most of us know where that is; for me, it’s in the shower.
Is there a certain used/found item that you like to use in your work? If so, what about the item makes it so meaningful to you?
I am especially drawn to copper as it reminds me of my late father, who was a karung guni man, the Singapore equivalent of the American junk man. I grew up helping him with his karung guni business, which had a deep impact on my love for humble, delicate and flawed materials. We reclaimed and recycled all kinds of stuff—from scrap metal and hardware to bakau wood from scaffolding, as well as old newspapers, books, magazines and clothing. Copper, which we collected from the electrical wiring of abandoned houses and dynamos, was among the most lucrative. As a material, I like that it bears witness to the passing of time through changing its color.
What do you hope your students take away from your course?
I hope my students take away some art historical knowledge of this “subgenre” of art and acquire the language to understand, discuss and think about it critically. More important, I hope the course provides them with a jumping off point—that they go away with an open mind, ready to explore and experiment further.
All artwork pictured by Yam Chew Oh.
