Still Living Rent-Free, 2025
acrylic and mixed media on canvas with accompanying AI voice via QR code
(H) 126 × (W) 95 × (D) 7 cm
Voice: Philomena Cunk (text-to-audio) with free licensed use of Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie
Duration: 1 min 31 sec
Still living rent-free
‘Still Living Rent-Free’ depicts a long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) attempting to sketch a bust titled The Kiang Man in his swamp studio. Often seen as mischievous and instinctive, the macaque hesitates, burdened by the weight of what that act of drawing could mean. His hesitation reveals a quiet confrontation with internalised fear. Here, the macaque stands in as a proxy for Mah: a former Singaporean misfit living at the margins, who often feels the pressure to conform, remain silent, or avoid critique out of fear of consequence in Singapore.
The AI-generated voiceover, performed in the satirical style of Philomena Cunk (British comedian) and accompanied by Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, introduces a wry, documentary tone that complicates the image with absurdity and critique.
The AI-generated voiceover, performed in the satirical style of Philomena Cunk (British comedian) and accompanied by Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, introduces a wry, documentary tone that complicates the image with absurdity and critique.