A’Shua Imran

For Wu Wei Performance Series

Title: 

SUNYA

Duration:

Performance : 30 minutes

Medium: 

Jute Ropes, oil/wax and fire/candle

Year 2018

Description: 

My  journey  into the  art of using  ropes as a form  of artistic expression began through a chance encounter with a community of shibari practitioners. Practitioners  of this art form rely on subtle tensions derived from knotting, pulling, and tugging of ropes across their  partners’ bodies to foster a palpable connection with them, even in the instance that there is no physical contact  between them.

Over  the past  year, a curiosity to find out  more about the underlying elements  of shibari performances and the uses of  ropes lead my relationship with ropes to take a  broader form, as I began to research on the history,  relevance, and the use of ropes in various cultures. While my current research of the specific medium, focuses on deconstructing the perpetual essence of power exchanges, I intend to present the preliminary processes behind my body of rope works (boiling in hot water, drying, stretching, oiling and burning any loose hairs) as part of this performance.

Drawing inspiration from the concept of  Wu Wei, I question if the preparations preceding an action can be considered ‘non-action’. If the act of sparring, without the intent of fighting or wielding without the intent of using, be considered a ‘non action’.  

Does the act of meditating without a purpose or intent lead us somewhere or nowhere?

Biography:

A’shua Imran (b. 1986) is a Singaporean artist working predominantly with painting, performance, photography & installations. He began his studies at LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore) and received a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art (Goldsmiths, UK) in 2014. He has participated in several exhibitions and presented his works in Singapore, The Netherlands, Israel, Egypt and South Africa.

Currently, Imran is the artistic director of Mural Lingo, a Singapore-registered social enterprise engaged in the arts, education and publishing. He founded the independent platform in 2014 with the primary focus on providing an incubation space for young artists, designers, and undergraduates to develop their professional practice.

He regularly offers talks and workshops in educational & cultural institutions, and participated in a artist-in-residence programme for 3 months in 2017, at Bag Factory Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa.