Exhibitions Chinese School Lessons
27 September - 18 October 2012

solo exhibition by Green Zeng



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Union Jack (2012) Oil and silkscreen on wood panel 122 cm x 122 cm 
About The Exhibition

In his latest exhibition, Zeng continues his examination of the construction and manipulation of history. This time he turns his attention to the Chinese school student activism of pre- and post-Independent Singapore and the educational reforms affecting Chinese schools.<p\>

Presenting a series of blackboards, covered with silk-screened images of Chinese school uniforms, painted flags and texts in English, Chinese, and Malay, Zeng transforms the gallery into a temporary classroom and invites the viewer to join in a lesson discussing the changes in Chinese education and the struggle to retain one's cultural and historical roots amidst the building of a new nation.<p\>

The images of familiar Chinese school uniforms and interwoven texts of school mottos, slogans, anthems, and idioms, allude to the strong ideals and ideology of these schools, whilst the inclusion of three languages points to the important role that language plays in forming cultural and national identity. Through a poetic and incisive approach, Zeng encourages the viewer to be actively engaged in the discussion to re-examine the official history of the Chinese student activism and educational reforms in Singapore.<p\>