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The Gatekeepers
2014 Oil on linen 150x150cm |
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The painting ‘The Gatekeepers’ was created in response to the 2014 Singapore National Library Board’s (NLB) saga concerning two controversial children's books 'And Tango Makes Three' and 'The White Swan Express' found in the children’s section. And Tango Makes Three features two male penguins who behave as though they are a couple, while the second book, The White Swan Express: A Story About Adoption, has two female partners trying to adopt a baby from China. NLB removed the books after it received e-mail complaints that the books are not "pro-family". This incident created a lot of online debate and discussion among netizens. The Communications and Information Minister step in and instructed NLB to place the two controversial books in the adult section. The painting took reference from a 1928 photograph taken in Singapore depicting ‘Tiger Hunting at Chua Chu Kang Village’. The dead tiger in the picture was replaced by two dead penguins. Singapore may have evolved from a developing nation to first world status towards the end of the 20th but have our society become more civilised and humane?
