Sin of Apathy
Sin of Apathy is one of the earliest multi-channel video works produced in Singapore, first presented at the 1991 National Sculpture Exhibition in response to an open call for submissions.
Installation view of the National Sculpture Exhibition, 1991. Image courtesy of Koh Nguang How.
Chng's hand-drawn sketch illustrates six columns, each displaying a pair of televisions.
Chng's hand-drawn sketch illustrates six columns, each displaying a pair of televisions.Conceived amid growing social inwardness and an increasing preoccupation with material wealth, the work confronts audiences with six embodied crises—War, Disease, Poverty, Famine, Disaster, and Refugee. Twelve cathode-ray tube (CRT) television monitors display a cacophonous array of monochromatic and colored screens, punctuated by melancholic utterances that highlight human suffering frequently overlooked or ignored.
Exhibited in a darkened, enclosed space, Sin of Apathy immerses viewers in a dense media environment, prompting reflection on their own capacity and responsibility to acknowledge, process, and respond to realities that may seem distant yet remains vividly present.
