Valentino’s commitment to the arts has seen a steady culmination over time. Just last year, the Italian house engaged the lauded Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak for a collaboration that featured a new take on its Iconographe motif. A year on, for Singapore Art Week 2024, Valentino tapped local interdisciplinary artist Sarah Choo Jing for a one-of-a-kind commission. Choo is an alumnus of the Slade School of Art in London and most recently won the 3D Interactive award for the Lumen Prize. Best known for her work with photography, video and installation, she explores themes and characters within urban society, delving into the intricacies of existence and human perception.
Inspired by Valentino’s spring/summer 2024 L’Ecole collection, she presented ‘Gestures of Affection’ at Soho House’s Soho Residency at The Warehouse Hotel in January. Comprising seven digital videos, ‘Gestures of Affection’ features a cast of Asian women and explores the complexities of womanhood via colour, dance and performance. Each piece is centred around various qualities, such as passion, freedom, empathy, resilience, sensuality, empathy as well as vulnerability. Infiltrating larger-than-life and smaller screens alike, each video depicts a protagonist in motion, giving the viewer a glimpse at the rawness of womanhood. In an interview with Vogue Singapore, Choo delves into the inspiration behind the series, how fashion influences her art and what’s on the horizon.
What first piqued your interest in art?
Growing up, I always found it challenging to communicate with others through words, so it came out through feelings. I realised that art can help you communicate with someone, and when words are more difficult to sit with people, images work because they can take their time to digest what you’re trying to say.
You’re the first Singaporean artist that Valentino and Soho House have engaged for a commission. What does that feel like for you?
It is something I’m very excited about but beyond that, I wanted it to also be about other women. I specifically wanted to celebrate female-run businesses. These women operate in diverse settings and if I aimed to honour them, I needed to incorporate them into some of my pieces. For instance, cakes by Janice Wong ,the chocolatier, are featured.
You worked primarily with videos for this. Why was that your medium of choice?
I was first trained as a photorealistic painter. I then got into photography and experimented with videos. I relate it to what Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan says, “The medium is the message”. For me, this has always been the case, so whether it’s a video on screen or an installation, I ask myself, what am I trying to say? How do I want my audience to feel when they’re looking at the artwork? And what is the best way to present it? For example, the intention for me with ‘Gestures of Affection’ is to have the videos be appreciated by others, but also for potential collectors to buy the work so that the proceeds can then be donated to AWARE.
“Growing up, I always found it challenging to communicate with others through words, so it came out through feelings. I realised that art can help you communicate.”
What role does fashion play in the inspiration behind ‘Gestures of Affection’?
It plays the role of embracing who you are. It’s about being unafraid. It’s deliberate that we didn’t want the performers to be wearing anything related to Valentino because it’s not about that. Valentino is all about celebrating individuality. The women featured are also from different age groups, backgrounds, shapes and sizes.
How would you describe the series to someone who has not seen it before?
I would say it’s an immersive experience. They’re not just videos on a wall. I think playing with size, scale and crop is a very different experience for each of the artworks. It’s literally about coming to look at gestures of affection. I want people to feel something for sure, even if it’s negative. I think it’s important. The worst feeling for me as an artist is if someone came in, didn’t notice the work at all and walked out.
What’s next?
There is currently an installation at National Gallery Singapore titled ‘Symphony of Order’ and it’s inspired by archives in the gallery. It explores the intricate interplay of ‘order’ and ‘unspoken laws’ within social settings. The fictional narrative within this immersive experience is set within a meticulously staged dining scene. As viewers approach both works, they are encouraged to peel layers to reveal deeper introspection.
The March ‘Dualism’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available for sale online and in-store from 4 March 2024.
