Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee places a nuanced lens on her Singaporean heritage
“Growing up I felt my heritage was rejected. Singapore, while in Asia, is a very Western city and I was always taught to look westwards,” says photographer Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee about growing up in the Southeast Asian metropolis. As part of Visually Speaking, our content collaboration with Unseen, we asked her to turn her lens on the very place she still considers home, granting us a rare glimpse into elements of the city that resonate deeply for Lee, many of which have been a catalyst for her ongoing, subliminal work.”
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“Sadly, the mangroves of Singapore remain at their last 5%. Even though Singapore is globally known for its impressive and sometimes dizzying urban landscapes, its primeval land manages to persevere in spite of the continual acceleration of the new.”
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“My father used to take us to aquarium shops where he would fuel his fish-keeping hobby. This must have been another subconscious influence—every time I spot an aquarium shop I find myself walking towards it, pressing my nose against the glass in efforts to say hello.”
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“This is probably the most iconic subject amongst the photographs— the durian.This is a fruit that, in all its beauty (and intensity), divide people into two camps: lovers and haters. I proudly belong to the first camp and have fond memories of gatheringround a roadside table under the fluorescent lights in the cool night air feasting on its custard-like flesh.”
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“Though it may come across as banal to some, I find these makeshift, guerrilla-like public sculptures like little joys walking on the street. This one features the iconic Singapore plastic bag (with the lion’s head stamped on it), tucked precariously away into a construction barricade.” |
“Morning light in the monsoon season streaming into the bedroom of my formative years.”
