Andrea Rachel Danker

seven thousand one hundred and ninety-one minutes of being together (2022)

digital print and text on waterproof pp paper

Encountering the landscape of Kuching, Sarawak together as a group, it is evident that the bond and friendship built amongst each other deepened as we traversed and immersed ourselves into the spaces, sights and culture of Kuching, absorbing new experiences and creating many amazing memories within these five short but fulfilling days. This body of work thus responds to the fleeting moments of time encapsulated within the whole duration of this field trip.

The transient time spent is being stretched and weighed down, baring a visual narrative that foregrounds presence and mass whilst pointing towards an ephemeral quality that is now visible and felt – a method of slowing down time that parallels the many lived experiences made and shared momentarily together.

bittersweet honey  (2022)

repurposed frame, digital print on vinyl sticker, raffia strings

Throughout our stay at the Annah Rais longhouse, we warmly embraced the indigenous way of living. There is a strong sense of community spirit amongst the indigenous people, as well as mindful care for each other and their environment. In every nook and corner of the longhouse, one could not help but take notice of the little handmade knots and attachments visibly utilised to secure two joints together. These made use of banal everyday items like raffia strings, rattan stripes, cables, rubber bands and even wire ties, creating what looks like a temporary fixture yet is seemingly secure.

This series thus delves into the idea of resourcefulness through the act of tying as a form of conscious mending. Responding to the gallery site, bittersweet honey is a subtle dispersion of miniature knotted installations acting as a reminder to reconsider Singapore's waste production and culture of throwing things away. Playfully presented so as to be stumbled upon by viewers, the work fosters a sense of attentiveness to the need to breath new life into an existing object or environment that may otherwise be neglected and forgotten.

Andrea Danker is a Malaysian visual artist based in Singapore. She has recently graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts with a First Class BA(Hons) Fine Arts degree. She uses storytelling as her mode of visual narrative, primarily working with painting, drawing, assemblage and notation. Her focus is on the minute and the smallness of things existing within narratives of the self, human life, and our past and present interactions.

Her interests lie in the amplification of micro-stories and experiences that explore themes of displacement, constructs of home and the desire for belonging within the wider landscape of our surroundings. She is concurrently showing at Across Narrow Waters in conjunction with Septfest 2022 organised by The Substation.