Xi Jie Ng Salty from Singapore creates intimate encounters for a noisy world. Her works dance between social practice, film, performance often as Pierrot , installation and writing, and have been made and presented in Singapore, USA, Finland and India.
She is interested in art as a universe suspended between fiction and reality, eccentricities, ageing, family histories, circus, old and found objects, alternative communities, and exploring connections between people, space and cosmos. Based between Singapore, Portland and the elsewheres of the world, she invents experiences for the real and imagined lives of humans.
Migrant workers in Singapore shuttle from worksites to cramped living conditions and crowded weekend hangouts. With a limited income, grooming and self-care are largely restricted to necessities. Bindi Roadside Spa , commissioned by Octopus Residency , is an alternative pop-up space of pampering and care for migrants.
The natural facials are made with foods commonly used by South Asian migrants, featuring turmeric as a star ingredient, or respond to needs such as sun exposure due to work. By creating conversations around wellness and relaxation, it is hoped that migrants and those around them will place more value on self-care in a relentlessly busy society.
This whimsical and poetic tale of a circus visiting a village was dreamt up with people in rural Jodphur, India at the Sowing Seeds residency. Shot in three days on an old camcorder and using available materials, the film has a raw make-believe aesthetic.
