Other international exhibitions varied in approach from emphasising official nationalism to exploring Postcolonialism and Diasporan identity. Asian countries such as Singapore and Taiwan emphasised national representivity, selecting artists that invoked national and regional histories and artistic traditions. Several Western countries, however, seemed more concerned with the presence of Diasporan communities in their midst, and the challenges to national representivity that they posed.
      
There was an uneven response on the part of many countries to the Biennale, with many lapsing into the trade fair approach and selecting artists that were well recognised as examples of official national culture. Some countries even exhibited artworks that were quite old and well known in their countries of origin (and even beyond). For example, the Singapore exhibition consisted of one artist, Tang Du Wu, and was presented by the Singapore Art Museum. Wu was represented by one work entitled Tiger’s Whip (Figure Six), part of a mixed media installation made in 1991 and which has subsequently become very well known in Singapore. The complete installation consists of a group of life size tigers made of wire mesh covered with papier-mache. The group of tigers run, walk and jump towards an ornate bed. The work on display at the Biennale consists of one of the tigers, balancing on the back of a rocking chair. The tiger stands on a red cloth, with the other end draped over the chair. The drape of the cloth, the curved body of the tiger and the curves of the rocking chair complement one another and ensure that formally, the different elements integrate with 166 one another. The tiger is apparently a ghost, which is alluded to by the fact that the body of the tiger is white, highly stylised and lacks detailed features.

The allusions in the work are not easy to access. According to Wu, the intention of the work was to address Asian audiences; in fact in relation to his work generally, Wu has noted that ‘I do not worry if my works do not fit into the Western art arena’. The work is easier to understand when placed in the context of Singaporean culture, where ‘Tiger’s Whip’ is slang for a tiger’s penis. Together with the penises of deer and bears, as well as penises and horns of rhinoceroses, they are used as aphrodisiacs in various Asian countries, especially China. The work could be understood as a protest against the practice of killing these endangered animals to serve human vanity. In Tiger’s Whip, the ghost of the tiger literally returns to haunt the aphrodisiac user. Clearly the work is meant to address Singapore audiences first and foremost, and in fact was first exhibited at Singapore’s Chinatown, where such aphrodisiacs are sold.



Extracted from Nation building and globalisation in the visual arts: A case study of art projects of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (GJMC) PhD thesis by Jane Duncan