National Gallery Singapore

ABLAZE premiered at the 27th Singapore Film Festival, November 24, 2016

Commissioned by Painting with Light (2021) and inspired by the sculptural works of Chng Seok Tin, Axis explores various spaces within the city, shopping malls, and the culture of consumerism they represent. A labyrinth constructed from images of grids, ladders and glass ceilings collides and coalesces into an impossible space. This film is a rumination on mall culture in Singapore, with the homogeneity and verticality of these centres of consumerism mirroring contemporary power structures and the desire for upward mobility. This animated short is inspired by works in the exhibition Chng Seok Tin: Drawn Through A Press such as Gold Rush (1993), Social Climbers (1992) and Game of Chess (1999–2001).