Fly.

Caged Bird

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
And floats downstream till the current ends
And dips his wing in the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
And he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou

Everybody’s a bird, locked up in a pretty cage. Sometimes you fly into a slightly bigger one, but you never quite have the courage to abandon captivity completely.

Dave McKean

Known for her visually stunning tactile works that challenge the notion of a painting, Singaporean artist Jane Lee often pushes the limits of materials and techniques used, examining painting’s processes, significance and relevance in contemporary art practice. At STPI however, Lee moves away from abstraction and formal explorations to discover print and paper, combining unconventional materials to produce dynamic installations that fully immerse the viewer in a sensorial experience.

Working around a narrative for the first time, Lee invites viewers to meander through a fantastical yet familiar world of birds and nature – universal metaphors for freedom. Although she has adopted figuration in her material-oriented practice, this body of work, according to curator June Yap, considers “not only the surface that is familiar of printmaking, but also the corners, how different edges come together and even the paper itself, basically that which constitutes the materiality of print and papermaking.”

As she plays with paper’s texture and effects, Lee addresses the condition of freedom and entrapment in the daily lives of individuals. Additionally, as writer Tony Godfrey highlights, “light, like birds, is something we associate with freedom, with life, escaping the prison walls. Much of Lee’s recent work has been about exploring colour, but this exhibition is more about light than colour – the translucency of the tracing paper she used, the way colours are refracted in the acrylic works… It is an exhibition of play, a dance of the hands, of fingertip agility, of little whirlpools, shapes and light dancing. The result is festive – a shared, communal pleasure in the world.”