GEORGE TOWN, Aug 23 — A sculpture of a baby standing with its hands clasped and a gas mask covering its entire face has come to represent the norms adopted by society during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sculpture, by Low Chee Peng, aptly titled 1M has a shadow stretching one metre in front of it to represent the social distance most have to maintain in public places to prevent the spread of the virus.
This marble baby, one of 10 marble sculptures at the "Covid B" exhibition at the Hin Bus Depot was picked as the winner of the Jury Award at the first Online International Sculpture Symposium organised by International Association for Monumental Sculptures Events (AIESM) in Europe and International Sculpture Symposium Alliance (ISSA).
A total of 80 artists from 35 countries participated in the symposium and Low’s sculpture was among 15 picked to be showcased.
The sculpture was Low’s commentary on the stubbornness and ignorance of men despite the horrors of the pandemic.
The gas mask the baby is wearing is both a reference to the horrors of war and the sense of self preservation while its clasped hands represent frequent handwashing as one of the measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
“This sculpture represents the reality that we are faced with today; the wearing of masks, the frequent washing of hands and the one-metre distance as depicted by the shadow,” Low told Malay Mail.
The sculpture is part of Low’s "Covid-B" solo exhibition featuring sculpted marble babies in various poses.
The sculptures represent his attempt at recapturing the purity and innocence of babies.
“I used white marble for the sculptures as it also represented a sort of purity, I wanted to present a different perspective viewed from the eyes of innocent children,” he said.
Another sculpture that reflects the current times is that of a baby playing with its toys inside a house-shaped metal cage simply titled Stay Home.
Low also made a commentary on the country’s political situation with the sculpture of a baby holding a small door behind it titled Back Door.
Then there is the baby on a rocking horse titled Old Horse where "the focus is on the instability of the horse, if you move it, it rocks.”
Currently, there are 10 sculptures in the exhibition and Low said he will be adding five more this Sunday, most of which will be related to current issues in Malaysia and as a lead up to Malaysia Day next month.
“This exhibition has a neverending story that will continue to extend till Malaysia Day,” he said.
The exhibition was also held simultaneously with the online symposium by AIESM and ISSA.
“The online exhibition consisted of a video showing the sculpture and the progression video in the creation of the sculpture,” Low said.
The "Covid-B" exhibition is open daily until August 31 and is expected to be extended to September.
