Gilles Massot is a multidisciplinary artist and academic whose works are based on the idea of “the space between things” with the aim of establishing links and deciphering the narratives existing between disciplines, people, occurrences and parts of the world. This emphasis on process and movement is brought to the fore by the fact that he has been based in Singapore since 1981.

In the exhibition “…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” | Selected Works by Gilles Massot which is now open at NUS Museum, works from the artist’s oeuvre spanning over three decades are presented to explore the artist’s evolving negotiations with place and the shaping of self-identity through his work as a photo-journalist travelling across Asia, his involvement in a changing contemporary art scene, and his expatriate status.

Ahead of his appearance in the panel discussion Grounded Conversations: A Practice Apart, we  asked Gilles Massot some quick questions to help visitors dive into his exhibition and his core philosophy.

You’re described as a ‘Singapore-based French artist’ and have been active in Singapore (and the region) for longer than many of the students in NUS have been alive! How do you think ideas of nationality have influenced your work?

I never paid much attention to the question of nationality or the way an identity is defined by it. Working on this exhibition has given me the opportunity to go full circle on the topic of “home”. Right now I have come to the conclusion that “home” for me is more about the journey of life than the place where I reside.

Your exhibition at the NUS Museum, “… you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” includes pieces you have created in the 1980s up to the 2010s. Which three works best reveal your interpretation of Singapore?

If one looks at it from the point of view of a body of works gathered in one exhibition, I would think that they are Singapore from B.W. to C. (1985), Singapore boy time flies with you (1991), and the Coffee Shop (1992).

The exhibition also features photography, sketches, video art and a variety of other mediums. In the guide to the exhibition, Woon Tien Wei says that you are “unable to restrict [yourself] to a ‘specific box’.”
Why do you think that is?

Something happened at around five years old that made me reject the discipline of a ballet class. From there on, I found myself spontaneously rejecting the idea of letting myself be defined by a specific form of practice or medium and I started experimenting with all of them as the years went by. Eventually, I did accept the concept of discipline with the research and work done for my book on Bintan, by which time I was also very clear that my work is about what I do, what I am, and not what I make.

Many of the more recent works in the exhibition are films or video-art, and France more broadly has had a long history of unique and unusual cinema. What are you looking forward to in the coming film series Dériver/Arrivée: A Century of Travel in French Cinema?

I was very happy to see the line-up of movies scheduled. Most of all I am looking forward to Visages Villages by Varda and JR. I have heard much about it so this will be a great way of watching it.

“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” | Selected Works by Gilles Massot is now open at NUS Museum.

Registration for the 9 October panel discussion Grounded Conversations: A Practice Apart with Gilles Massot, Debbie Ding and Richard Chua is now open.

Registration for Dériver/Arrivée | A Century of Travel in French Cinema is also open online. Please check the website for the latest films and rating information.