DIRECTIONS shows a clock and wind vane placed atop a tall wood table, with the words “CONCEPTUAL” / “BEAUTIFUL” / “CONSERVATIVE” / “EVOLUTION” inscribed vertically onto each face of its wooden column. It was exhibited as part of the exhibition 'Bread and Butter: Selling Lies’, a group exhibition held at the National Museum Art Gallery (NMAG) in 1992 by the artist, Faizal Fadil and Mohd Rafaat Hamzah, which explored the dynamics of the art world and the emerging art market in Singapore. An ‘art world weather vane’, DIRECTIONS was a critical commentary about how artists and art collectors were chasing artistic trends with the expectation of economic returns, “At the time Singapore was developing increased awareness for greater artistic expression, abstraction was the in thing in the West.” The first version of the work was allegedly lost after it was exhibited at the NMAG. This work was subsequently reconstructed in 2014, based on the artist’s memory, photographs and drawings of the original work. The artist produced this drawing following its reconstruction.
