We're Happy. Are You Happy?

We're Happy, Are You Happy? is the title of this work built around a used birdcage that Teo Eng Seng found in his neighborhood. We're Happy, Are You Happy? is also his question to the people of Singapore and to you. Teo’s artworks often reflect issues of the day. Here, he uses the birdcage to make a point about materialism in Singapore. The birdcage is about three feet tall, slightly less than a metre. Its wire walls are brown, and it has a wooden base. From the top of the cage, white fabric falls gracefully down two sides, tied back like drapes. Attached to the outside of the cage are paper cut-outs shaped like classical Greek or Roman columns, like those found on grand houses built in the Greek Revival style popular in Singapore in the 1990s. Inside the birdcage are sculptures of birds, created from papier-mâché. Teo has named this sculptural medium “paperdyesculp.” There are also a few papier-mâché birds attached to the outside of the cage. All the birds are light brown. Teo’s work takes a close look at the idea of being too comfortable in a “gilded cage.” The cozy but caged birds capture this idea perfectly. Teo urges Singaporeans to think about whether we’re too comfortable in our current lifestyles and lack the will to make meaningful changes in our lives.