SINGAPORE — The local visual arts scene has lost one of its own. Visual artist Juliana Yasin passed away at noon today (Aug 27) after succumbing to her long fight against cancer. She was 44.

The Singaporean multidisciplinary arts practitioner was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007. It had gone in remission but last February, she had to undergo intensive surgery after a relapse. The following month, her fellow artists and other members of the arts community had organised a fund-raising exhibition to raise funds to help with the medical expenses.

Juliana’s practice spanned paintings, installations and performance art. The LASALLE College of the Arts alumni began her career in the `90s as an individual practitioner who often collaborated with others, and also as a member of The Artists Village and Plastic Kinetic Worms (PKW) collectives.

She exhibited and participated in many exhibitions and festivals in Singapore and overseas. As a Muslim female artist of Malay-Chinese descent, issues regarding identity and notions of community figured in her works. In 1999, her first solo show at PKW’s space featured images of her face altered by fellow artists. Another solo show, Kites, Veils And Boarding Passes, in 2007 at PKW (held two months after she was diagnosed with cancer and during which she was undergoing daily chemotherapy sessions) featured veils, cloaks and masks. It included the controversial 2001 work The Veil, a performance at The Substation, where she cloaked herself in black and work Islamic masks from Dubai. “It’s about culture. I think it’s cruel to make women wear this mask. I’m a Muslim, but the Koran doesn’t say you have to veil. That’s a man-made law,” she had said of The Veil in a previous interview with Time Magazine.

Among her recent collaborations was with the Jatiwangi Art Factory in West Java, Indonesia. She co-curated a community art festival with the help of the villagers. And in the Future Of Imagination 6 edition in 2010, she performed with them in Singapore.

In a previous interview with I-S Magazine, she said of her practice: “Collaboration is intrinsic in my art. Even though my formal education is in painting, the academic study of art, coupled with the environments and social realms that I have encountered, have shaped performance as a primary medium I work well with, especially when it comes to communicating with the audience and the versatility of the medium. You get direct responses from the audience and you can interact with them. I like the spontaneity, outcomes, surprises and happenings in live art.”

A Facebook page dedicated to Juliana is currently up here (http://on.fb.me/1vl1bvg), and contains contributions of photographs, messages and anecdotes by friends and fellow artists.
Her presence will be missed not only by friends but Singapore’s art scene as a whole.

“Juliana is an amazing multi-disciplinary artist whose dedication to social and personal issues has been seen in her art practices, earning her great respect and admiration from artists in Singapore and around the world. She has brought Singapore art beyond contemporary definition and beyond our local shores,” said Kenneth Tan of Utterly Art.

Said Yvonne Lee, a close friend and former PKW director:  "Juliana is one who would walk up to anyone and strike a conversation and be comfortable in any situation. She's fiercely loyal to her friends. As an artist, she isn't afraid to explore and her dedication as a performance artist have taken her all over and (made her) respected by many. Unlike many artists, Juliana enjoys working with artists of different disciplines and is always willing to share ideas, and collaborate."

Artist and The Substation artistic director Noor Effendy Ibrahim said: “I’ve known Juliana since the ‘90s with The Artists Village, doing performance art… And she was one of the early voices of Malay women contemporary artists in Singapore. Back in the early 2000s, Teater Ekamatra had a festival at the Substation and we invited Juliana. She did a piece on the issue of the hijab and tudung. Her works were quiet and elegant, but at the same time, a strong critique of many things.”

He added: “A lot of people will agree with me, but her voice and laughter are distinct. She’s unassuming and very giving. There was (already) a sense of loss when she had to stop (her practice) and attend to her condition. I saw her two weeks ago and the smile was still there. That’s the Juliana I know.”