In less than 15 mins, I received a chirpy call from veronica requesting that I send to her the files for the artworks. I found this rather strange since I did attach the works while applying for the license, but I sent them to her anyway. I also told her that some of the works are in progress, and I would send them as soon as I got hold of them. She told me it's ok.

On 7th July, Veronica called me again asking for the files, and it was then that I realised that I had mispelled her email address, and sent her the files again.

On 21st July, I received an email from Nosabariah regarding the art exhibition, which I quote below.

Dear Meng Ee

We refer to your application for the above exhibition. We have some queries on the exhibition which we hope you can help address. Based on the pictures which you sent in your email below, we don't see how these are related to the "National Day" theme as mentioned in your application. Can I check with you if the exhibition will include other exhibits which do touch on the "National Day" theme? If yes, please forward the pictures of those. Perhaps also, you could elaborate further as to how all the pictures/exhibits serve the theme of the exhibition.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks and rgds

Norsabariah Tubi
Arts Media Content Division

I replied to them with the following on the 21st July

Hi Ms Norsabariah

I don't recall putting in national day as the theme of the exhibition, but rather the national anthem - the sama sama portion.

I am still waiting for the rest of the artists to complete their works at the moment to send you more of them - I think there are about 4-5 works outstanding presently.

One is a set of 20-25 photographs - showing faces of people.

to which i got this reply on the 25th July

Hi Meng Ee

Thanks for your email.

Sorry for the misinterpretation. I guess what made me conclude such a theme is the fact that the exhibition is going to be held "in conjunction with National Day"!

Anyway, we would be grateful if you could send us the rest of the pictures of the exhibits as soon as possible.

Best regards

Sabariah

on the 27th July, I sent the following email

Hi Norsabariah/ Veronica

Sorry for the late update. The artists are still completing the works, but I have some attached.

Attached pics are for art installation called "the same sh*t" and the series called "sama beza"

Below are the additional artists xxxxxx

Do you require all the art pieces to be submitted before the license is approved? I am rushing the artists, but I am not sure if I can get it in time.

regards Meng Ee

on the same day, I followed up with another email

Hi Norsabariah/ Veronica

I have the final 2 pictures. Please let me know asap regarding the license. Thanks!

regards Meng Ee

I wrote to them again on 28th July since it was already Friday, and the exhibition was supposed to start on Tuesday, with the weekend coming, I needed to get approval soon.

Hi Norsabariah/Veronica

Any updates on the license approval?

thanks! Meng Ee

to which i got a tentative reply

Hi Meng Ee

Thanks for your emails and for sending the pictures. We are processing your application. Will revert to you on the decision soon.

Rgds

Sabariah

Knowing the possibility that they may not approve the license application, we moved into plan b - put up all the works, but if we didn't get the license, we will cover the works with black cloth.

I received a called from MDA at about 4:45pm on 1st August (opening night) informing me that the license was approved, and that I was to go to MDA to collect it before 5:30pm

When I was making payment, Nicole Ong and Amy Chua brought me to a room to have a chat. They pointed out that my application was approved, with a R(A)18 rating, and the following pictures from sh!tology to be removed.

1. photos of the 2 girls 

2. photo of the girl in school uniform 

3. photo of the guy in police uniform 

4. photo of the guy in hua chong junior college basketball singlet.

I told them that I understand there may be a law against the police uniform, but asked what was wrong about the school uniform? Amy replied that the organisation may find the pictures offensive and objectionable. I then asked, what if I blocked out the logo from the basketball singlet, and they considered, and they said if the logo was removed, they are ok. Then I asked, the schoolgirl was not wearing any badge, so it could apply to any school, and the reply was that any of the school could have complained. I left it at that.

I was handed a note which read:

All pictures which are sexually suggestive or which may be offensive to particular institutions e.g. schools, police, etc are to be excluded from the exhibition.

Amy asked me if I was opening the show tonight, and I told her yes, and invited her down, and she said she would try to make it.

I went back and we pasted red and white cloth over the offensive photos, and used red cloth to cover the hua chong junior college logo.

The next day, 2nd August, Nicole and Amy dropped by around 3pm, and they gave me a call, saying that they are very disappointed and wanted me to be there at the exhibition. I was in office and I couldn't make it, so I told them that I had a gallery sitter who can handle the situation.

I told them that we had covered up the pictures that were offensive and they said that the pictures were not to be put up at all. they pointed out that there was no sign saying that the exhibition was rated R(A)18 - a sign that I put up the during the opening which was probably removed by someone thereafter.

They also asked us to remove the following photos:

1. photos of the 2 girls 

2. photo of the girl in school uniform 

3. photo of the guy in police uniform 

4. photo of the guy in hua chong junior college basketball singlet 

5. photos of the 2 guys with bananas and milk

I told them that we had already covered up the hua chong junior college logo, and they pointed out that on the left side of the chest, there was another logo, then I was went "what? isn't that the logo of a BRAND?" nevertheless, I was told to remove that photo as their understanding was that the logos (including the no. 5) were all to be digitally and the photo reprinted.

Upon their return to their office they called me again, saying that they needed to send me a letter. I told them they can send me via email, but they said they had to courier it over. so I gave them my office address, and they couriered the letter the next day (3 August).

* * * * *

I do not believe that sh!tology was meant to offend any institution. rather, the idea was to put all of us on a common denominator - going to the loo is something all of us do every day, unless we're constipated. Sam Woo, the artist, said that going with the theme sama-sama, what we have in common is death, which is a rather dark subject, and shitting, which is a rather light subject.

Showing a policeman taking a dump isn't to say that the police force is full of shit -- it's showing that the man in uniform is human like any one of us. Is that so difficult to understand?

I have checked -- there are laws on use of the uniform -- but nothing on pictorial depictions (under the Decorations and Uniforms Act). Should the MDA act on behalf of these institutions? Shouldn't it be the other way around -- that the institutions make their complaints against the picture, then they step in to mediate? So if I find the depiction of GLBT in some media objectionable, they should ask them to remove it as well?

Approving the license does not mean that the MDA endorses the work. Rather, the MDA should be rating the work so that the appropriate audience who can appreciate the work be allowed to view the work (of course, within the boundaries of the law - hence pornography is a no-no)