Lhu Wen Kai

Lhu Wen Kai
Lhu Wen Kai.jpeg Lhu Wen Kai.jpeg
Born	(1997-12-18) December 18, 1997 Singapore
🏫 Education	Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Film, Sound, Video 2014-present School of Science and Technology, Singapore, Media Studies, 2010-2013
💼 Occupation	Multimedia Artist Writer Musician
🌐 Website	lhuwenkai.com

Lhu Wen Kai (Chinese: 吕文凯, born 18 December 1997) is an 18-year-old multimedia artist based in Singapore, best known for his spoken word videos and outspoken commentaries on current affairs.

Monologues

"To The Rich Kid Who Complained About Me Complaining"

On 15 September 2015, Lhu uploaded a spoken word video titled "To The Rich Kid Who Complained About Me Complaining" on his Facebook profile in response to elitist statements he had experienced over the post-GE2015 weekend. The video was soon republished on multiple sources, and within 48 hours, the video garnered over half a million combined views. Described as "blunt, but very honest views about the everyday problems faced by everyday Singaporeans", the poem attracted massive controversy and divided opinion among Singaporeans. While most netizens agreed with Lhu's views and commended the poem's content, others described him as an "angry young man" who was "attention seeking and self-centered", claiming the video was a "mildly disguised stab at the elected (ruling) party" filled with "one sided lobs (and) zero truths". Other neutral parties praised the poem for its "purpose, passion, unique tone, commitment and carefully considered (nature)" despite "rhymes that didn't work and a (flawed) rhythm", in which Lhu admitted himself that he was "not exactly the best person to recite this".

In a subsequent interview with Singapore's largest pro-opposition Facebook page Wake Up, Singapore, Lhu was quoted as saying:

"Elitism is dangerous because it creates a divide and disconnection between different groups of people. Not every complaint or frustration stems from a lack of gratitude and gratefulness, and people need to understand that the fact it doesn't happen to them does not make the concerns of others any less valid. Extreme precautions must be taken to ensure we do not foster and cultivate an ignorant society, although its ironic that the government themselves are speaking like so. Singapore is already an increasingly troubled nation; the last thing we need is people tearing each other apart due to social status. They need to realise this isn't the 1800s anymore."

If You Won't Vote For Me

On 6 May 2016, Lhu uploaded a satirical video on his Facebook profile, announcing that "he'll be running for a seat in Parliament". The 6-min film features a campaign speech strung together by elitist and controversial remarks by Singapore politicians. The video was released two days before polling day of the Bukit-Batok 2016 by-election. In less than 12 hours after its release, the video has been viewed over 80,000 times. Unlike his previous, controversial poem "To The Rich Kid Who Complained About Me Complaining", the video was generally well-received by Singapore netizens, with many praising his creativity and powerful use of "satire and sarcasm" to deliver a subtle message. However, others criticised him for quoting things "out of context", saying that Lhu "misconstrued many of their words" and that "quotes without context seems like a hell lot of strawman fallacies", although other users defended him by saying the phrase "taken out of context" is "the rallying cry of every politician that said something really stupid and was made to wish he didn't."

Media Work

Facade: The Back Alley Collective

On the 6th of August 2015, Lhu announced his debut solo photo exhibition titled "Facade: The Back Alley Collective", a series of 13 photographs that "aimed to unwrap the all-is-well but superficial facade of contemporary Singapore, presenting a multi-layered examination that complicates the world’s perception of the city-state". The exhibition was held over a period of three months at local hostel chain 5footway.inn's Project Bugis and was well-received by the local press. A-List, a publication by the National Arts Council, Singapore, commended the exhibition for "pay(ing) homage to the authentic working-class roots amidst a rapidly changing country" and described it as "dense, chaotic, quiet and simplistic all at once". The Singapore Art Gallery Guide described it as "a glimpse into the vibrant, yet rarely examined back alley culture (of Singapore)", while art publication ArtHop praised Lhu’s photographs for "endear(ing) viewers to the spaces without over-romanticising its gritty, raw charm." Student journalist Justin Lai added that “the back alleys in Lhu’s photographs each possess a personality unique to Singapore", while former Lianhe Zaobao journalist Moh Yuen commented that "the writing of the photos' description is absolutely superb.”

Writer / Journalist

Lhu and his articles have been noted to be anti-establishment, with frequent criticisms of the government's decisions and policies, both national and abroad. He has expressed disapproval over the government's anti-gay 377A law, "questionable" development of the sports, music and arts scenes, handling of tragedies by the Singapore Armed Forces, and the commemoration activities after the death of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew among others. In a debate hosted on alternative media network Inconvenient Questions, Lhu remarked to Minister for Manpower and the Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin that:

Despite all the fancy terms (the government comes up with for its sporting initiatives)... the education (climate) in Singapore is just not practical to nurture sporting talents. The schooling hours are (too) long with compulsory remedial lessons. One of my friends, his school hours are from 7.30 in the morning to 9.30 at night. The timetable is unhealthy, and with the lack of competitions and follow-up, (the government is) sending out the wrong signal. You will still produce the athletes, but your talent pool will shrink.

Lhu has also written editorials that goes the public opinion, most notably of the Ahmed Mohamed clock incident, in which he labeled the teenager as a "fraud" and those who supported him as "slacktivists who pander towards the common conception without bothering to comprehend the bigger picture." A fierce critic of social media consumption habits and political correctness, he has detailed in a post how "social media (habits) has ruined (people's) life" and that "social media pulls people apart, despite its humble intention to bring people together." In another entry, he lambasted the hypocrisy of fashion label terms and called out people who uses the word "beautiful to describe others, even though they didn't mean it", stating "If someone isn’t pleasing to another one’s eyes, surely it is hypocritical to suggest that they are beautiful, at least on a peripheral level?" In yet another controversial article, Lhu also criticised teenagers who don't know their ambitions or future goals, saying that:

“It’s never too late to follow your dreams” is nothing more than an over-romanticised idea meant to give people a small glimmer of hope, or in some cases, an excuse to make them feel better about themselves.

Lhu is a freelance lifestyle photojournalist for the largest lifestyle blog in Singapore, TheSmartLocal.com. He had written an undercover Singapore hostel guide, a Malaysian food trail guide, and was involved in a bizarre assignment in which he sourced for the best Char Kway Teow in Singapore by reportedly eating only CKT for a week. On his personal blog, he has published numerous location and food guides, and has also written an exposé on the tactics supermarkets employ to make customers spend more.

Filmmaking

Despite his anti-establishment views, Lhu has ironically edited a video for the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, during his trip to Lhu's alma mater. An Apple Certified Professional in Final Cut Pro X, he was also involved in other documentary productions for various non-profit organisations, and was the director of "School 125", a 12-min documentary commissioned by WorldSkills Foundation and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials following four international teams on their mission to install clean sanitation facilities for a municipal school in Nashik, India. "Unreal", a micro-documentary he edited, was an official selection at the 6th Singapore Short Film Awards.

Piano Mashups

In December 2015, Lhu released a piano mashup of Hu Xia's Those Years and Hebe Tien's Xiao Xing Yun, the theme songs of box-office record setting Taiwanese films You Are The Apple of My Eye and Our Times respectively. While the video of his piano cover failed to attract considerable attention, receiving only 3,000 views till date, the song fared much better on Spotify, peaking at #1 on Singapore's Viral 50 charts. The song peaked at #97 and #185 respectively on Spotify's Taiwanese and Hong Kong charts, and has since been streamed over 250,000 times.

On 29th April, Lhu released his sophomore mashup with Gummy (singer)'s You Are My Everything and Yoon Mi-rae's Always. Titled "You Are My Everything, Always", both songs originated from South Korea's hugely popular romance drama, Descendants of the Sun. A day after its release, the song peaked at #165 on Spotify's Taiwanese Top 200 charts.

Personal life

Lhu graduated from the School of Science and Technology, Singapore as part of the pioneer batch in 2013, and is currently studying filmmaking at The School of Film and Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He was formerly a contributing columnist for British online magazine WhatCulture, and referee with the Football Association of Singapore.

External links

• Official Website

References

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