In celebration of Singapore’s 60th year of independence, The Private Museum is proud to present The Art of Lee Boon Ngan: Celebrating 60 Years of Singapore through the Love of Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan, a landmark exhibition honouring the love and legacy of two Singaporeans who have dedicated their lives to art and nation.
While her husband, Cultural Medallion recipient Chua Mia Tee, is widely recognised for his contributions to Singapore’s national visual identity through his realist paintings, Lee remained the steadfast and quiet strength of the family as a wife and mother—while continuing to pursue her practice, and secured her spot alongside Chua as an artist in her own right. This exhibition centres her story, highlighting her unwavering commitment to her practice across decades, a profound devotion to artistic expression and excellence while finding fulfilment in her role meeting needs and nurturing familial bonds.
This exhibition is a poignant tribute to dedication and resilience, featuring rarely seen portraits of their children and grandchildren, offering a unique biographical window into the private world of a family bound by art. Alongside a selection of Chua’s renowned landscape paintings and portraits of public figures, the exhibition presents a series of Lee’s exquisite flower paintings she was widely lauded for—a visual realisation of their shared sensibilities, rooted in their passion for realist art, and a quiet reverence for our country.
From glimpses of their shared studio space to works that speak of everyday affection, this presentation harmonises two monumental figures and foregrounds the often invisible labour of love behind art. As Singapore reflects on 60 years of independence, this exhibition reminds us that nation-building is not only about grand gestures, but also the tender, often uncelebrated choices that shape lives and legacies.
This exhibition marks the third instalment in The Private Museum’s exciting lineup of programmes for 2025.
The exhibition will run from 10 July to 21 September 2025.
The Private Museum is delighted to present Love Connects: My Life in Dance by Goh Soo Khim, a book launch accompanied by a special exhibition that offers a glimpse into her journey in dance, her artistic influences, and her enduring legacy in the cultural landscape in Singapore.
Cultural Medallion recipient Goh Soo Khim is a pioneering figure whose influence extends far beyond the stage. As co-founder of the Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT), now known as Singapore Ballet, the doyenne has shaped the landscape of dance in Singapore, nurturing generations of dancers.
Her memoir, as told by Phan Ming Yen, traces a life in motion—chronicling the triumphs, sacrifices, and the devotion that have defined her life in dance and beyond. In dialogue with the book, the exhibition explores vignettes of life-long relationships forged through art and poignant moments from her time with SDT.
The exhibition presents a series of photographs by Robin PE Chee and Tan Ngiap Heng, long-time photographers who have documented SDT’s performances for decades—alongside an intimate selection of works from her private collection, featuring renowned and established artists whose works resonate with her journey. Through the lens of photography and the visual arts, it highlights the artistic collaborations, shared influences, and her enduring love for the arts.
At the heart of both the book and the exhibition is a singular theme—love. Love, in its purest form, is the driving force behind all that Goh Soo Khim has built: the communities she has nurtured, the dancers she has inspired, and the legacy she continues to shape.
The exhibition will run from 21 March to 13 April 2025.
About the Author
Co-founder and Artistic Director of Singapore’s first professional dance company, Singapore Dance Theatre, Goh Soo Khim (b.1944, Singapore) is a highly respected figure in Singapore’s dance scene and has been closely associated with the development of ballet in Singapore. Hailing from a family of well-known dancers, teachers and choreographers, Goh first trained at the Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA) before becoming the first Asian to be admitted to the Australian Ballet School in 1964. She assumed leadership of SBA in 1971 and was actively involved in the dance scene as educator, dancer and choreographer throughout the 1970s and 1980s culminating in the founding of the Singapore Dance Theatre in 1988. Goh was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1981 and the National Day Public Service Medal in 1989 for her contributions to dance. She was also named Her World magazine’s Woman of the Year in 2008. Goh was inducted to the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
In conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2025, The Private Museum is proud to present Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story – Selections from the Collection of Richard Koh. This exhibition marks the second showcase of Richard Koh’s evolving journey as a collector and gallerist, showcasing over 50 works from his personal collection. This new selection of works reflects an evolving journey that continues to resonate with new meanings in The Private Museum’s expansive space at the Osborne House.
Building upon the narrative of the first instalment in 2019—held at the museum’s former home at 51 Waterloo Street—the second instalment expands the scope of Koh’s deeply personal collection. The first showcase offered an intimate glimpse into Koh’s collection—emphasising monochromatic, abstract, and landscape works that reflected quiet introspection. Now, Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story continues to unfold a collection rich in personal meaning—presenting works that trace Koh’s decades-long interactions with art and the artists he admires.
Collected with a focus on memory and emotion, Koh’s private collection spans Southeast Asia and beyond, blending local, regional, and global perspectives. This exhibition deepens the dialogue between art and life, revealing Koh’s ongoing exploration of what he calls a “visual diary”—works that evoke deeply personal moments and emotions.
As both a collector and the founder of Richard Koh Fine Art, Richard Koh has played a pivotal role in shaping and contributing towards the art ecology in Southeast Asia. This collaboration with Richard Koh underscores the collective effort and dedication towards fostering meaningful exchanges between artists, collectors, the arts communities, and audiences from all walks of life.
Kickstarting the Museum’s 2025 programme, Of Dreams and Contemplation: I am All but a Story invites all to explore the richness of art and discover how collections can tell deeply personal stories. As Richard Koh aptly states, “Art, in any collection, should have its own story,” inspiring audiences to embark on their own journey of collecting and storytelling through art.
The exhibition will be run from 9 January to 9 March 2025.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
The Private Museum Singapore is pleased to present Déjà Vu: When the Sun Rises in the West, an evocative exhibition featuring the works of renowned Thai artist Natee Utarit. In continuation of the first exhibition at Silpakorn University in 2022 commemorating the artist’s return to his alma mater, this historic exhibition now journeys to Singapore, bringing with it a new myriad of selections from local and regional private collections.
Initiated in 2019, the Déjà Vu series proposes an alternative interpretation of history by reframing Western classical knowledge alongside Eastern and Buddhist concepts. This exhibition presents a hypothesis of a reimagined space and time, encouraging the audience to consider scenarios of “what if”—how different historical events might have altered our socio-cultural present. The Déjà Vu series draws inspiration from the artist’s experience in Naples, where a chance encounter with a marble sculpture at the Museo Archeologico sparked a profound connection. This moment of Déjà vu merged memories of Thailand’s Walking Buddha with the classical Western figure, leading the artist to probe further into the intersections between Eastern and Western cultures.
Natee Utarit’s exploration through the series is deeply personal, yet it resonates with universal themes of memory, identity, and culture. Through a diverse array of mediums—including painting, sculpture, embroidery, stained glass, and woodcut—the works serve as a reminder that history is not linear, but cyclical; that the past, present, and future are constantly intertwined in ways that shape our perceptions of the world. By challenging the boundaries of historical plausibility, the exhibition offers viewers a space to consider the possibilities that emerge when traditional narratives are turned on their heads, symbolically represented by the paradoxical notion of the sun rising in the west.
Déjà vu: When the Sun Rises in the West is the final instalment of The Private Museum’s 2024 programming—offering a fitting closure to a year of diverse artistic and cultural exploration. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Richard Koh Fine Art.
The exhibition will be run from 18 October to 8 December 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
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The Private Museum is pleased to present As One Thing Flows To Another, curated by guest curator Ng Hui Hsien. The exhibition reimagines culture, heritage, and traditions in contemporary contexts—connecting an expansive range of artistic forms through multidisciplinary collaborations. It explores the works of eight visual artists, and features special collaborations with leading Singaporean music charity, The TENG Company as well as Photographer and Author, Dr Chua Yang, daughter of Cultural Medallion recipient Chua Mia Tee. The exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of The TENG Company and the launch of the second book in the Women Inspiring Women series by Dr Chua Yang.
As One Thing Flows To Another explores the eight graces within Chinese culture: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea. Each of these elements carries a long history and profound philosophies in Chinese culture, evoking images of leisure, serenity, and refinement. Historically, they served as cultural capital, conferring status on practitioners within the realm of the literati. During ancient China, the term “six arts” developed to encapsulate some of these elements, and later, the term “four arts” emerged. In more recent times, the umbrella term “eight graces” is used.
Such observations highlight the creative evolution of language and culture. Embracing the idea of change and departing from a historical understanding, As One Thing Flows To Another reimagines the eight graces in our contemporary context, drawing inspiration from their modern associations. In this exhibition, artworks intertwine and diverge in their characteristics, forming loose and free connections that weave together broad themes of nature, everyday life, and nationhood in contemporary times.
As One Thing Flows To Another invites visitors to experience moments of inspiration, humour, and contemplation, aiming to foster a renewed appreciation for the fluidity of cultural elements and the bending of conventions that shape our world.
The exhibition will be run from 10 August to 22 September 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
In celebration of the museum’s first anniversary at the Osborne House, The Private Museum is proud to present Strange Connections: Art and Architecture by Richard Hassell. Renowned as the founding director of WOHA Architects, Richard Hassell played a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s new chapter within the historic building.
In May 2023, The Private Museum officially received the keys to the Osborne House, situated atop the hill at 11 Upper Wilkie Road. The century-old house has endured the passage of time, its walls echoing stories. From its colonial-era beginnings as a residence to hosting a myriad of occupants from different historical periods, and now a haven for the arts, the house is a vessel that encapsulates countless narratives.
The exhibition explores the intricate relationship between art and architecture, delving into the historical narratives of Osborne House dating back to the 1830s. As part of research for the museum’s reimagining, Hassell discovered strange connections between the building’s history and his own. The showcase reflects his ongoing investigation into emergent phenomena through playful visual constructions, encouraging contemplation of the interplay between the physical and the abstract, and the historical and the contemporary.
Hassell’s explorations in art began in his childhood, with his practice now spanning drawing, painting, and sculpture. His passion for the scientific, philosophical, and cultural elements of patterns, systems, and networks manifests in both his architecture and art. In particular, his exploration of complex tiling, made public in 2016, had led to exhibitions in Singapore, Taiwan, Europe and the USA.
Strange Connections invites visitors to an exhibition of art and architecture that delves into history, science, and the web of connections that link us all.
The exhibition will be run from 30 May to 28 July 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
As part of Singapore Art Week 2024, The Private Museum Singapore is delighted to present Chronic Compulsions: Selected Works from Art Addicts Anonymous, an exhibition showcasing the groundbreaking collaboration between a local private museum, private collectors and seasoned curators.
This unique exhibition marks the 10th anniversary of the formation of Art Addicts Anonymous—a collectors’ circle that has evolved from a casual gathering of art lovers into a strong community of collectors who want to share their passion for art with society at large.
Chronic Compulsions unveils a remarkable selection of over 40 modern and contemporary works from 15 participating collections from Singapore, each piece bearing a personal connection to its collector.
As we celebrate a decade of passion and purpose, this exhibition is testament to the timeless nature of art and its transformative power. It represents the synergies between The Private Museum, Art Addicts Anonymous, and the arts community, injecting value and vibrancy into the Singapore art scene.
The exhibition will be run from 11 January to 24 March 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is delighted to present Rhythmic Resonance: A Collaboration Beyond Boundaries By Andy Yang & Ian de Souza showcasing works from Australian artist Ian de Souza and Singaporean artist Andy Yang.
This exhibition explores themes of collaboration, cultural exchange, and artistic cross-pollination, drawing from de Souza and Yang’s respective practices. Notably, their collaboration began during the pandemic when they exchanged and worked on a series of shared canvases between Singapore and Australia, forging an artistic connection without ever meeting in person. Upon the reopening of borders after the pandemic, Andy Yang’s visits to Fremantle in Perth, where Ian de Souza resides, marked significant turning points in their collaboration.
Their backgrounds in the world of music allowed them to appreciate the intricate interplay of rhythm and harmony. This musical connection echoed in their collaborative artistic process, where they approached their canvases like a dynamic composition, blending colours and brushstrokes like notes in a harmonious symphony.
Beyond their shared artistic interests, the two artists discovered an even deeper connection rooted in their common origins. Both Ian and Andy were born in Malaysia, which provided a profound sense of shared cultural heritage and identity.
Alongside the showcase of their respective artworks, the exhibition also features a series of unique collaborative artworks jointly created by both artists. Experience how meaningful exchanges can transform artistic practice, and be inspired by de Souza and Yang’s journey of collaboration, partnership, and creative growth.
The exhibition will be run from 2 November to 10 December 2023.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is pleased to present Dancing with the Cosmos: Three Decades of Work from Kumari Nahappan, a solo exhibition surveying prominent Singaporean artist Kumari Nahappan’s three-decade-long artistic practice, curated by John Z.W. Tung. This showcase will be the first of the museum’s upcoming line-up of programmes at its new premise, featuring over 50 works which include Nahappan’s monumental site-specific installations, paintings and sculptures, some of which are re-creations of past iterations that have not been seen by the public since the mid-1990s.
Inspired by the Hindu cosmological notion of cyclical time, Dancing with the Cosmos organises the artworks not chronologically but by colour, allowing visitors to witness the diverse yet interconnected nature of Nahappan’s practice. Nature, rituals, time and space are themes that have long been part of Nahappan’s works and are also encapsulated throughout the exhibition. Each intimate space reflects specific colours that take prominence at various periods of Nahappan’s practice, representative of a diversity of themes and a recurrence of Nahappan’s interests over an expanse of time.
Characterised by constant evolution, Nahappan’s varied employment of materiality from organic matter to man-made structures and found objects breathes new life into her pieces, allowing them to transcend two-dimensional visuality and engage with the senses on multiple levels. Immersing in Nahappan’s fields of colour, Dancing with the Cosmos: Three Decades of Work from Kumari Nahappan allows visitors to contend with the existence of these countless universes and their cycles.
The exhibition will be run from 31 August to 22 October 2023.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
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The Private Museum Singapore is pleased to present Make Yourself at Home: A Glimpse into All Welcoming Scenarios, an exhibition at a special interim location, a private residence, since it moved out of its previous home. Having been preparing for its relocation to 11 Upper Wilkie Road, it was also a time for introspection, ruminating on what it means to be ‘The Private Museum’.
The conceptualisation of the exhibition began in part as an existential query into the meaning behind why The Private Museum was founded, and continues to pose similar questions to the public through a multi-focal approach. The exhibition is carved into two parts that correspond to the disciplines of art and design, offering a glimpse of the museum’s upcoming programmes at its new home, which is projected for its inaugural launch in the second half of 2023, on top of its ongoing developments in design and branding.
Revisiting the museum’s key platforms, the exhibition features selected works and practices by artists from Singapore and the Asia Pacific such as Kumari Nahappan, Natee Utarit, Ian de Souza, Andy Yang, and independent curator John Tung. Within the design and branding presentation are an interactive and research-driven showcase presented in collaboration with local design studio Currency as well as a dollhouse model of the museum’s new home, designed by the award-winning WOHA Architects, and produced by Integrus Model.
Drawing from the philosopher Jacques Derrida’s ethics of hospitality, Make Yourself at Home is a double entendre that not only reflects the roots of the museum as a hosting ground for open collaboration with art practitioners and home for private collections, but also the ‘hospitality’ that is shown when a host welcomes guests into their living abode or art space. The locale of the exhibition being in a home is itself an enactment of one such welcoming scenario, serving as an apt reminder of the importance of patronage.
“In order to constitute the space of a habitable house and a home, you also need an opening, a door and windows… a passage to the outside world / to the stranger” says Derrida of hospitality. The exhibition invites viewers to embark on their journey of reflection—whether as a first-time visitor or a devoted museum-goer—to really consider what the words ‘The’ ‘Private’ ‘Museum’ put together as an entity in the arts eco-system could be for them.
This exhibition will run from 7 January to 26 March 2023.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
To Add a Meter to an Unknown Mountain: An Iconic Collection of Contemporary Chinese Photography features the works of four Chinese artists whose bold, conceptual art challenges the conservative society that they grew up in. As internationally renowned artists, CangXin, Ma Liuming, Liu Wei, and Zhan Wang are all important figures in the rising contemporary Chinese art scene that is taking the world by storm. In their respective styles, each of these contemporary Chinese artists expresses social critiques of the world as they see it. From the impermanent state of human actions to the harmony between nature and mankind, the photography in this exhibition highlights the relationships between man and nature, new and old, and modernity and tradition. In a rapidly urbanizing world, their work serves to capture significant moments of interaction between two starkly different worlds.
The Private Museum presents ZUL: SONICALLY EXPOSED, a new body of works created over the past 3 years since ZUL’s last solo exhibition in 2010. The established Singaporean sound artist will be presenting nine sound-reliefs, four sound sculptures, a sound installation and sketches, which are part of his working process, for the first time.
ZUL was formally trained as a sculptor and ventured into sound in 2006, creating multi-disciplinary works that combine visual and sound. He has conceptualized sound installations that define the denuded sense that few dare to explore. The artworks are bare; fixated on the amorphous medium produced. Each artwork also produces a different experience with the integration of the audience.
In conjunction with Kitakyushu Biennial 2015 The Fifth, The Private Museum presents the 3rd Kitakyushu Biennial in Singapore: KIMI KIM JALAN JALAN: TAKUJI KOGO + YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES. The exhibition consists of several collaborative artworks using multiple screens by international acclaimed artists, Takuji Kogo (Japan) and Korean based art duo, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, made up by Young-Hae Chang (Korea) and Marc Voge (USA).
The highlight of the exhibition is KIMI KIM JALAN JALAN, an anime inspired multilingual satirical monologue made in Japanese, Korean and English through the collaboration of the artists’ cultural backgrounds. Inspired by the multilingualism in Singapore, this narrative consists of fragments of images, sounds and texts of Singapore, performed in the style of an ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). KIMI KIM JALAN JALAN is a collaboration specially produced for this exhibition.
STATEMENTS is a collaborative piece created with text animations of the World War II surrender speech by the Japanese Emperor Shōwa, combined with the audio segment of Michael Jackson’s declaration countering accusations of child molestation in 1993. The project was first shown at the Kitakyushu Biennial 2007 and Metro Pictures, New York, in 2013, and at the Kiev Biennial 2015.
KITAKYUSHU BIENNIAL 2015 THE FIFTH is the 5th Kitakyushu Biennial, a bi-annual exhibition organized by the Art Institute Kitakyushu and directed by *CANDY FACTORY PROJECTS, a Japanese based platform for international collaborative multimedia based art projects curated by Takuji Kogo. This year, the Kitakyushu Biennial travels from Berlin to Sweden, Japan and finally Singapore at The Private Museum.
The web project will launch at the KITAKYUSHU BIENNIAL 2015 THE FIFTH
The Private Museum is proud to present LINES, a group exhibition which celebrates the museum’s new initiative, the emerging artist platform to support and encourage the development of emerging artistic talents in Singapore.
A manifestation of ongoing conversations between the 8 emerging artists and the curators, LINES features painting, print-making, photography, video art and installation. While exploring the idea of distinctions, the spoken exchanges probe into themes of cultural ideologies, social landscapes, identities and the human psyche. The exhibition encapsulates the nuances of the artists’ thoughts and processes through their works.
Featuring new works by Ben Yap, Brenn Tan, Izzy Tan, Jackson Kang, Odelia Tang, Quinn Lum, Rafi Abdullah and Tristan Lim.
In celebration of Singapore’s 52nd anniversary of independence, The Private Museum is proud to present Benny Ong: Walking the Thought. This solo exhibition marks the first showcase of works by the renowned fashion designer and textile artist, Benny Ong at The Private Museum.
Along with other textile works centred on Buddhist themes, the exhibition revisits a series of Ong’s older works from his inaugural textile exhibition titled, Re-woven: A Celebration of Lives opened at the Singapore Arts Museum a decade ago. Ong’s artistic practice traces back to the roots of his spiritual. The body of textile works is a reflection of the artist’s interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings based on inner contemplation, peace, dualism, compassion and meditation.
Although the series of textile works was inspired by the values and teachings of Buddhism, the exhibition reveals a deeper layer of Ong’s artistic practice. Through the use of succinct imagery, Ong bridges his spiritual beliefs with art making— compelling the viewer to get a closer glimpse of the thought process behind his artistic practice.
The Private Museum is pleased to present You, Other; I, Another, a group exhibition curated by Dr Susie Lingham. This marks The Private Museum’s new initiative in collaborating with Guest Curators to facilitate and support independent and experimental curatorial practice, and to present different perspectives on our world. The exhibition will feature works by nine artists including Regina De Rozario, Mithun Jayaram, Mumtaz Maricar, Siew Kee Liong, Leroy Sofyan, Vincent Twardzik Ching, Victor Emmanuel, Susie Wong and Yeo Chee Kiong.
Relation is reciprocity. My You acts on me as I act on it. […] Inscrutably involved, we live in the currents of universal reciprocity. *
To and from every I there is a You, a They, a We, an Us, an Other. To whom is another, Other? Or is it more precise to say: when is the other Other to another? Otherness is an oscillation; is in oscillation. The binary-dynamic of finding the self in the other has always been tipped at moments, and shifts to finding the other in the self—recognising difference within oneself is ongoing, and unnerving, for every ‘I’.
Within the structures of any society, how is the other conditioned into being ‘Other’? How is otherness represented? Who represents otherness? In what way do we feel ‘other’, and how do we feel for and with ‘the other’ who differs from our self-sensed otherness? The Other demarcates the line of belonging; what we identify against.
The Other fascinates; confounds; is feared and rejected; is reviled; is ignored, dismissed; is mistreated, marginalised, alienated; is tolerated. Then again, some specimens of otherness are denied even ‘existence’ because quite anomalous, and uncategorisable: perhaps the Other is a Hydra, not a community.
Otherness differentiates on a spectrum of ‘difference’—in kind, by degree, by decree, by choice, inevitably. In You, Other; I, Another, nine artists’ works diverge off various individual realities of lived Otherness, or concepts of difference—expressed in diverse materialities and modes. From the rhythms of the natural world to the measures of culture and custom, and stemming from the personal, the familial to societal—all manner of Other manifest here reciprocally, “inscrutably involved.”
___________________________________________________ * Martin Buber, I and Thou, trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Touchstone, 1996), p 67.
In conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2019, The Private Museum is pleased to present Of Dreams and Contemplation: Selections from the Collection of Richard Koh. As part of The Private Museum’s Collector Platform, this exhibition features contemporary works of international artists from the private art collection of veteran gallerist, Richard Koh of Richard Koh Fine Art.
Presented as a whole for the first time, this is the inaugural showcase of 33 carefully-selected artworks from Koh’s collection spanning more than 20 years. A gallerist by profession, Koh’s distinctive way of collecting is informed by his quiet reflection and interactions with the art world. This collection is an exploration of his journey in the world of art and life, in public and in private, within Southeast Asia and internationally.
Of Dreams and Contemplation reflects a multitude of Koh’s ruminations, personalities and interests through the works of 30 artists. Often referred by Koh as ‘Landscapes of Memory’, each work evokes a specific memory, a tangible reminder of a fleeting moment in his life. Mostly abstract and monochromatic, the works offer rare insights into Richard Koh’s private contemplations—inviting the viewer to interpret and delve deeper.
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2019, The Private Museum (TPM) is pleased to present From Lost Roots to Urban Meadows by Singapore-based artists, Madhvi Subrahmanian and Nandita Mukand. As part of TPM’s Women Artists series, this joint exhibition follows the most recent developments of the artists’ practices, featuring installation and sculptural works informed by their ongoing explorations into nature and how it responds to our everyday life in the city.
Subrahmanian reflects on the fluid interconnectedness of nature and urban cultures. Bringing together conceptual and sensory experiences, her works are often participatory and/or immersive in nature. Her contemplative process attempts to trace the imprints of the intangible through her investigations into city structures, space layouts, archaeological sites and the displacement of objects by shape-shifting shadows. Drawing upon her interest in metaphysics and its abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, space; and neuroplasticity, Mukand’s practice observes the deep intricacies of nature, mingled and merged with the working of the urban mind. Through the amalgamation of synthetic and organic materials, her works ruminate upon citified mindsets and illuminate urban veils that separate us from nature.
Through the inquisitive lens of both the artists, From Lost Roots to Urban Meadows seeks to challenge our perceptions of nature and life – inviting the viewer to delve deeper and engage in new conversations about our urban existence—with or without—nature.
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is pleased to present Repeat, Repeat, Repeat; revising the phenomenon of printing—a group exhibition curated by Zaki Razak. This marks the second edition of the TPM Guest Curator series—collaborating with Guest Curators to facilitate and support independent and experimental curatorial practice, and to present different perspectives on our world. The exhibition will feature works by seven artists including Miguel Chew, Weixin Chong, Mona Choo, Urich Lau, Nadia Oh, Shin-Young Park, and Yeo Shih Yun.
There have been numerous exhibitions based on traditional printing methods and the expanded practice of artists who adopted painterly approaches; explored a certain degree of experimentation; challenged the convention in what is permissible; and demonstrated sophisticated control of process. What seems more substantial is the repeating pattern of thematic exhibitions, which emphasized on the possibilities of print. There seems to be a similar sentiment towards an often-repeated source, the rockstar of printmaking, Albrecht Dürer. His works are the first to be considered the most refined and celebrated due to their meticulous and dynamic forms which never fail to feed on our sight.
One definite consensus made is not to realise a medium-based approach exhibition but to break open the closed system of perception of printmaking and to instil a point of discussion on the phenomenon of printing; responding to the essence of the tradition or the emergence of the mechanism of multiplication and repetition; the context of its evolution and revolution; and what its consequences are in this day and age. The artists’ visual responses in forms and formation are meant to be symbolic visual cues to the journey of printing towards a knowledgeable ascent—to bring a certain degree of consciousness. What was before and after the invention of the Gutenberg printing machine and how did printed matter change or affect the human condition?
The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is pleased to present I am a CON artist: Continuous Contemplations of Justin Lee. The exhibition is a special collaboration between artist, collector and space, locating itself in two spaces with a main exhibition and special showcase happening in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2021.
Alongside a selection of past works from The Teng Collection, a new body of works will also be exhibited, building upon Justin Lee’s continuous contemplations on his identity as an artist and member of civil society. The artist employs visual and cultural references to provide social commentary on the perennial issues of consumerism and individualism, which in today’s digital age of instant gratifications and everyday glorifications become exponentially magnified.
Composed of paintings, text-based artefacts, performance and interactive art installation, the exhibition confronts its audience not only with the ceaseless forces of rapid globalisation and hyper digitalisation, but also challenges them to examine their individual complicity in glorifying and immortalising one’s self in the everyday.
Through this special collaboration, TPM expands beyond its scope as a home for private collectors by merging its artist and collector platforms to present the interconnectedness and intimate relationships that form between artists, collectors, art spaces, and their audiences.
Featuring Justin Lee’s monumental installations from The Teng Collection, the one-week special showcase reflects the artist’s expanding oeuvre that explores the themes of identity and socio-cultural norms in Singapore across a variety of mediums. The showcase forms part of the exhibition I am a CON artist: Continuous Contemplations of Justin Lee, happening in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2021.
In conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2020, The Private Museum (TPM) Singapore is pleased to present Emerging: Collecting Singapore Contemporary – Selections from the DUO Collection. As part of TPM’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the museum revisits its foundation of bridging the private and the public; this exhibition is the first in a series of five featuring an array of private collections in Singapore.
The DUO, whose collectors prefer to remain anonymous, started building their collection five years ago with a focus to support emerging artists in Singapore and Southeast Asia, though they have been collecting widely for more than a decade.
Emerging is the inaugural showcase of selected works collected in the past five years featuring 16 Singapore-based artists. These works reflect some of Singapore’s emerging urgencies in recent years by responding to themes of identity, migration, urbanisation, the environment, places and spaces. The exhibition seeks not only to stimulate new conversations on Singapore contemporary art through the lens of private collectors, but also to expand on their role in the art eco-system as imperative patrons of the arts.
“Building, structure, edifice. Home, office, organisation. Community, city, country. Shelter, safety, comfort. Identity, memory, history. 99-year lease, freehold, 3+3+3, Master Plan.”
The Private Museum Singapore (TPM) is pleased to present 3+3+3: On Condition—a group exhibition curated by Andrea Fam. This marks the third edition of TPM’s Guest Curator Platform—collaborating with guest curators to support and experiment with independent curatorial practice through the presentation of different perspectives of our world. This interdisciplinary exhibition will feature both new and ongoing works by five artists and architects including artist duo Finbarr Fallon & Claire Goh, Geraldine Kang, Michael Lee, Mervin Loh and Isabella Teng Yen Lin.
Our governing bodies, architects, invisible labour, civilians, new and temporary residents have seamlessly infused their own histories and intimate memories into the foundational and poignant blueprints of our small island nation. Borrowing its namesake from the commercial lease agreement under the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), 3+3+3 explores these unseen psycho-spatial associations and the complexities of our urban planning while musing on the ephemeral nature of space and place-making in our land-scarce city.
Through preparatory sketches, utopian models, performative engagements and satirical ‘white papers’, this exhibition is an open-ended invitation to reflect on our ever-evolving relationships with our urban environment. Engaging our different senses, these works contemplate notions of nostalgia and transience while considering the overlooked inhabitants of Singapore.
Having served as an independent arts platform for the past 11 years, 3+3+3 marks TPM’s last exhibition in our home at 51 Waterloo Street. Such is the life of built spaces in our metropolis—though they bestow us with character, identity and heritage, we confer them with impermanence and dispensability, provocating the question, “If buildings retain the lived histories imbued into them, shouldn’t we consider their embodied human spirit?”