Curatorial Rationale

Through my exhibition, I hope to showcase the opportunities and threats of our developing world. I explore different themes ranging from identity to industrialisation and seek to depict these themes primarily through architectural forms. As an aspiring architecture student, I have found that architecture has the power to narrate and depict the world and people existing around it, which is why I tried to showcase complex themes through its more simplistic shapes and forms. I hope to make the audience wonder about the future, and think of what they can do to help lead the world to a positive future. I want to convey concepts of change, hope, and possibility, and show the viewers their own power in shaping that future.

I think a lot of my upbringing in Singapore, as well as the many times I have spent in India, have shaped many themes in this exhibition. I have derived artistic inspiration from Hoysala temples in Southern India, fascinated by the immortality of the stories and themes carved in stone. I have also derived thematic ideas from the evident inequalities and slums in Mumbai, to shape the sculptures I made, especially the stark divide between the developed city and the infamous Dharavi slum. A lot of my work is also made of recycled materials, which is a subtler nod to the main message, showing how even art can be made to create a positive change and help the planet. The overall theme is about the possibilities of the modern world and our future. Having experienced both Singapore and Mumbai, two bustling cities full of life and culture, I was inspired by their city life and wanted to showcase this beauty to them in both the negative and positive possibilities of the future.

Instead of creating a clear divide between good and bad futures, the “negative” and “positive” pieces are intertwined, because I do not think there will be a “correct” way to approach the future. I wanted the city sculptures to be major pillars in the exhibition as they encapsulate the main message. I also wanted the temple sculpture to kind of be the focal point, with its intricate work, and also its nod to the past, and how it can make the audience think about how our generations want to be remembered.