Everyday Practices

Everyday Practices is the first exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum’s (SAM) new collection gallery at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. It showcases artworks by 19 artists and one collective from across 10 Asian countries exploring how daily routines and repetitive actions can become meaningful in challenging times. The exhibition draws inspiration from Hsieh Tehching’s iconic One Year Performance, inviting visitors to reflect on the endurance required by everyday life. There are also programmes and activities planned to spark conversations around these themes.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the themes and artworks you can explore:

• Maria Taniguchi’s Untitled (MT_116) where each meticulously drawn brick extends across the canvas, symbolising both the passage of time and the labour-intensive nature of her artistic process.
• Htein Lin’s Soap Blocked uses hand-carved soap blocks to map out Myanmar, marking the sites of political imprisonment with poignant detail.
• Khvay Samnang’s Untitled captures his symbolic protest against land dispossession in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through a visual narrative of pouring sand over himself in displaced communities’ lakes.
• Domesticated Politics by Minstrel Kuik reinterprets political symbols, transforming election flags through domestic gestures, reflecting a softened, personal take on Malaysia’s charged political atmosphere.
• Svay Sareth’s Mon Boulet, a performance that illustrates carrying historical burdens through the streets of Cambodia, emphasising resilience and the human spirit.
• Tan Guo-Liang’s Peripheral Ritual I–III and Wong Hoy Cheong’s Tapestry of Justice each use unique materials and methods to express themes of identity and collective action within their cultural contexts.

The exhibition runs until 20 July, 2025. Admission is free until 3 December 2024, after which general admission fees will apply.