next of kin

In its imagining of a world of possibility, Singapore artist Kin Chui’s work offers a glimmer of hope in a year of despair.

- MITCHELL OAKLEY SMITH

When it became clear earlier this year that the Covid pandemic would put an end to long-planned forthcoming exhibitions—the insurance value of international artworks multiplied and their shipments were indefinitely delayed, all while museums closed their doors for an unforeseen period—the National Gallery Singapore’s curatorial team had to think quickly. How, when they’d be able to reopen to the public, would they keep people entertained? Rather than ignore the crisis, the team decided to tackle it head-down—thematically at least—and, in concert with 11 other local institutions, the museum initiated Proposals for Novel Ways of Being, an umbrella concept that challenged more than 170 artists from Southeast Asia to “imagine new possibilities for the future… and explore new ways of living in a world changed by the pandemic”.