“Towards Happiness, Prosperity & Progress: Reflections on the Singapore Spirit”, The Private Museum, Singapore.
Curated by Andrea Fam, Deborah Lim, John Z.W. Tung, Kirti Upadhyaya, Michael Lee, Michelle Ho.
02.10.2025 - 07.12.2025
Marking Singapore’s 60th year of independence, The Private Museum closes its year with a landmark exhibition bringing together 60 Singaporean and Singapore-based artists in a profound reflection of the Singapore spirit, in conjunction with Singapore’s 60th year of independence. The title draws from the closing words of the National Pledge, written in 1966 to unite a young and diverse nation. In this exhibition, “happiness, prosperity, and progress” are not fixed destinations but open questions. What do these words mean in 2025, and how do they resonate in our daily lives?
Shaped by a myriad of curatorial perspectives by six curators, the exhibition unfolds as a set of artistic conversations. Some works reflect on belonging, care, and vulnerability; others explore histories, stories, and names that shape how we understand ourselves. Everyday culture, sightseeing, humour, and local codes appear alongside more universal expressions of identity and memory. Themes of loss and reconnection surface too, asking what it takes to feel present again. Elsewhere, ideas of home, virtue, and lived experience open space for multiple ways of being Singaporean.
Together, these works do not define the Singapore Spirit but trace its many expressions. They suggest that happiness, prosperity, and progress are not endpoints, but ongoing practices revisited across generations, renewed through art, and shared by all who call Singapore home.
Artists:
Alan Oei, Alecia Neo, Alvin Ong, Andree Weschler, Ang Song Nian, Anthony Chin, Bridget Tay, Chok Si Xuan, Chow and LIn, Chu Hao Pei, Cynthia Delaney Suwito, Daniel Chong, Debbie Ding, Desiree Tham, Donna Ong, Dylan Chan, Ezzam Rahman, Faris Nakamura, Genevieve Chua, gideon-jamie, Goh Chun Aik, Grace Tan, Green Zeng, Hilmi Johandi, Huijun Lu, ila, Iskandar Jalil, Isabella Ong, Jason J S Lee, Jason Wee, Jimmy Ong, jo+kapi, John Clang, John Low, Justin Loke, Kayleigh Goh, Khairulddin Wahab, Kiat, Kim Whye Kee, Kuat Zhi Hooi, Lai Yu Tong, Lavender Chang, Lynn Lu, Michael Lee, Milenko Prvacki, Ng Joon Kiat, Robert Zhao Renhui, Salty Xi Jie Ng, Samuel Xun, Sebastian Mary Tay, Song-Ming Ang, Sonny Liew, Sookoon Ang, Susie Lingham, Thomas Yeo, Wang Ruobing, Weixin Quek Chong, Yanyun Chen, Zarina Muhammad, Zen Teh.
Installation View: “Decentralized Value Systems”
Photo Credits: Chow and Lin