Arts Festival
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A Letter to Love : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Tanmayee Mhapankar for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Chua Ek Kay’s artwork "In Abeyance (Circular Road)" (2002). "The artwork that inspired this poem, In Abeyance (Circular Road) (2002) by Chua Ek Kay, depicts the loss of identity that can follow urbanisation, through the lens of architecture. I tried to apply that process to the human psyche as one grows over the years. My poem talks about how maybe our identity is never truly ours, as so much of it is embedded within bits of the past and it tends to blur over the years, much like the painting. We do our best to hold on to the nostalgia connecting us to who we used to be, but these memories often clash with who we are, leaving us a culmination of shells of our past selves. Though the poem depicts my personal experience with this struggle, readers are encouraged to think about habits or memories that cemented who they were, and how those experiences vary and shaped who they are today." - Tanmayee Mhapankar, Year 4, School of Social Sciences
The Ice Cream Uncle : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Amber Choh for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Soe Niang's arkwork "Dance" (2011). "I was inspired by Soe Naing’s dancing colours, which came alive with vibrant pinks, yellows, and expressive brushstrokes. I was drawn to how colour has the power to carry emotion and memory. His work reminded me of the pastel swirls of ice cream on rainbow bread from my childhood. In response, I wrote a poem based on a small but meaningful ritual: queuing outside the school gates every day, rain or shine, to buy ice cream from the uncle. It was a simple act that became a lasting memory—sweet, fleeting, and quietly profound. This work reflects my longing for that time and the comfort of routine. Like Soe Naing’s colours, the memory moves, softens, melts, but ultimately remains vivid. I know that the ice cream uncle is no longer there, and I am no longer the child I was. But in reimagining those colours through recollection, I return briefly to that sunny corner of my past. This poem carries a quiet hope: that even as we grow and change, some memories stay warm and bright enough to revisit." - Amber Choh, Year 3, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
The Turmoil : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Cecilia Lee Jia Yi for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Dang Xuan Hoa's untitled self-portrait (2007). "I’ve always struggled with anxious attachment, where love feels like both sanctuary and threat. the turmoil traces that emotional cycle: fixation, emotional hypervigilance, and the spirals that follow when affection feels uncertain or unreciprocated. When I first encountered Dang Xuan Hoa’s self-portrait, I was struck by the silent unrest. The jagged lines and bruised palette mirrored the feeling of being trapped in one’s own mind, the internal noise of someone trying to hold themselves together. It raised the questions that shaped this piece: What does inner conflict look like? Does healing ever arrive, or does the turmoil simply take on new shapes? I used breath-like spacing, short lines, and recurring stanzas to evoke emotional claustrophobia, mirroring the looping nature of anxiety and grief. Additionally, the refrain, “before the healing always comes the turmoil”, begins with certainty but unravels into doubt: “but what if the turmoil never ends?” This captures the contradiction of healing, the constant sway between hope and despair, and mirrors how anxious thoughts loop, escalate, and contradict themselves, distorting clarity. Perhaps time doesn’t heal. It just teaches you to live with the bruise, without flinching, without letting it hollow you out." - Cecilia Lee Jia Yi, Year 3, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Senior management from the universities in Singapore at the opening of the SMU Arts Fest : 2560
- A rare photograph capturing the senior management from the universities in Singapore, together with the CEO of National Heritage Board and former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore at the opening of the SMU Arts Fest : 2560. The festival in 2025 commemorates two significant milestones in Singapore’s history: the 25th Anniversary of Singapore Management University and the nation’s 60th birthday. The theme, 2560, carries deep symbolism —“25” celebrates SMU’s remarkable 25-year journey, reflecting the university’s youthful spirit and its aspirations for the future. “60” honours Singapore’s resilience, growth, and identity as a vibrant global city. Together, the theme bridges tradition and innovation, connecting past achievements with future aspirations. The festival also marks an unprecedented historic moment when all eight Singapore universities --NUS, NTU, SIM, SIT, SMU, SUTD, SUSS, and UAS collaborated, united by creativity, to share one stage, powerfully expresses solidarity and inclusivity through the arts. First Row (From L-R): Prof Wei Kwok Kee, SIM President & CEO ; Ms Euleen Goh, SIM Chairman ; Prof Kwok Kian Woon, UAS Vice-Chancellor ; Prof Lily Kong, SMU President ; Mr Piyush Gupta, SMU Chairman ; Dato’ Kho Hui Meng, SMU Board of Trustee ; Ms Chang Hwee Nee, National Heritage Board, CEO ; Mr Heng Swee Keat ; Mr Lee Tzu Yang, SUTD Chairman ; Prof Tan Eng Chye, NUS President Second Row (From L-R): Associate Prof Michelle Lee, SMU Associate Provost, UG Education ; Prof Mark Chong, SMU Associate Dean of Students ; Associate Prof Chan Tze Law, NUS Vice-Dean of Students, Office of Student Affairs and Vice-Dean, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music ; Prof Ho Han Kiat, NUS Dean of Students ; Prof Alan Chan, SMU Provost ; Mr Lim Boon Wee, SMU Senior Vice President (Administration) ; Prof Venky Shankararaman, SMU Vice-Provost, Education ; Associate Prof Themin Suwardy, SMU Associate Provost, PGP Education ; Ms Linette Lim, SMU Director, Office of Admissions and Financial Assistance ; Mr Lee Chin Ek, SMU Director, Office of Safety and Security Third Row (From L-R): Ms Shameen Nilofar Maideen, SMU Libraries, University Librarian ; Prof Sabine Benoit, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Professor of Marketing (Practice), Associate Dean (Impact) ; Ms Edwina Tang, UAS Deputy Director, Strategic Planning ; Ms Wendy Gwee, NTU Deputy Director, Student Affairs Office ; Ms Zoe Peters, NTU Director, Student Affairs Office ; Mr Jimmy Ye, SMU Director, Office of Student Life ; Mr Harminder Singh, SUSS Vice-Dean of Students ; Mr Kenneth Chan, SIM Director, Student Life ; Mr Lawrenz Sim, SIT Director, Office of SITizen Experience ; Ms Jobina Tan, NUS Senior Associate Director, Office of Student Affairs ; Ms Goh Mia Yang, NUS Senior Associate Dean of Students, Office of Student Affairs
Basking in the moment : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Asha Balamurali for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a collection of photos inspired by Chua Ek Kay’s artwork "A Junction on Rochor Road" (1999). "A Junction on Rochor Road (1999) by Chua Ek Kay was created a decade after A Busy Corner on Middle Road (1989). What drew me in was the intense melancholy that can be felt in a single glance—a feeling so palpable it almost pauses time. Inspired by this, I wanted to explore the idea of stillness: the act of pausing to fully take in a moment (a feeling we often overlook and undervalue). I explored how light could be played with to convey this feeling and it has influenced most of the photographs in this collection. By slowing down, we open ourselves to the awe and richness of life—moments we might otherwise miss! This zine is a collection of such moments that made me stop and take a second look." - Asha Balamurali, Year 5, School of Social Sciences
Part of the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery in the 2025 Arts Festival
- The exhibition 25x25 spotlights a new wave of student creativity, featuring visual and literary responses to 25 works from the SMU Art Collection. Curated in collaboration with SMU Libraries, it invites cross-medium dialogue and fresh interpretations of the themes explored in the original artworks. Under the mentorship of artists Deanna Ng and Susie Wong, and poet Yong Shu Hoong, each student artist develops their own method and perspective, whether responding directly to the theme and subject of the artwork, or drawing parallel threads to their personal biographies and lived experiences. The exhibition was on view from 22 Aug 2025 to 6 Sep 2025 at SMU de Suantio Gallery.
Putting things into my head : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Janice Loke for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Bill Woodrow's sculpture "Sitting on History I" (2003). "I initially thought the ball-and-chain shackling a book in Bill Woodrow’s Sitting on History I (2003) made a mockery of Singapore’s stressful education system where students feel trapped and have nowhere to go. However, the artist’s notes gave me a new perspective. It’s not so much the artwork, but rather, the perspective of the viewer that makes interpreting art so dynamic. While writing this piece, I named it “Uncultured Swines” originally as I placed myself in my persona’s shoes. Here, my persona is from a rural village where patriarchy and misogyny are prevalent. Her guile and her thirst for education makes her an outcast as she doesn’t fit into their vision for girls. With my anger towards such unfairness happening in the real world even till now, I had decided to use that insult as the title. It was after discussing with my mentor that I realised I’ve unironically fallen into the trap of literally restraining myself to my persona’s viewpoint, just like the ball-and-chain imagery of the sculpture. Hence, I decided to try for a more neutral approach and ended up choosing Putting things into my head as the final title. Additionally, I believe this decision adds depth to my persona’s character as she flits around her new findings and propriety." - Janice Loke, Year 3, School of Accountancy
Movement and Memory : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Mack Rei for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Aung Ko’s artwork "We Are Moving" (2013) and Ba Khine's "Living in Harmony (Temples)" (2014). "Movement and Memory is a poetry cycle inspired by two paintings from Myanmar: Aung Ko’s We Are Moving (2013) and Ba Khine’s Living in Harmony (2014). Both artworks highlight collective movement, but from opposing directions; one being born of fear, and the other grounded in ritual. I began to ponder what it means to move together when you are running from something, or walking toward something sacred. My initial response came in bits of poetry. Some pieces include voices from philosophy and history, with fragments of Locke, Benjamin, and Bashō echoing how memory is layered and incomplete. Others lean into rhythm and breath, reflecting the quiet continuity in Ba Khine’s work. The poems gradually came together as a cycle. They can be read on their own or in pairs, unfolding across moments of tension and rest. The pieces responding to Aung Ko’s painting are tighter and more fragmented, mirroring the urgency of the scene. Those written in response to Ba Khine’s are more spacious, carried by a different kind of weight. Both works raise questions about how people gather, how they endure, and what kind of road is left behind when memory carries both trauma and tradition." - Mack Rei, Year 4, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Student sharing insights of her artwork in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery
- Alexis Lim (right), a year 3 student with Yong Pung How School of Law, sharing insights of her artwork inspired by Aung Khaing’s “Kogyi Kyaw Nat (Min Kyawzwa Nat)” (2014) with (from left) Mr Lim Boon Wee, SMU Vice-Provost, Education, Professor Kwok Kian Woon, UAS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sabine Benoit, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Professor of Marketing (Practice) and Prof Lily Kong, SMU President. They were at the 25x25 exhibition in SMU de Suantio Gallery, where 25 diverse artworks created by students, in response to pieces from the SMU Art Collection, were showcased.
Preservation - Skewed Desire : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
- This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Arvin Tay for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Chua Ek Kay’s artwork "Wall Of History" (2006). "I wrote Preservation-Skewed Desire to be didactic and easy to understand, expecting that people coming to this exhibit will only read our works just once, so I hope they could get something out of this from just one read. I was looking at Chua Ek Kay’s Wall Of History (2006) and, in my head, trying to find meaning in all of its abstractness, then I caught myself over-obsessing with how my work would be perceived by you now (in the future). Then there was a lot contemplation about being an artist and making art, and eventually when my train of thought led to the painting itself, I thought about how the wildness of the painting and its untamed style manifested exactly what I needed to take away, the lesson of not being skewed by worries about the result and embracing a good amount of uncertainty. So I felt it was perfect that my piece could try to break down our desires for preservation and to also be a reminder to live in the moment. I wrote the last stanza first; it reads faster (more clauses per line) to get the exciting euphoric feeling of revelation across. Then I wrote the first 2 stanzas after as I painstakingly dug through my mind for the root causes of these desires. I hope you guys managed to take away something from this :3, hopefully it was an opportunity to know ourselves a little better and live life a little better" - Arvin Tay, Year 2, School of Computing and Information Systems