Whitestone Gallery is pleased to present Happy Together: Visions of Gladness from Southeast Asia, an exhibition that brings the question of happiness to life through the eyes of five contemporary Southeast Asian artists, each offering a vibrant and imaginative take on joy. This captivating exhibition invites audiences to explore how happiness is expressed, shared, and celebrated across cultures. From immersive installation to bold visual expression, it captures the rich emotional landscape of Southeast Asia —where laughter, tradition, and togetherness converge.

Each artwork radiates a sense of joy, offering fresh glimpses into everyday joys and festive moments. Playful and poignant in equal measure, the exhibition is filled with humor, cultural reflection, and imaginative takes on what it means to be together. The featured artists reveal happiness not as a fleeting emotion, but as something intentionally nurtured - shaped by the strength found in unity, even and adversity.

Goldie Poblador is a Filipino artist whose practice explores the interactions of scent, glass, performance, and the female body. She is best known for her multi-sensory installations that merge glass sculpture, scent, video and performance. Rooted in research and rich with symbolism, her work often unpacks themes of colonial history, ecological loss, and cultural memory—offering sensory experiences that are both intimate and provocative. Poblador specialises in glass flameworking, a technique primarily reserved for Western voices and which she aims to shift. Her work combines Filipino mythology with the 19th century tradition of sculpting life forms in glass as popularised by the Blaschkas. Trained in both glassblowing and scent-making, Poblador’s delicate, perfume-infused sculptures and immersive installations, that engage the senses beyond sight, become vessels for storytelling, reimagining myths and reasserting narratives through the lens of femininity, identity, and indigenous knowledge.

Krit Ngamsom is a contemporary Thai artist who is known for his thought-provoking interactive kinetic sculptures, which carry a satirical tone to comment on social and cultural paradigms. Growing up in a family of jewelry makers, Ngamsom’s hands-on experience in creating unique toys has profoundly influenced his artistic style of transforming everyday found objects and materials into meaningful artistic installations. The artistic expression of his works are intimately associated with his childhood nostalgia and humor of rural folks, infusing with a sense of playfulness and accessibility. Through his innovative use of materials and engaging narratives, Ngamsom’s artworks prompt the audience to reflect on the theme of religion, multiculturalism, identity, consumerism, and modernity.

Kumari Nahappan is renowned for her signature large-scaled chili pepper sculptures and installations to reconcile the new language of “international contemporary art” with her cultural roots and beliefs in Hindu and Indian heritage. In her art, the chilli pepper is not just a spice or common ingredient - it becomes a profound cultural symbol that indicates the latent energy, intensity, and the unknown. She reimagines the chili pepper in monumental size and vibrant colours to emphasise the concept of how something seemingly simple can hold great force and meaning. This idea ties into her broader themes of transformation, power, and potential, all of which are fundamental to her practice. Through her distinctive approach, Nahappan offers the audience a unique perspective on the interplay between culture, nature, and artistic expression.

Mulyana is a Yogyakarta-based artist known for his vibrant, whimsical world of soft sculptures made from yarn and recycled materials. Blending craft with contemporary art, Mulyana creates immersive installations inhabited by fantastical sea creatures and marine ecosystems—most famously his alter ego, "Mogus" (Monster + Gurita, or octopus in Indonesian), introduced in 2008. He emphasises environmental conservation and community engagement, often collaborating with local artisans and marginalised groups to create immersive art experiences. His notable exhibitions include Modular Utopia(2023) at USC Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Fragile Ecologies(2022) at Sapar Contemporary, New York, and Diver(sea)ty(2020) at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore.

Yuree Kensaku’s vibrant, surreal artworks blend pop culture symbolism and mythology with dark humor and explore the social, political, and personal themes through playful yet provocative aesthetics. Her cartoon-inspired visuals reveal deeper social commentary on human conditions and well-being, and frequently address serious topics, such as environmental concerns, personal adversities and karma. Kensaku’s unique cultural lens, shaped by a dual heritage, allows her to navigate and critique both Thai and Japanese cultural narratives, offering insights into the complexities of identity, gender, and societal expectations that resonate on both a personal and universal level.