“Sama Sama”, a term not unfamiliar to Singaporeans, means "all together" or "togetherness." ["Sama Sama" also means "You're welcome", and “same”.] By titling this exhibition “Sama Sama”, we invite a multidimensional engagement with art that revisits Singapore’s evolving history and cultural trajectory through the togetherness of local contemporary artists. From its humble origins to its rise as a global city-state, Singapore’s transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. It has been shaped by collective resilience, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to progress. At the core of this transformation lies the unity of its people — a central theme that underpins this exhibition.

Featuring sixty works by local artists and collectives spanning generations — including Anthony Chin, Boedi Widjaja, Boo Sze Yang, Chow and Lin, Cynthia Delaney Suwito, Heman Chong, Ian Tee, Jackson Tan, Lai Yu Tong, Lee Wen, Milenko Prvački, Ng Hui Hsien, Post-Museum, Dr. S. Chandrasekaran, Sim Chi Yin, Zarina Muhammad and among others — the exhibition showcases a rich diversity of mediums, from film and installation to painting, photography, multimedia, printmaking, socially engaged practices, and performance. Their works explore a spectrum of themes, from ecology, technology, and global crises to society, politics and identity, reflecting the inclusive and multifaceted nature of contemporary art in Singapore. Together, these works embody the core values local artists uphold: freedom, diversity, imagination, creativity, inclusiveness, and resistance – values that resonate with the broader public.

The use of the vernacular term “Sama Sama” challenges conventional discourses on identity and culture, which are rarely linear but instead are constructed from the ground up, shaped through the aesthetic, poetic, political, social and emotional dimensions of art. This exhibition seeks to serve as a collective critical inquiry, using art as a medium to interrogate and reaffirm identity — one that is deeply rooted in history, actively engaged with the present, and continually shaping the future.

Far from a conventional survey of contemporary art history, the group show “Sama Sama” thrives on layered interpretations, material experimentation, and meaningful connections. Each artwork carries its own narrative, historical context, created as a response to or reflection of our current sociocultural conditions. In this way, art, as both a product and a catalyst of shared histories, paints an artistic statement on sixty years of nation building, when these sixty works sama-sama in “Sama Sama”.

Wang Ruobing is an artist, educator and independent curator whose practice and research critically examine the complex and evolving relationship between humans and the environment, with a particular focus on the intersections of ecology and knowledge production. Her recent curated exhibitions include “岸む音 / 際の上 Murmuring Shores / On the Brink” (MOU Onomichi City University Art Museum, 2024), Alternative Ecology: the Community (Objectifs, 2024), Site and Nature: A Collection of Remembering (NTU Museum, 2023), Inbetween (Comma Space, 2021–2022), Artist as Collector (Gillman Barracks, 2021), 12 SOLO (Comma Space, 2020–2021); Arts in Your Neighbourhood (Public Art Trust 2018 and 2019); Happens When Nothing Happens (The Esplanade, 2019); Of Other Place (The Substation, 2019); and Beneath tide, Running forest (Singapore Botanic Gardens, 2018)

Ruobing holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and previously was a curator at the National Gallery Singapore. Currently, she is a Lecturer at LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore, and a co-founder of the independent art space, Comma Space.

Artist:
Akai Chew, Aki Hassan, Anthony Chin, Arrvin Raj, Baet Yeok Kuan, Berny Tan, Boedi Widjaja, Boo Sze Yang, Chen Sai Hua Kuan, Cheo Chai Hiang, Chiew Sien Kuan, Chng Seok Tin, Chow and Lin, Chua Ek Kay, Cynthia Delaney Suwito, Daniel Chong, Ezekiel Wong Kel Win, Ezzam Rahman, Ge Xiaocong, Genevieve Chua, Gilles Massot, Goh Chun Aik, Green Zeng, Heman Chong, Ian Tee, Jackson Tan, Joanne Pang, Justin Lee, Ken Cheong, Koh Nguang How, Lai Yutong, Lee Wen, Marvin Tang, Michael Lee, Milenko Prvački, Moses Tan, Ng Hui Hsien, Ngiap Heng Tan, Ong Kian Peng, Post-Museum, Randy Chan, Ryan Lim Zi Yi, S. Chandrasekaran, Sebastian Mary Tay, Siew Guang Hong, Sim Chi Yin, Song-Ming Ang, Susanna Tan, Tang Ling Nah, Tay Bak Chiang, Tay Wei Leng, Teng Jee Hum (Ding Yifan), Urich Lau, Vincent Leow, Wang Ruobing, Woong Soak Teng, Yang Jie, Yeo Shih Yun, Zai Tang, Zarina Muhammad