This season, Whitestone Gallery Singapore presents Philip Colbert × Aruta Soup: Playscapes of Dreams, a dynamic duo exhibition bringing together British pop artist Philip Colbert and Japanese artist Aruta Soup. Opening on 24 January 2026, the exhibition stages a vibrant encounter between two distinct yet resonant artistic universes, united by a shared exploration of imagination, play, and contemporary visual culture.

In Playscapes of Dreams, both Philip Colbert and Aruta Soup present iconic characters that have evolved alongside their respective artistic practices, using them as narrative anchors to reflect on identity, resilience, and the navigation of an increasingly complex contemporary world. Within this shared curatorial framework, Colbert’s Temple of the Sunflower unfolds as a vibrant, myth-laden universe, while Aruta Soup’s Shuffle introduces a fractured, ever-shifting logic—together forming parallel yet distinct playscapes that invite audiences to move between imagination, uncertainty, and self-reflection.

Philip Colbert "Lobstar Octopus ⅓" 145.0 × 95.0 × 130.0cm, Painted Stainless Steel, 2022

For Philip Colbert, the Lobster character emerged from a lifelong fascination that gradually transformed into a fully realized artistic persona. Initially drawn to the lobster’s symbolic presence in art history—from Surrealism to its role as a memento mori in Dutch still lifes and ancient Pompeii mosaics—Colbert first used the lobster as an accessible icon through which to communicate surrealist ideas across paintings, drawings, fashion, and objects. Over time, the association became inseparable from his identity as an artist.

The Lobster has evolved into a metaphysical figure capable of traversing time, art history, and pop culture simultaneously. Existing within dense visual environments filled with logos, memes, and historical references, the character continues to move forward with humour and resilience. For Colbert, the Lobster reflects the challenge of remaining self-aware and centred in a world defined by constant flux. This sense of playful defiance also aligns with his commitment to the democratization of art, an approach that values accessibility, collaboration, and the ability of art to connect people across cultures and disciplines.

Aruta Soup "Clean Money" 128.0 × 128.0 × 4.0cm, Acrylic on Canvas, 2025

Aruta Soup’s recurring character, ZERO, similarly embodies endurance and regeneration. Often depicted as a rabbit wrapped in bandages, ZERO emerges from the pressures and contradictions of contemporary society, where individuals are constantly wounded by information overload yet compelled to continue. For Aruta Soup, ZERO represents both vulnerability and optimism, a figure caught in inner conflict but persistently capable of renewal. More than a recurring motif, ZERO functions as a spiritual companion, one that the artist returns to at different stages of his life.

Positioned between dream and reality, ZERO inhabits ordinary daily moments—such as opening a refrigerator or walking a pet—while simultaneously appearing in surreal and extraordinary scenarios. This tension between the mundane and the fantastical reflects a broader will to survive and regenerate within a world marked by chaos and violence. Through flowing, freehand lines and a sensitive use of colour, Aruta Soup challenges the flatness of digital imagery, emphasizing the warmth and physicality of hand-made creation. In Playscapes of Dreams, ZERO invites viewers to sense the ongoing interplay between destruction and healing, fragility and resilience, that defines contemporary life.

Both artists draw inspiration from pop culture, street culture, and contemporary media, yet each interprets these sources through a distinctly different visual language. Philip Colbert employs bold, hyper-saturated imagery and his signature “Lobster” persona to comment on consumerism, digital culture, and the absurdities of modern life. Aruta Soup, by contrast, adopts an illustrative, street-art sensibility that blends whimsy with social observation, often capturing the energetic and chaos of urban environments. Despite these differences, the two artists share a common spirit: a playful yet critical engagement with contemporary culture, and a strong visual identity grounded in pop aesthetics. By bringing their works together, the duo exhibition creates a dynamic dialogue that underscores their individual strengths while uncovering new thematic affinities. It allows audiences to experience how their distinct styles resonate, contrast, and amplify each other, offering a fresh and compelling way to look at pop-inflected contemporary art today.