A powerful exhibition at National Gallery Singapore celebrates artists whose work, activism and teaching helped redefine the region’s cultural identity
Over the past 60 years, female artists in Southeast Asia have been creating unique and distinct works of art against the background of economic and cultural upheaval, foreign intervention, population boom and climate change – and yet are still to receive proportional recognition compared to their male counterparts.
Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise, an exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore that runs until November 2026, seeks to remedy that imbalance.
Featuring five significant female artists from across the region, the exhibition showcases their works from the 1960s to the 2010s, while also celebrating their roles as educators, writers or community organisers.
The women being honoured are Malaysian multimedia artist and painter Nirmala Dutt; Filipino printmaker, painter and curator Imelda Cajipe Endaya; Singaporean Chinese performance artist Amanda Heng; Indonesian sculptor Dolorosa Sinaga; and Thai muralist Phaptawan Suwannakudt.
“For generations, women have kept creating,” explains Suwannakudt of art in the region, “even though there hasn’t been much support for the arts – and even less for women compared to men.”
Naturally, Suwannakudt adds, female artists are not a monolithic group, and so “holding this exhibition in Singapore – a city that’s known for its mix of cultures – just makes sense. Singapore’s vibe is the perfect setting to recognise and celebrate what women artists from all over the region have achieved. This show is all about giving them the credit they deserve.”
Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise will run until November 15, 2026 at the National Gallery Singapore.
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