EXHIBITION

From Singapore to Penang, one island to another, the Critical Craft Collective (CCC) presents From Palais to Pulau (Penang Edition), in collaboration with Hin Bus Depot, following its successful debut during Singapore Art Week 2025. The project reimagines Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, a notable Victorian-era domestic guide, to explore themes of invisible labour, gender roles, and the decentering of colonial legacies within the home.

This exhibition foregrounds the often-overlooked ‘oddities’ and cultural practices that shape domestic life, paying close attention to how these narratives are situated within particular sites of presentation. The first edition, staged in a heritage shophouse in Singapore, responded deeply with the histories embedded in that space. The title signals a deliberate shift from European origins toward a Southeast Asian lens, moving from the European palais to the Southeast Asian pulau. In this context, participating artists responded to practices and rituals rooted in the home, including notions of care and artistic processes, particularly those shaped by heat and temperature as integral elements of artistic and domestic labour.

Curated by Adeline Kueh and Hazel Lim, the Penang edition at Hin Bus Depot continues the exploration of care and kinship through the work of intergenerational artists. This iteration expands on themes of island living, pulau-ness by highlighting shared and divergent ideas about home and household management. It considers how temperature and humidity intersect with ongoing urban redevelopment and the climate emergency, while reflecting on historical connections between Singapore and Penang as former trading posts. The exhibition poses critical questions: What shared notions of belonging shape our contemporary understanding of home? How do movement, displacement, reciprocity, and care influence the making and naming of a home? What other critical perspectives emerge in these contexts?

Accompanying the exhibition is a series of public programmes including panel discussions, artist and curator talks, and guided tours. These initiatives seek to illuminate the core concerns surrounding From Palais to Pulau (Penang Edition) and provide insight into the diverse artistic methodologies and research approaches represented in the works. Designed to engage local and regional audiences, the programmes also seek to strengthen networks among artists and practitioners across Southeast Asia.