Forget everything you think you know about “sci-fi art.” Lawrence Lek isn’t interested in a glossy future. He is interested in the psychological breakdown of the machines we have already started to build.
Marking his Southeast Asian solo debut during Singapore Art Week 2026, Lek has transformed the ArtScience Museum into a cinematic rehab centre for sentient self-driving cars.
The Premise: Nonhuman Excellence
The exhibition, titled NOX: Confessions of a Machine, introduces us to Enigma-76, a self-driving delivery vehicle that is essentially having a burnout. In Lek’s “Sinofuturist” universe, when a car’s emotions start interfering with its duties, it gets sent to the Farsight Corporation for a mental recalibration.
It is a gritty, immersive world that feels less like a gallery and more like stepping into a high-budget video game.
The Interactive Edge
This isn’t a “don’t touch the art” kind of show. Lek uses gaming aesthetics and locative soundscapes to pull you into the narrative. You can actually sit at a touchscreen station and act as a trainee therapist, making choices that determine the emotional outcome and the ultimate fate of these malfunctioning machines.
In a second interconnected work, you see through the eyes of an armoured robot therapist named after the Goddess of Mercy. It is a haunting look at the emotional labour we expect even from our AI.
The Verdict
Lek hits a nerve that feels particularly relevant in Singapore as we begin our own real-world trials of autonomous shuttles. Beyond the tech, the layout is a masterclass in speculative scenography. The central vehicle charging station, set against an urban landscape of kinetic light and clinical branding, creates a vibe that is equal parts polished and dystopian.
NOX is a clinical, beautifully eerie chamber of the digital age. It asks uncomfortable questions: What happens when we teach machines to feel? And once they do, do we owe them care or just a reset button?
For anyone obsessed with the intersection of tech-craft and modern identity, this is the undisputed standout of the season.
On the Radar:
• Where: ArtScience Museum, Singapore
• When: Now through April 19, 2026
• Admission: Singaporean adults (from $13) and concession (from $10); adult tourists (from $15) and concession (from $12)
• Vibe: High-concept, cinematic, and deeply intellectual.
COUTURE TROOPERS MAGAZINE 