The Radical Softness of Resistance: Five Women Redefining Power at National Gallery Singapore

Art history in Southeast Asia has long been a narrative written by men, about men, and for the male gaze. We are familiar with the “pioneers” and the “masters,” but the domestic spaces, the labour of care, and the quiet ferocity of female dissent have often been relegated to the footnotes. National Gallery Singapore is finally turning the page with Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise.

Having opened on 9 January, and standing as a pillar of the recently concluded Singapore Art Week, this exhibition is a long overdue reckoning. It brings together five formidable artists, Amanda Heng, Dolorosa Sinaga, Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Nirmala Dutt, and Phaptawan Suwannakudt, who used their practice to dismantle patriarchal structures across the region.

A New Definition of Power

The exhibition title borrows from a 2003 sculpture by Indonesian artist Dolorosa Sinaga. It is a striking choice that feels even more resonant when viewed in the quiet of the Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery. In our region, “power” is frequently synonymous with authoritarianism or political muscle. However, these artists suggest a different definition, specifically the power of inner resilience and the audacity to imagine a world that does not yet exist.

Spanning the 1960s to the 2020s, the works represent a period of intense social upheaval. While male peers were often celebrated for grand political gestures, these women navigated the invisible borders of domesticity, reproductive labour, and gendered violence.

Five Trailblazers of Southeast Asian Art

What makes Fear No Power vital is its comparative approach. Instead of looking at these artists in isolation, the Gallery connects the threads of resistance across Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand:

A multi-component installation titled "Home Service" (2003) by Amanda Heng, Twardzik Ching Chor Leng, and Vincent Twardzik Ching. The work includes a 4:3 aspect ratio video playing on a monitor alongside a tactile display of vinyl graphics, posters, flyers, and name cards. The imagery documents a collaborative performance piece exploring domesticity, labor, and community service.

Amanda Heng (Singapore):

Explores the value of housework and gendered social expectations through performance and photography.

A bronze sculpture titled "Solidarity" by Dolorosa Sinaga. The artwork depicts a line of stylized women standing side-by-side, their elongated figures joined together in a unified front. The dark, textured bronze captures a sense of strength and collective resilience, with the figures appearing to move forward as one. Collection of National Gallery Singapore.

Dolorosa Sinaga (Indonesia):

A leading advocate for human rights whose sculptures place women at the centre of collective resilience.

A mixed-media painting by Imelda Cajipe Endaya titled "Juan's 'Spoliarium' and Alma's 'Lipad Suso Lipad'." The work features a collage-style composition on textile, juxtaposing a figure reminiscent of a fallen gladiator from Juan Luna’s "Spoliarium" with a soaring, empowered female figure representing "Alma." The piece uses oil and acrylic with visible textile textures to bridge historical and contemporary feminist narratives.

Imelda Cajipe Endaya (Philippines):

Co-founder of the feminist collective KASIBULAN, recasting women as active subjects of history.

A large-scale acrylic painting by Nirmala Dutt titled "Do Not Log Carelessly Lest Misfortune Befall You." The 121 by 205 cm canvas features a dramatic and somber landscape that critiques environmental destruction. It uses bold, expressive brushwork and a dark color palette to evoke the gravity of deforestation and the spiritual or physical "misfortune" mentioned in the title.

Nirmala Dutt (Malaysia):

Challenged environmental injustice and the social costs of urban development.

An acrylic painting by Phaptawan Suwannakudt titled "My Mother Was a Nun I." The square canvas features a central female figure rendered in a style that merges traditional Thai mural painting with contemporary portraiture. The composition uses soft, layered colors and intricate patterns to explore the spiritual identity and maternal history of the artist, set against a contemplative background.

Phaptawan Suwannakudt (Thailand):

Expanded the male-dominated tradition of Buddhist mural painting to reflect lived female histories.

Navigating the Exhibition

The show is organised into three interconnected zones. Where the Body Thinks, Worlds Open focuses on memory and domesticity. Refusal and Hope addresses environmental and social inequality. Finally, Imagining Otherwise highlights the artists’ roles as community builders and organisers.