Acclaimed Filipino Artist Maria Taniguchi Steps Into the Spotlight at Singapore Art Museum

By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) will present Maria Taniguchi: Afterimage, the first monographic museum exhibition in Singapore dedicated to acclaimed Filipino artist Maria Taniguchi. Running from 24 July to 22 November 2026 at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, the exhibition brings together key works across painting, sculpture and moving image, offering a comprehensive look at one of Southeast Asia’s most distinctive contemporary artistic voices.

At the heart of the exhibition is Taniguchi’s long-running series of “brick paintings“, the body of work for which she is best known internationally. Developed since 2008, the large-scale canvases are composed through the repeated hand-painting of brick-like forms, exploring themes of time, labour and process through a deceptively simple visual language.

Viewed from afar, the paintings appear structured and uniform. Up close, however, subtle variations, irregularities and traces of the artist’s hand begin to emerge. Built through sustained repetition, the works transform painting into a record of accumulated time, revealing the physical and conceptual labour behind each surface.

Born and raised in Dumaguete City in the Philippines, Taniguchi works across painting, sculpture and moving image. Her multidisciplinary practice investigates ideas surrounding perception, material culture, space and time, encouraging viewers to engage more closely with familiar forms and everyday objects. While the brick paintings remain her most recognisable works, they form part of a broader artistic practice that continually examines how meaning is shaped through repetition, observation and experience.

Alongside the paintings, Afterimage will feature a site-specific iteration of Taniguchi’s Runaways sculptures and four video works produced between 2010 and 2026. Together, the works highlight the breadth of her practice while revealing recurring themes that have shaped her artistic approach over nearly two decades.

Taniguchi received a Master of Fine Arts in Art Practice from Goldsmiths, University of London, and has exhibited internationally, including at Art Basel. In 2015, she was awarded the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award, further cementing her position as a leading voice in contemporary art from the region.

Presented following Taniguchi’s first survey exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design Manila, Afterimage marks a significant presentation of her work in Singapore. Bringing together works across multiple mediums, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to experience the scale, rhythm and quiet intensity that have come to define Taniguchi’s practice.

Maria Taniguchi: Afterimage will be on view at Gallery 3, Level 3, SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark from 24 July to 22 November 2026.

Featured image: Maria Taniguchi, Untitled (room of phases), 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 45,7 × 45,7 cm