'Fragments of Now' showcase by Hedwige Jacobs, a Singapore-born and based Dutch artist, is the latest chapter in Past Forward, our ongoing collaboration with local non-profit Art Outreach. While earlier showcases have spotlighted artists engaging with traditional craft, this festive edition highlights a practice grounded in drawing and assemblage. The series continues to explore memory, identity, and transformation through works that reflect on our relationship with time, place, and material culture.
Fragments of Now emerges from Jacobs’ fascination with overlooked materials. She transforms found cardboard boxes into intricate worlds of drawing and imagination, where figures stretch, gather, and interact. From afar, the installation appears as a floating constellation, a cloud of micro-worlds; up close, each box reveals its unique character. With over 300 boxes on display, this marks Jacobs’ largest installation in the series to date.
Many of the boxes feature packaging from Singaporean brands, reimagined to celebrate our shared culture and everyday life—offering a contemplative close to SG60 and inviting viewers to reflect on the ordinary in new, unexpected ways. By upcycling these materials, the installation also highlights the value of reuse and mindful consumption, a message especially resonant during the festive season of gifting and sharing and a timely meditation on how our nation’s stories are carried through our people, materials, and everyday gestures.
