As one of the nominators from Peruke Projects for Citra and shortlisted artist, Singaporean Desmond Mah, we celebrate not only their achievements, but those of the other stellar line-up of shortlisted artists. For this year’s edition of the prize we are pleased to share Sovereign’s interviews for the Southeast Asian artists that were nominated by us.
Desmond Mah
What was the initial idea or moment that sparked this piece?
I curate from my position as a painter. The 2025 exhibition The Other Singaporeans: Stories of Home and Identity at JW Projects is a key reference point. The exhibition brought together artists whose connections to Singapore span naturalisation, former citizenship, migration, and diasporic experience. It examined identities that exist alongside, and sometimes outside, dominant national narratives. It also reflects my own position as a former Singaporean citizen with lived experiences.
Could you tell us more about Still Living Rent-Free?
2025 marked the tenth anniversary of the death of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister. His influence continues to shape national narratives and political consciousness. Often described as shrewd and formidable, his presence persists within Southeast Asian historical and cultural frameworks. The work considers how this legacy continues to occupy psychological and ideological space.
What are the recurring themes across your work? Where do these come from?
Born in postcolonial Singapore, shaped by British-influenced historiography, and migrating to Australia in 1987, I became aware of how imperial visual systems circulate across national contexts. My work approaches this material from a migrant perspective and lived experience of racism. I am structurally implicated in these histories, yet not centred within them. Working primarily through painting, I reprocess colonial-era imagery to interrogate its persistence and authority.
Finish the sentence: Art is…
Art is a method of interrogation, where inherited structures are tested, destabilised, and re-seen.
Is there a moment, person, or idea that inspired you in the past few weeks?
I have been thinking about expiration as a concept. Can foundational colonial images structurally deteriorate over time? The current global rise in nationalism makes this question urgent.
What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for this award and play a part in supporting its charitable aims?
Being shortlisted for the 2026 Sovereign Asian Art Prize affirms my ADHD-led painting practice. The process is competitive, requiring nomination and selection by a panel. I am blessed to have Sofia Coombe & Tanya Michele Amador of Art World Database to nominate my practice. I strongly support The Sovereign Art Foundation and its work providing children with special educational needs, particularly those in vulnerable communities, access to the therapeutic benefits of expressive arts therapy. My own condition went undiagnosed for many years, so this support carries personal significance.
Desmond Mah, ‘Still Living Rent Free’, 2025, acrylic paint, mixed media on canvas, 126 x 95cm. Image courtesy of Sovereign.
Desmond Mah interview COURTESY OF THE SOVEREIGN ASIAN ART PRIZE, APRIL 2026.
For more information on the prize please click here.
For more information on Desmond, please click here.
Read the original editorial here.
