Salt Tongues / Far Shores Near

Objectifs Lower Galleries
20 Jan – 22 Feb 2026
Free Admission

Curated by Wang Ruobing & Yutaka Inagawa
Presented by Comma Space
Supported by the National Arts Council
Venue support by Objectifs
Part of Singapore Art Week

Featuring works by Ayaka Yoshida, Liu Liling, Ng Hui Hsien, Susanna Tan, Tamaki Ono, Yang Jie, Yumi Nishimura

Salt Tongues / Far Shores Near builds on the 2024 residency and exhibition Murmuring Shores / On the Brink at Onomichi City University, continuing a cross-cultural dialogue between artists from Singapore and Japan. Like its predecessor, the title brings together two ideas: the sea as a shared environment, and the act of crossing into unfamiliar territory.

This iteration shifts the focus from sound to sensation. Where murmuring suggested quiet listening, salt tongues evokes a tactile, synaesthetic interplay of tasting, touching, and speaking. "Salt" recalls both the sea and the sharpness of flavour, while "tongues" refer to both language and the body. Together, they open a sensory space for connection and exchange.

Salt and language also carry deeper resonances — of maritime trade, cultural movement, and translation. The phrase Far Shores Near plays with notions of distance and proximity, reflecting how two places can feel at once far apart and intimately connected. The exhibition draws on the contrasts between two port cities: Onomichi, where sea mist drifts through wooden hillsides, and Singapore, where a polyglot buzz animates a densely urban landscape.

Related events
Opening Reception | Tue 20 Jan, 6pm – 8pm
Guided Tour with Curator and Artist | Sat 31 Jan, 5 – 6pm (RSVP )

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Host or Publisher Objectifs - Centre for Photography and Film