Singapore Art Museum opens the latest edition of its Material Intelligence series, featuring new commissions by Indonesian artists Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega that interrogate extraction, ecology, and the climate crisis
Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is set to present Nafasan Bumi ~ An Endless Harvest this January as part of its Material Intelligence series, a platform dedicated to artistic practices that experiment with material-making and contemporary socio-environmental concerns. The exhibition marks the first showing at SAM of Indonesian artists Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega, both recognised for their socially engaged and research-driven multimedia practices.
The exhibition title encapsulates a deliberate contrast. “Nafasan Bumi,” meaning the breath of the Earth, evokes ideas of vitality, continuity, and renewal, while “An Endless Harvest” points to humanity’s persistent drive for extraction and productivity. Together, the phrases frame a critical reflection on how environmental degradation is deeply intertwined with human ambition, consumption, and notions of progress.
Featuring newly commissioned works, Nurvista and Pandega transform the gallery into an immersive, multisensory environment. Nurvista’s practice, known for its engagement with food politics and ecological systems, confronts viewers with the realities of agricultural labour and global commodity chains. Meanwhile, Pandega’s kinetic and sound-based sculptures create dynamic interactions between organic materials and mechanical systems, highlighting tensions between nature and industrial processes.
Within the exhibition space, humming conveyor belts, tropical plants, and monumental palm oil wax sculptures coexist, creating a landscape shaped by both growth and exploitation. As materials melt, move, and resonate, visitors are invited to experience the uneasy “breath” of the Earth today, where human and non-human lives are bound to cycles of relentless productivity.
Through its layered narratives and sensory encounters, Nafasan Bumi ~ An Endless Harvest encourages reflection on colonial legacies, environmental responsibility, and the urgent challenges of the climate crisis. The exhibition positions material not only as medium, but as witness—bearing traces of labour, history, and ecological strain in an era defined by extraction.
