ALEX SIM LE XUAN, SHANNON TAN, DANISH HAMZAH, ZHU ZHICHENG
NAFA SINGAPORE STUDENTS RESIDENCY
27 April – 27 May 2026
Continuing our collaboration with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore, Studio Plesungan is happy to welcome four students from the year 2 of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fine Art study program.
During the one month stay at the Studio Plesungan the students are facilitated to do research and experimental works which then be presented in a public presentation.
Alex Sim Le Xuan
Alex Sim Lexuan adalah seniman dan desainer interdisipliner berbasis di Singapura yang saat ini menempuh studi Seni Rupa di Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Karyanya mencakup performance, instalasi, video, dan material-based practice yang mengeksplorasi kerja, identitas, impermanensi, serta kondisi psikologis kehidupan urban kontemporer.
Alex Sim Lexuan is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Singapore, currently studying Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Her practice spans performance, installation, video, and material-based work, exploring labour, identity, impermanence, and the psychological conditions of contemporary urban life.
Danish Hamzah
Danish Hamzah adalah seniman berbasis di Singapura yang saat ini menempuh studi BA (Hons) Fine Arts di Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Praktiknya berfokus pada tubuh laki-laki, identitas budaya, serta narasi yang berangkat dari pengalaman tubuh melalui performans ritual dan berbasis rutinitas.
Danish Hamzah is a Singapore-based artist currently studying BA (Hons) Fine Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. His practice focuses on the male body, cultural identity, and embodied narratives through ritualistic and routine-based performance.
Shannon Tan
Shannon adalah seniman multidisipliner berbasis di Singapura, yang bekerja dengan medium lukisan, cyanotype, objek sehari-hari, dan film. Ia saat ini menempuh studi BA (Hons) Fine Art di Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Praktiknya berfokus pada hubungan antara memori, jejak kehidupan sehari-hari, dan rutinitas, serta bagaimana makna dan emosi terbentuk melalui pengamatan sederhana dan pengulangan.
Shannon is a multidisciplinary artist based in Singapore, working with painting, cyanotype, everyday objects, and film. She is currently pursuing a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Her practice focuses on memory, traces of everyday life, and routine, and how meaning and emotion emerge through simple observation and repetition.
Zhu Zhicheng
Zhu Zhicheng adalah seniman berbasis di Singapura yang saat ini menempuh studi Fine Art di Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Praktiknya mengeksplorasi relasi tubuh, lingkungan, temporality, dan persepsi melalui instalasi, performans, moving image, dan proses material.
Zhu Zhicheng is a Singapore-based artist currently studying Fine Art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. His practice explores the relationship between body, environment, temporality, and perception through installation, performance, moving image, and material processes.
At the last week of the residency period, the artists presented their work in progress. This year the artist presented their performance art work for public at Studio Plesungan.
“Are We There Yet”
by Alex Sim Le Xuan
Duration: 90 minutes
Selama residensi di Studio Plesungan, Alex mengembangkan dan mengeksplorasi isu kerja, burnout, serta dorongan untuk terus berkembang dalam masyarakat kapitalis kontemporer. Berangkat dari pengalaman hidup di tengah lingkungan urban Singapore yang cepat dan penuh pembangunan, Alex merefleksikan bagaimana gagasan tentang “kemajuan” dan produktivitas tanpa henti memengaruhi kehidupan sehari-hari secara fisik maupun psikologis. Dalam performans partisipatoris Are We There Yet, penonton diajak memilih potongan bahan kayu bekas dari area sekitar yang Alex kumpulkan, yang kemudian digunakan Alex untuk membangun, membongkar, dan membangun kembali sebuah struktur sementara dalam batas waktu tertentu.
During the residency at Studio Plesungan, Alex developed and explored issues of labour, burnout, and the continuous drive for progress within contemporary capitalist society. Drawing from her experience of living in the fast-paced, development-heavy urban environment of Singapore, she reflects on how ideas of “progress” and relentless productivity shape everyday physical and psychological life. In the participatory performance Are We There Yet, audiences are invited to select pieces of scrap wood collected by Alex from nearby sites, which are then used by her to build, dismantle, and rebuild a temporary structure within a limited timeframe.
“Man-made Sweat”
by Danish Hamzah
Duration: 20 minutes
Selama residensi ini, Danish melanjutkan risetnya yang mengeksplorasi tema keringat. Dalam performans Man-made Sweati, ia melakukan gerakan tubuh berulang yang terinspirasi dari drill command dan menggunakan kostum plastik yang memerangkap keringat sebagai jejak material seperti cairan, aroma, dan kilau. Karya ini melihat keringat sebagai medium yang menegaskan ketegangan antara kontrol dan fluiditas, kekuatan dan kerentanan, serta mengkritisi konstruksi maskulinitas melalui tubuh yang bekerja dan bereaksi terhadap tekanan fisik.
During this residency, Danish continued his research exploring the theme of sweat. In Man-made Sweat, he performs repeated bodily movements inspired by drill commands while wearing a plastic suit that traps sweat as material traces such as fluid, scent, and shine. The work positions sweat as a medium that reveals tensions between control and fluidity, strength and vulnerability, while critically engaging with constructions of masculinity through a body subjected to physical discipline and pressure.
“I See You And You See Me”
by Shannon Tan
Duration: 30 Minutes
Selama residensi, Shannon mengembangkan risetnya mengenai batas antara mengamati dan menjadi yang diamati, serta bagaimana cara melihat ruang membentuk kesadaran tubuh dan lingkungan. Riset ini kemudian berkembang menjadi karya performans berjudul I See You and You See Me, dengan menggunakan kaca satu arah sebagai “jendela” antara seniman, penonton, dan alam sekitar. Karya ini merefleksikan relasi melihat dan dilihat, rasa tidak nyaman saat disadari sedang diawasi, serta budaya pengawasan yang membentuk cara kita mengontrol diri dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.
During the residency, Shannon developed her research on the boundary between observing and being observed, and how ways of seeing space shape bodily and environmental awareness. This research developed into the performance I See You and You See Me, using a one-way mirror as a “window” between the artist, the audience, and the surrounding natural environment. The work reflects on the relationship between seeing and being seen, the discomfort of being observed, and the culture of surveillance that shapes how we regulate ourselves in everyday life.
“Threshold”
by Zhu Zhicheng
Duration : 24 hours
Photo credit: “Threshold”. Zhu Zhicheng. Studio Plesungan. 2026. Photo: Tama
Selama residensi ini, Zhu Zhicheng mengembangkan risetnya melalui karya Threshold, sebuah performans-instalasi durasional yang mengeksplorasi relasi tubuh, ruang, dan ketidakstabilan. Ia membangun struktur pintu rapuh di ruang terbuka sebagai titik awal, yang kemudian berkembang menjadi ruang privat berbentuk rumah sederhana dari bambu, yang ia bangun, rawat, dan dihidupi selama performans berlangsung. Melalui tindakan merakit, memperbaiki, dan tinggal di dalamnya, Threshold menelusuri batas antara ruang dalam dan luar, antara konstruksi dan kehidupan sehari-hari, serta bagaimana manusia terus membentuk dan mempertahankan ruang sebagai cara memahami keberadaan dan stabilitas yang selalu sementara.
During this residency, Zhu Zhicheng developed his research through Threshold, a durational performance-installation exploring the relationship between body, space, and instability. He constructed a fragile door structure in an open environment, which gradually evolved into a simple bamboo house that he built, maintained, and inhabited throughout the performance. Through acts of assembling, repairing, and dwelling, Threshold explores the boundaries between inside and outside, construction and everyday life, and how humans continuously shape and sustain space as a way of understanding existence and its inherently temporary stability.
