Over multiple trips to Singapore in 2025, Navin Rawanchaikul—a Thai artist of Indian descent—met people from across the island. The resulting project, SINGAPORAMA, expands his longstanding focus on Indian diaspora by presenting a panoramic perspective of the many communities shaping Singapore today, including migrant workers. The title combines “Singapore” with “-rama,” suggesting an expansive view of the nation through its people, stories, cultures and encounters.
At the heart of the project is a large-scale installation at the Padang Atrium of National Gallery Singapore, featuring hand-painted billboards—the largest paintings produced by Navin’s studio in its thirty-year history—alongside videos of conversations and interviews with those portrayed. The project is further explored through a seven-episode travelogue film series based on Navin’s letters, weaving together encounters, observations and reflections to create a portrait of Singapore as a living community shaped by the people who call it home, work there, or pass through it.
SINGAPORAMA Travelogue Film Series
Continuing Navin Rawanchaikul’s practice of documenting his personal travels, SINGAPORAMA is a seven-episode travelogue film series tracing his journeys across Singapore over a year. Addressed to the “People of Singapore,” the films unfold as a series of letters reflecting on his interactions with them, including older residents, urban farmers, LGBTQ+ communities, members of the local art scene, and, in particular, migrant workers, whose lives and contributions have become part of Singapore’s contemporary social landscape. Through these encounters, Navin builds a personal portrait of Singapore through the people and stories he meets.
An important element of the series is its narration, with the artist’s letters voiced by people who appear in the films. Their voices transform Navin’s personal journey into a shared storytelling experience, making them not only subjects but also participants and storytellers. In this way, SINGAPORAMA reflects his ongoing interest in connecting contemporary art with everyday life through relationships, conversations, and shared experiences.
EPISODE 1
Captured from the perspective of the artist as a lone traveller arriving in Singapore, the first episode begins with Navin’s encounters with the island’s diverse cultural histories. Starting with Peranakan culture and its mixed identities, the artist explores Singapore’s past through food, clothing and everyday objects—including tiffin carriers and vintage kebaya. These encounters reveal stories of migration, cultural exchange, adaptation and belonging that have shaped Singapore’s multicultural society. The journey culminates in an encounter with one of Singapore’s smallest communities, the Armenian community, whose presence forms an important part of the island’s Straits history. Following a diasporic perspective, the first of seven episodes offers an intimate introduction to SINGAPORAMA, exploring Singapore through its heritage, people and memories.
EPISODE 2
Through the second episode of SINGAPORAMA, Navin explores the rhythms of migrant life in Singapore, from the lives and labour of migrant workers at the National Gallery to Sunday gatherings at the Padang and neighbouring areas. Moving through crowded shopping malls in the city centre and the colourful streets of Little India, he observes how migrant communities create spaces of connection and belonging within the city. These gatherings offer a sense of home away from home, creating spaces for rest, celebration and creativity. Among them are a fashion show featuring clothing and accessories made from recycled materials and a book-reading event sharing the experiences of domestic workers. Food also becomes an expression of cultural exchange, offering glimpses into friendships and everyday lives beyond the workplace. The episode concludes at the Royal Thai Embassy, where Navin joins his fellow Thais in celebrating the Thai New Year festival, Songkran, reflecting how migrants maintain cultural traditions while making a life in Singapore.
EPISODE 3
This educational episode follows Navin’s journey into Singapore’s art scene and its history, where he learns from artists of different generations through visits to galleries, studios, art schools, and a local market. As he explores how art is connected to everyday life and community, the journey also turns inward, reflecting on his own artistic practice and how his family roots and experiences as a diasporic artist are passed on to his daughter, who was born and raised in Japan. The journey then leads to Bukit Brown Cemetery, one of the city’s oldest historical sites. Moving between the living and the remembered, the episode reflects on art as a practice rooted in place while responding to the city’s constant transformation. The journey ends with rumours of ghosts surrounding the National Gallery Singapore, turning the exploration into a playful investigation of the traces, stories and hidden histories that continue to shape the island.
EPISODE 4
Capturing both communal and personal sites of faith, this episode follows Navin’s visits to places of worship and devotion across Singapore. Connecting with his own cultural roots, from Thailand to India, the artist moves beyond the Thai community to explore the wider Indian diaspora in the region. His extended field trip focuses on the history of South Indian labourers who, after being brought to Malaya to build railway tracks, established makeshift temples along the former railway corridor. Their stories reveal how faith, migration and community remain connected across generations, while these places of worship continue to carry traces of their histories and memories. The episode ends with Navin meeting a new friend, Babu SG, a self-taught artist of South Indian heritage who becomes his collaborator and designs the SINGAPORAMA project logo. Through their encounter, the two artists extend their shared heritage into a new creative friendship shaped by histories of migration, faith and cultural connection.
EPISODE 5
The episode captures the memories of Singapore residents as the city transforms from plantations and kampongs into modern housing estates and high-rise buildings. Among these stories are those of the Orang Laut, the sea-nomadic communities with deep historical ties to Singapore and its surrounding waters. Through food, music, and traditional customs, their memories and cultural practices maintain connections to their ancestors, the sea, and the islands around Singapore. Navin’s love of travel also takes him across the border, where a new Singaporean friend brings him to a historic pineapple farm in Johor, Malaysia, offering another perspective on the region’s agricultural past and life around the Straits of Singapore during the colonial era. Woven through these encounters are the artist’s reflections on Singapore’s history, including bygone cinemas, the origins of the “Lion City,” and the waves of migration that have shaped its modern identity. As the city continues to transform, the journey ends with an open question about how contemporary life will shape Singapore’s future.
EPISODE 6
This penultimate episode pulses with the energy of diverse communities, from senior residents at a social club in the vibrant neighbourhood of Joo Chiat to urban cultivators in the city centre, as well as social events and collective spaces created by gender and sexual minority communities to express their voices and creativity. Along the way, Navin reconnects with local artists from different generations, learning from their shared histories and reflecting on friendship across time and place. Memories of encounters in Chiang Mai and of a late Thai contemporary artist who was Navin’s beloved mentor open up reflections on how artistic relationships and influences are passed between generations. The episode ends with another artistic encounter, as Navin discovers unexpected similarities in their practices through shared memories, family histories and ancestral roots. Together, these encounters reveal how art can create connections across generations, communities and borders.
EPISODE 7
After beginning with Singapore’s National Day celebrations marking the nation’s 60th anniversary, the final episode shifts to the creative energy of Trashion Show, an event organised by and for migrant domestic workers in Singapore. Navin then returns to his studio in Chiang Mai, where he reflects on the making of SINGAPORAMA and his decades-long practice of creating hand-painted narrative panels that draw inspiration from the bygone tradition of cinema billboards. The story follows the unveiling and installation of the massive billboard at the National Gallery’s Padang Atrium, culminating in the launch of video interviews where voices and stories from different communities converge around the paintings to form a collective portrait of Singapore. The artist’s travelogue concludes with a sense of gathering through shared stories, food, labour and imagination—bringing together the many people and experiences that make Singapore a living city.
SINGAPORAMA was made possible through the collaboration of the following organisations and persons:
Armenian Church Singapore / Ar-Rahman Café / Asian Civilisations Museum / Book Bar / Central Sikh Temple / Goodman Community Farm / Hanifa’s Biryani / Haniffa Textiles Pte Ltd. / Humanitarian Organization for Migration / Economics (HOME) / The Intan / Indian Heritage Centre / Joo Chiat Social Club / Kim Choo Kueh Chang / Kaugnay / LASALLE College of the Arts / Maya Gallery / National Archives of Singapore / Orang Laut SG / Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association / Post-Museum / Royal Thai Embassy Singapore / Sajeev Digital Studio / Singapore Art Museum / Silat Seni Gayong Naga Bura / Sirat Sikh Temple / Sree Jada Muneeswarar Temple / Sri Muneswarar Peetam / Sultan Mosque / The T Project / Teo Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice / Transbefrienders / Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) / True Grace Presbyterian Church / United Malaysian Pineapple Sdn Bhd / Uttamayanmuni Buddhist Temple / Wat Ananda Metyarama Buddhist Temple / Yae Chan Sin Trading / Fazelah Supaat Abas / Malvika Agarwal / Aunty Agnes / Dino Hafian Ahmad / Alagu / Novia Arluma / Chookait Banthaotuek / Ian Bojo / Emily Cardon / Mariel Chee / Mark Chee / Stephanie Chok / Juliet Dapilmoto / Asnida Daud / Phrakhru Udom Dhammavithes / Kamal Dollah / Jo Ann A. Dumlao / Raquel Ello / Robert James Elton / Prof. Patrick Flores / Debbie Fordyce / Matthew Paul French / Kuhan Ganehsan / Germaine Goh / Lim Tong Hai / Lisa Horikawa / Koh Nguang How / Abdullah bin Hussain / Johanes Jamil / Johanns Jeffrey / Mariessa Jeffrey / Miea Sara Jeffrey / Syurga Jeffrey / Mohammad Zobidul Islam Jewel / Seng Yu Jin / Prof. Irving Chan Johnson / Onusa Junthaphun / Ponno Kalastree / Pavel Karapetyan/ Jaspreet Sekhon Kaur / Kartar Kaur / Nan Laung Kham / Siriluck Khampeebongkoch / Chattharika Khankham / Muthu Khannan / Chng Suan Khim / Rain Khoo / Prof. Ruangnapa Kitiarsa / Rungnapa Kitiarsa / Sirion Kittikulsereekham / Muthu Krishnan / Pillay P. Krishnan / Keertan Ari Kuhan / Kung / Eunice Ramos Lacaste / K Sajeev Lal / Dana Lam / Veron Lau / Veronyka Lau / Agnes Law / Alicia Lim / Arthur E H Lim / Sam Lim / Sheila Lim / Tock Sock Ling / Lucy / Htet Htet Lwin / Aunty Lydia / Khin Cho Mar (Sweetie) / Hamid Marican / Sabrina Marican / Shireen Marican / Hasan MD Maruf / A Mi / Hamzah Mohamad/ Jumilia Mohamed / Auntie Moly / Inderani N / Mohamed Sholahudeen Aminullah bin Mohamed Nasir / Cristina Maria Nearing / Mr and Mrs A.D. Nelson / Nova C Nelson / Alecia Neo / M.H.Mohamed Neyas / Chun Hiang Ng / Joo Hong Ng / May Kyaw Soe Nyunt / Aunty Peggy / Auntie Pen / Khrishnan P Pillay / Merlin Pillay / Tuangrat Promwas / S. Puneswaran (Babu) / Delia Prvački / Milenko Prvački / Lydia Quek / Rafa / Anissa Rahadiningtyas / Mizanur Rahaman / M.H.Mujibur Rahman / Eunice Lacaste Ramos / Nooraini Rani / Rashidah Ab Rasip / Venerable Chao Khun Rian / Indrajeet Roy / Puneswararan S / T.K. Sabapathy / Dahlia Salas / Sureni Salgadoe / Firdaus Sani / Jeffrey Say / Heiko Schulze / Masturah Sha’ari / Sheeja / Prof. Vineeta Sinha / Buppha Sitthitham / Nonphan Srikham / Dr Saiful Nizam bin Subari / Alagu Sundharam / Dr. Suriani Suratman / Sha’ari Tadin / Eve Tan / Irene Tan / Siwaporn Tan / Terence Tan / Tasrini / Alicia Teng / Coen Teo / Jennifer Teo / Tin Tin / Koh Hui Ting / Seth Tjia / Linda Tom / Peggy Tong / Gurdip Singh Usma / Uncle Victor / Jeffrey Wandly / Woon Tien Wei / Win / Edmond Wong / Raymond Wong / Prof. Kwok Kian Woon / Tien Wei Woon / Tang Da Wu / Teo Han Wue / Alvin Yapp / Wandly Yazid / Vanessa Yeo / Goh Sze Ying / Zaleha / Mohammad Zobidul
The SINGAPORAMA installation at the Padang Atrium of National Gallery Singapore is on view until March 2027.
For more information, please visit National Gallery Singapore SINGAPORAMA website.
Copyright © Navin Production Co., Ltd. All copyright and intellectual property rights with respect to this film belong to Navin Production Co., Ltd. The reproduction or making available in any way or form of this film without prior written consent from Navin Production Co., Ltd. is not allowed.
