Seeding Sovereignty is artist Chu Hao Pei’s attempt to provide an alternative mode of seed distribution. The work takes the form of a seed library, and is designed to build on shared knowledge, affirm our mutual dependence, and reimagine different ways of organising ourselves. It emerges from the artist’s long-term interest in rice and its circulation within Singapore and Southeast Asia.

As a cumulative index of texts, stories, and images, visitors are encouraged to interact with the seed library by gleaning information from its drawers and taking a packet of rice seeds home with them. As one rummages through these holdings, established methods of information arrangement give way and new meanings can be composed through these materials. By providing a reflective topography of rice that is both mutable and empirical, Seeding Sovereignty invites audiences to reconsider their relationship to the land, the food we eat, and how one humble crop can knit a region together.

Seeding Sovereignty was made in collaboration with Dhanny Sanjaya and Marcuse Woodworks.

About the Artist
Chu Hao Pei (b.1990, Singapore) is a visual artist whose works are primarily influenced by his long-standing interest in the interrelations between culture and the environment. Chu’s practice explores the shifting physical, sociological and emotional connections with our natural and urban landscapes. His works shed light on the overlooked and accidental by interweaving the processes of engagement, documentation and research. In this way, he examines the complexities of environmental and cultural loss (or resurgence) shaped by political, economic and social factors. Chu uses certain methods of documentation and representation to reveal aspects of his subject, while simultaneously concealing and drawing attention to what has yet to be communicated or understood.

About Lonely Vectors
Lonely Vectors presents a series of artworks and new commissions that draw our attention to the flow of bodies and labour, exclusive zonings, fault lines, choke points, and infrastructural politics that characterise our global economy. The exhibition is presented across multiple venues, including local libraries and public hoardings. The final show will be held at SAM’s current location at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

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Hero image:
Seeding Sovereignty (2021);