Zai Kuning: We are home and everywhere

Ota Fine Arts Singapore is delighted to present a solo exhibition by Zai Kuning, “We are home and everywhere”. Over the last four decades, Zai’s research practice has focused on the semi-nomadic people in the Southeast Asia region, from the Orang Laut of Riau archipelago to the Orang Asli in the forests of Perak, Malaysia, and, most recently, the Moken people who live between the borders of Thailand and Myanmar. Zai has been interested in the topic of human condition, migration, and its history, and in this presentation, ‘home’ is the central focus.

 

In recent years, Zai has been constantly thinking about the meaning of ‘solitude’, following the diagnosis of his diabetic condition and reflections on the reality of death. At the same time, the news of murder, torture and unjustified atrocities of war affected him. In March 2025, Zai made a research trip to the Surin islands to meet and learn about the Moken community first-hand. He was inspired by their strong determination to survive and remember their ancestral way of life as sea people who live in Kabang (boat-house). Zai reflected upon their sense of home and identity, in parallel with Singaporeans today who strive to preserve traditions while living in a multi-cultural society with respect for others.

 

The main piece of this exhibition, We are home and everywhere (2025) is an installation featuring driftwood  suspended mid-air, assembled as an erratic, continuous linear formation. The driftwood is symbolic of migration – only the strongest part of the tree survives the adversities of the ocean, as it drifts across waves in search of a land to rest. On the floor directly below are pieces of stones, positioned to create a seemingly boat-like shape. Stones are commonly used as anchors for boats, and here they become a metaphor for settling down. The hand-drawn maps of the seas, coastlines and islands surrounding Singapore serve to emphasize the vastness and importance of our geography, and to narrate the histories across these lands and seas. Through this presentation, Zai raises questions about migration, immigration and diaspora, and what we consider as ‘home’.