Collaborations between Singapore and Japan
STPI in Kyoto: Print, Paper & Beyond is a curated showcase at Kyoto City University of Arts (KCUA) held in parallel with STPI’s participation in Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK). Both presentations celebrate the spirit of collaboration and innovation, at the core of STPI’s programme. STPI Executive Director Emi Eu says, “2026 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan, making it a particularly meaningful year for us to return to ACK.” It is also two decades of exchange between STPI and Japanese artistic practices through its Visiting Artist Programme (VAP), where artists work in close collaboration with the Workshop’s print and papermaking specialists.
Teppei Kaneuji, Games, Dance and the Constructions (Singapore) #3-A, 2014, screenprint, archival inkjet print, plexiglass and cotton rag paper, 129.5 x 104.5 x 4.5cm. © Teppei Kaneuji / STPI. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
Shinro Ohtake, Yellow Nude, 2015, paper pulp painting, 76.5 x 60cm. © Shinro Ohtake / STPI. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
STPI in Kyoto features works by 14 artists created during their STPI residencies, including Tabaimo (2008), Teppei Kaneuji (2013) and Shinro Ohtake (2015). For Kyoto-born Kaneuji, who is also a KCUA alumni, this show holds special significance which he describes as a “reunion with old friends” at his alma mater. His work Games, Dance and the Constructions is part of a series of collages inspired by the multicultural landscape in Singapore, that combines photographs and manga illustrations. KCUA’s longstanding tradition in printmaking together with Kyoto’s rich heritage of craftsmanship forms a fitting context for the exhibition.
Do Ho Suh, Running Man, 2010, thread drawing embedded in STPI handmade cotton paper, 102 x 76cm. © Do Ho Suh. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
Lee Bul, Untitled – SFLG, 2023, screenprint and foiling on paper, 81 x 108cm. © Lee Bul. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of an “open kitchen”, as described by STPI Workshop Director Oh Thiam Guan, the show offers a sampling of the boundary-pushing possibilities of print and papermaking at STPI. A pivotal work is Running Man (2010), an early example of Do Ho Suh’s signature thread drawings on paper. This piece is a precursor to the increasingly ambitious and colourful thread drawings by the artist, which have become one of his signature bodies of work. Complexity can also be found in Lee Bul’s Untitled – SF series, which at first glance resembles broken screens or mirrors. Composed of up to 12 to 16 layers of paper, vinyl and foil, the print behaves less like an image but as a surface holding space and tension.
Heman Chong, Bookmark (Leaves) #1, 2023, embossed print on STPI handmade paper, 39.5 x 29.5cm. © Heman Chong / STPI. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
Haegue Yang, Vegetable Print - Okra Spiral #5, 2012, relief print on paper, 35 x 35cm. © Haegue Yang / STPI. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI, Singapore.
Another resonance can be found between Haegue Yang and Heman Chong, whose STPI works engage with organic materials and simple gestures. Yang’s Vegetable Print series transforms everyday food items through her distinct visual language. Similarly, the subtle impression in Chong’s Bookmark (Leaves) #1 made using embossing moulds created from leaves that he found in public library books, which were presumably used as bookmarks. Chong will also be exhibiting new works at ACK, in a group presentation by STPI and Mizuma Gallery, alongside Kim Lim, O JUN, and Junichi Mori.
STPI in Kyoto | Talk 1: Behind the Editions: Experimentations in Printmaking and Papermaking Today. Artists Teppei Kaneuji and Tabaimo will be in conversation with Eitaro Ogawa, former STPI Workshop Director.
Complementing STPI in Kyoto are two public talks and a hands-on relief printing workshop led collaboratively by KCUA students and STPI. “Beyond the exhibition, we see this as a great opportunity to forge new connections with the university, which hopefully will pave the way for future artistic and educational collaborations,” Eu elaborates. Taking place on 7 November 2027, the first panel discussion with Kaneuji and Taibaimo offers a behind-the-scenes look at the collaborative and experimental process in the workshop. The next day, there will be a conversation on the future of print between Eu and Yuka Uematsu, Curator at National Museum of Art, Osaka. Both sessions will be moderated by Eitaro Ogawa, former STPI Workshop Director.
STPI in Kyoto follows a series of international exhibitions such as Forms of Encounter (2025) in Bangkok and Chances of Contact: Contemporary Prints from the Philippines and Singapore (2024) in Manila. Taken together, they are platforms for sharing works created at STPI with audiences beyond Singapore and to deepen discourses around printmaking’s artistic legacy in Asia.
This article is presented in partnership with STPI.
STPI in Kyoto: Print, Paper & Beyond is on view at Kyoto City University of Arts from 7 to 12 November 2026. For more information about the exhibition and its public programmes, click here.