UAS marks first overseas residency collaboration at China's Artfield Nanhai Guangdong – Press Release

Four students representing the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) from LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) will present new site-responsive works at Artfield Nanhai Guangdong 2026 in Foshan, China, following a month-long overseas residency collaboration.

UAS is the only Singapore university and the sole overseas arts university participating in this edition of Artfield Nanhai Guangdong, which also marks UAS' first overseas residency collaboration with HUBART.

The collaboration forms part of HUBART's broader international cultural exchange initiatives through its Singapore-based platform LIVE ART BRAIN.

Artfield Nanhai Guangdong 2026 is a major contemporary regional art festival that transforms villages, waterways and public spaces across the Nanhai region into a distributed exhibition landscape.

This year's theme, Water Connects, explores how water links communities, memory, ecology and everyday life.

The pre-festival residency, held from 8 May to 10 June 2026, involved four Fine Arts students from LASALLE and NAFA: Angel Woo and Eunice Lim from LASALLE's BA (Hons) Fine Arts programme, and Matthew Goh and Hans Chew from NAFA's MFA Fine Arts programme.

Working across field-based environments in Nanhai, the students engaged with island landscapes, village settings and local conditions to develop new works through observation, material exploration and cultural exchange.

Their works respond to themes including connectivity, ecology, language, memory and place.

During the residency, students drew on encounters with farmers, fishermen and local communities, as well as everyday rhythms shaped by flood cycles, ferry transport and river landscapes, producing works across installation, moving image, ceramics and mixed media.

UAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Kwok Kian Woon said: "We are honoured to be part of Artfield Nanhai Guangdong 2026 and to collaborate with HUBART. This residency reflects UAS' approach to learning through deep immersion in art-making and engagement with communities beyond the classroom. We hope this experience will give the students space and opportunity to develop new perspectives through cross-cultural exchange and dialogue."

Associate Professor Cissie Fu, Head, McNally School of Fine Arts, LASALLE, said: "LASALLE is delighted to collaborate with HUBART to enable our emerging artists to make socially resonant art by living with, listening to, and learning from residents and neighbours of Pingsha Island, where Nanhai's deep agricultural history and rich rural rites offer a fertile counterpoint to their studies in Singapore. This important intercultural immersion, complete with early exposure in a unique international biennale, will continue to shape our participating students' perspectives and practices as they grow with dedicated faculty mentorship at the McNally School of Fine Arts."

Sabrina Long, Dean, Faculty of Art & Design, NAFA, said: "NAFA's Master of Fine Arts (Fine Art) programme encourages artists to deepen their practice through critical inquiry, practice-led research and interdisciplinary experimentation. The residency at Artfield Nanhai Guangdong provided a valuable context for our students to test ideas, respond to unfamiliar environments and develop new artistic approaches through sustained engagement with landscape, community and local knowledge. We are pleased to see them bring these explorations to an international platform through works that reflect both creative experimentation and rigorous artistic inquiry."

Artfield Nanhai Guangdong 2026 runs from 17 July 2026 to 3 January 2027 in Foshan, China.

The festival is expected to feature more than 130 art projects, including over 70 newly commissioned works, with participation from more than 170 artist groups and over 200 individual artists representing over 30 countries and regions.

This edition will also showcase a broader international presence, bringing together artists from Argentina, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and other parts of the world.

This residency underscores UAS' commitment to practice-led and internationally engaged arts education, supporting students to develop their work through real-world contexts and regional collaboration.

Annex A provides profiles of the participating students and their artworks.

High-resolution images are available at this link.