The 200 eggplants that comprise Singapore artist Suzann Victor's commissioned artwork "Still Life" at the National Gallery Singapore have been mysteriously disappearing – not due to natural decomposition, but because visitors have been stealing them from the installation.
The National Gallery Singapore confirmed on August 1st that while they would not disclose the exact number of purple fruits that have been pilfered, they have erected clear signage warning visitors against touching the installation. Gallery staff now conduct regular inspections of the artwork to maintain its integrity, according to an official statement responding to media inquiries.
The gallery acknowledged that the wall-mounted work, which is designed to "make tangible the futile performance of patriarchy in social spaces," has generated unusual curiosity and enthusiasm among visitors. "We've observed that many visitors enjoy engaging with Still Life by taking photos and experiencing it up close, and we hope this interest continues in a respectful way," the statement read. "We kindly seek the public's cooperation in preserving the artwork so that everyone can enjoy it in its intended form."
"Still Life" is part of the National Gallery Singapore's revamped Singapore art history exhibition titled "Singapore Stories: Pathways And Detours In Art." The installation has become a lightning rod for public debate since its installation in July, jutting out into the walkway outside DBS Singapore Gallery three on the museum's second floor. The positioning in this extra-gallery transitional space is part of curators' efforts to make better use of such areas, and also serves as a nod to the work's original context in 1992.
In the original 1992 version, Victor mounted 100 brinjals (eggplants) onto three black walls outside Parkway Parade shopping center, strategically placed to catch the attention of office workers trudging to work in the morning and "wake them up." Since the current installation's launch, it has attracted widespread attention, with online debate particularly focused on concerns about perceived food wastage. The eggplants are intentionally designed to be regularly replaced after their organic decomposition throughout the exhibition period, which is planned to continue for the next couple of years.
To address sustainability concerns, the National Gallery Singapore has announced that all eggplants will be donated to the non-profit organization Ground-Up Initiative for composting at their community farm, ensuring the organic materials don't go to waste.
Suzann Victor, speaking on August 1st, expressed hope that the public would move beyond what she called "this essentializing way of viewing art that is ignorant." She emphasized the historical significance of "Still Life," noting that its genesis in 1992 predates both the eggplant emoji and Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's now-infamous provocative work "Comedian," which featured a fresh banana duct-taped to a wall.
"The eggplants are composed in a very deliberate way," explained Victor, who is considered one of Singapore's most important performance art pioneers and co-founder of the influential 1990s art space 5th Passage. "It was the beginning of my interest in kinetics and performance. They try to defy gravity, but ultimately, gravity gets them. They are failing in a very profound sense."
Victor also revealed the meticulous craftsmanship behind the installation, explaining that each eggplant is hand-painted with careful attention paid to their color and glossiness. "The thinking behind the work is also very much about their materiality," she said. She particularly appreciated one response to the work: "One of the most beautiful responses to the eggplant was when [performance artist] Tang Da Wu came and did this dance to articulate the spaces between the plants."
This incident is not the first time art has been vandalized or stolen in Singapore, though such occurrences typically happen with public art installations outside of galleries. In 2014, Casey Chen's "Prosperity Tunnel" along the underground linkway between Jurong Point and Boon Lay Bus Interchange suffered damage when a member of the public extracted a 30cm by 30cm portion of the wallpaper and stickers printed with images of currency notes.
A more dramatic case occurred in 2000 when Felicia Low's "Dragon" sculpture outside Chinatown Complex went entirely missing, with parts of it later discovered in a rubbish dump a block away. Interestingly, that incident also revealed a misunderstanding of value: thieves stole the cheap epoxy parts forming the dragon's body while leaving behind the more expensive acrylic mirror panels.
The theft of Victor's eggplants highlights ongoing challenges museums face in balancing public engagement with artwork preservation, particularly for interactive or tactile installations that invite close examination. The National Gallery Singapore's response demonstrates the delicate balance required to maintain both the integrity of artistic works and the accessibility that makes art meaningful to diverse audiences.
The controversy surrounding "Still Life" reflects broader conversations in contemporary art about the relationship between audience participation, artistic intent, and institutional responsibility. Victor's work, with its deliberate placement in a transitional space and its organic, time-based nature, challenges traditional notions of how art should be displayed and preserved, while the public's response – both appreciative and problematic – reveals the complex dynamics between contemporary art and its viewers.
