Studio Juju embarks on its first solo exhibition, Likeables, exploring conscious consumption through design
With the support from DesignSingapore Council, Studio Juju engaged in a year-long design inquiry to present this series of works that showcases its process and philosophy
January 22, 2024
Singapore, 23 January 2024: DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) is welcoming 2024 by bringing design into the community, starting with homegrown firm Studio Juju’s first solo exhibition, Likeables, at the Peranakan Museum, Singapore.
Presented by Priscilla Lui and Timo Wong, co-founders of Studio Juju, the exhibition displays the studio’s distinctive approach, merging fresh perspectives and emotional connection with its signature expressions of precise functionality and abstract concepts through shapes, colours, and texture.
The pieces in this exhibition are born out of Studio Juju’s residency programme at the National Design Centre from 2022 to 2023. Lui and Wong were given the space and time to conceptualise physical forms that are emotive, experiential and made to last, while exploring regional industrial manufacturing techniques and materials that could be applied to their collection.
Featuring six furniture collections and a specially crafted bench inspired by a blackwood bench in the Peranakan Museum’s collection, Likeables unravels the significance of furniture that is both likeable and meaningful – pieces that can be cherished and used over prolonged time, reinforcing the principles of preservation and conscious consumption.
“We are very excited for this opportunity to have our first ever solo exhibition. Beyond furniture, Likeables also represents our desire to promote design values through common daily use items, and we hope to inspire and encourage visitors to have a greater appreciation for well-designed objects,” says Priscilla Lui, co-founder of Studio Juju.
To showcase a diverse array of techniques and materials, the furniture pieces range from a reimagined blackwood bench often acquired in pairs by Straits Chinese households to a collection comprising a table, a console, and a cupboard crafted from lightweight aluminium honeycomb panels, a sustainable material that is more commonly seen in architectural cladding than movable furniture. Other collections include chocolate wall sculptures, sofa blocks, mousse inspired poufs and modular oak tray tables.
Likeables, which will be held at the Peranakan Museum and launched as part of the line-up for Singapore Art Week 2024 also marks the start of Dsg’s community engagement activities this year. This is part of the Council’s on-going efforts to nurture design awareness and appreciation, as well as deepen engagement among diverse audiences and the wider community.
“By intentionally embedding design experiences into the community through new venues, events and platforms, we hope to spark greater interest and curiosity about design, while deepening interactions and conversations. The public can expect more of DesignSingapore Council’s community engagement activities as we expand our outreach to profile more Singaporean designers, growing a stronger and more vibrant design culture,” says Dawn Lim, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council.
Likeables
19 January – 22 February 2024
10am – 7pm daily (10am – 9pm on Fridays)
Free admission to exhibition
Peranakan Museum, Special Exhibition Gallery, Level 2 39 Armenian St, Singapore 179941
For more information, refer to the full press kit with photography here. For information on Studio Juju, refer to Annex A. For full list furniture collection at the exhibition, refer to Annex B.
About the DesignSingapore Council
DesignSingapore Council’s vision is for Singapore to be an innovation-driven economy and a loveable city through design by 2025. As the national agency that promotes design, our mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board. For more information, please visit designsingapore.org.
About Studio Juju
Priscilla Lui and Timo Wong founded Studio Juju in 2010. To design with fresh perspectives and emotional connection in mind, Studio Juju manoeuvres between different scales and across genres in design and art. Each project is a union of simplicity and warmth, utility and whimsy, refinement and relevance.