An Exercise in Futility is an activity that has no point, use, or meaning; which produces no result, and is therefore not worth attempting. Defined by its own negativity, futility seems to have no exit; a cycle we wouldn’t necessarily want to find ourselves stuck in. To enact a futile gesture, then, is to contend with the prospect that it might all come to nothing. Yet we might choose or feel compelled to do so anyway. In this group exhibition, five artists come together to examine the otherwise futile: repetitive processes that seem to have no clear outcome; objects stripped of the functions for which they were made; tasks with outright impossible goals; rituals that have lost their purpose for one reason or another. Through varied explorations of this space of non-productivity, these works contemplate the transformation of futility into fertility.

More information on extended programme can be found at bit.ly/futile-exercises

Artists: Fiona Seow, Genevieve Leong, ila, Marvin Tang, Ryan Lim Zi Yi
Curator: Berny Tan

Image credits: Genevieve Leong