The Private Museum in Singapore presents "Human Being Human: Selections from the Collection of John and Cheryl Chia," an exhibition running from January 19 to April 26, 2026. Organized into four chapters—"Stateless," "State," "Statehood," and "Rebirth"—the show features works by artists including Joseph Beuys, Lee Wen, Eadweard Muybridge, Sherman Ong, John Clang, Sun Xun, and Green Zeng, exploring the body as a central site of inquiry into identity, vulnerability, and societal conditioning. The collection, amassed over 25 years by doctors John and Cheryl Chia, uses the body to examine themes of statelessness, state control, collective ideology, and rebirth, with works that challenge linear narratives and embrace conceptual loops.
This exhibition matters because it offers a rare public glimpse into a private collection shaped by medical professionals, bringing a unique perspective on the body as both a physical and philosophical subject. By juxtaposing historical and contemporary works across multiple venues within The Private Museum, it highlights how personal collecting can generate critical discourse on identity, power, and human experience. The show's ambitious thematic structure, while intellectually dense, underscores the growing trend of private collections functioning as curatorial platforms that engage with pressing social and political questions.