Globalisation, which introduces the circulation of capital, culture, goods, ideas and technology, has significantly impacted every sphere of the contemporary world. As it brings about rapid development and increasing mobility of people, while ushering in an era of stability and affluence, there are also new challenges that may arise. Sociologist Ronald Inglehart proposed that when people live in a prolonged prosperous situation with their material and security needs fulfilled, cultural value and mentality in the entire society will gradually shift. Inglehart believed that a generation growing up in a materially affluent environment will be more inclined towards post-materialism, which is characterised by the prioritisation of personal ideals and self-expression that may reflect the current social and environmental conditions, as individuals place the subjects that are relatively deficient in precedence.

This is reflective of the world at present, as it embraces the rise of millennial youths – a new generation that has not experienced any severe physiological and economic difficulties during their formative years, and are therefore more likely to pursue non-material spiritual needs such as knowledge, autonomy, happiness and equality. As the first digital natives, this generation is exposed to a technological world where flow of information, cultures, possessions, services and people could occur freely and widely across real and virtual boundaries, resulting in a more informed and cosmopolitan worldview. This contributed to their collective sensibility towards social justice, political liberalness and environmental concerns. For these millennials who have grown up in a relatively unruffled society that is constantly thriving, they are more likely to seek deeper spiritual gratification as they reflect upon the inherent social structure.

In light of this current social development trend, An uncanny assortment of miscellaneous objects will attempt to establish the possibilities of intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogues by inviting ten Singaporean and Taiwanese millennial artists to present works that touch on various social commentaries and observations on issues that matter to them, as culminated from the artists’ unique sensibility, cogitation and imagination. The exhibition will bring everyday objects to the fore in an attempt to discuss the imperative of current issues with the peculiarity of daily commodities, thereby presenting an interesting juxtaposition that demands attention in a post-material world. The multi-dimensionality of different objects may conjure up narratives such as personal and collective memories, as well as symbolic associations to certain subjects as they spark curiosity and ideas. Through the reinterpretation of everyday objects that echoes the adaptive relationship between people and societal values, the exhibition will offer an expansion of perspectives in pressing societal issues and re-examine the many contradictions and inconsistencies in contemporary life as the artists utilise the mundane objects within their personal encounters and experiments to highlight certain habitual tendencies of modernity, as well as the absurdity and impermanence behind these realities.