Announcement

“Works by Toko Shinoda: Returning to Singapore After 30 Years”

In collaboration with Art Forum

Venue: Art Forum 

82 Cairnhill Road

Exhibition Dates: January 23 (Fri) – 31 (Sat), 2026

Hours: 10am - 7pm (open daily during the exhibition period)

Free Admission

Champagne Opening Reception: January 23 (Fri), 5pm - 8pm

In 2026, The Tolman Collection, in collaboration with Art Forum, proudly presents a landmark exhibition celebrating the work of Toko Shinoda, one of Japan’s most revered abstract artists. Timed to mark the 30th anniversary of her 1996 solo exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), this occasion offers audiences a rare opportunity to encounter the profound evolution and enduring relevance of her artistic vision.

Shinoda (1913–2021) is internationally acclaimed for her distinctive fusion of traditional calligraphy with contemporary abstract expression. Her elegant balance of gesture, restraint, and spatial tension—rooted in Eastern aesthetics yet conversant with Western modernism—resonates deeply within Singapore’s multicultural artistic landscape.

When SAM introduced Shinoda to Singapore in 1996, the city was emerging as a rising cultural center. The Tolman Collection invites audiences to rediscover her clarity of line, poetic minimalism, and philosophical depth within today’s more expansive artistic context.

As global interest in minimalism, introspection, and contemplative art continues to rise, Shinoda’s oeuvre feels strikingly contemporary. Her pioneering role as an Asian woman who forged an independent path in the postwar art world further underscores the timeliness of this exhibition.

Opening with a Champagne Reception on Friday, January 23 from 5pm to 8pm, the 2026 exhibition celebrates three decades of cultural dialogue between Japan and Singapore and reaffirms Toko Shinoda’s lasting influence across generations and borders.