Singapore Tourism Board launches Creator Residency Programme in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2026

In partnership with Mondrian Singapore Duxton, the programme’s first edition transforms the hotel’s iconic front steps into a cultural landmark in the Duxton precinct

Singaporean artist tobyato and Filipino artist Jappy Agoncillo will create a mural at Mondrian Singapore Duxton

Singapore, 19 January 2026 – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Mondrian Singapore Duxton have announced a new collaboration that introduces STB's new Creator Residency Programme through a striking public art installation in the heart of the Duxton precinct. This partnership marks the pilot edition of the Creator Residency Programme and Mondrian Singapore Duxton's most significant art collaboration to date.

Built on deep immersion through authentic exploration, the Creator Residency programme brings together five pairs of global and Singapore-based artists and creators, with Singapore acting as a catalyst and the local creators playing a part in helping the visiting counterparts achieve a personal goal. In alignment with STB’s marketing strategy, the programme aims to leverage partnerships and storytelling expertise to connect with our global target audience and drive awareness of Singapore as a travel destination. Over two weeks, the pairs will explore Singapore's neighbourhoods and cultural touchpoints, working alongside industry partners to create artworks that capture Singapore as a living source of inspiration and creative exchange.

The programme features diverse creative partnerships¹ spanning multiple disciplines and nationalities: HAFI (Singapore) collaborating with Sonia Eryka (Indonesia), maegzster (Singapore) paired with Atom (Atompakon) (Thailand), Amanda Khoo (Singapore) working alongside Siddhartha Joshi (India), See Min (Singapore) partnering with Kelex 宇华 (China), and for the Mondrian Singapore Duxton collaboration, Singaporean artist tobyato working with Filipino artist Jappy Agoncillo. These collaborations bring together talents ranging from painters to videographers, creating a rich tapestry of creative perspectives.

Georgina Koh, Director, Marketing Activation, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “This Creator Residency initiative exemplifies Singapore's role as a creative catalyst in the region, where our world-class infrastructure and year-round calendar of dynamic cultural and leisure experiences provide the perfect backdrop for meaningful artistic exchange. By bringing together regional and local talents through these cross-cultural pairings, we're not only fostering innovation and fresh perspectives, but also showcasing Singapore as a living source of inspiration. This first collaboration is in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2026, and working alongside partners like Mondrian Singapore Duxton and the National Arts Council, we're developing compelling creative works that further enhance Singapore's vibrancy as a destination."

Damien Marchenay, General Manager, Mondrian Singapore Duxton, said: “Mondrian Singapore Duxton is deeply rooted in this vibrant precinct - its people, its stories, its energy, and we see hospitality as a platform that brings culture into the everyday. This collaboration with STB and NAC marks our most ambitious art initiative to date. We want to create new ways for both locals and visitors to engage with contemporary creativity in the heart of the city, and to position Mondrian as an accessible platform and springboard for artistic expression that is open to the community and not confined within walls. This collaboration with STB, NAC and artists, tobyato and Jappy Agoncillo, builds on this belief, and we are proud to contribute to the cultural fabric of the Duxton precinct.”

The installation will be completed during Singapore Art Week 2026 (22 – 31 January 2026), the region’s pinnacle event to experience the best of Southeast Asian Art. The collaboration will place contemporary art directly into the public realm, positioning Mondrian Singapore Duxton as a cultural gateway that reinforces its ongoing commitment to shaping the creative identity and community fabric of the neighbourhood.

Sam Lay, Director, Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, National Arts Council, said: “Singapore Art Week is all about discovering art in new and unexpected ways across our country. By bringing contemporary works into everyday spaces beyond the gallery through this partnership with Mondrian Singapore Duxton and the Singapore Tourism Board, we’re opening up more opportunities for people to connect with Singapore’s creative voices. We are excited for locals and visitors to encounter the arts in fresh, meaningful ways, and welcome more of such collaborations to deepen the presence of the arts across Singapore, with our country as a canvas.”

A Bold Artistic Pairing: tobyato (Singapore) & Jappy Agoncillo (Philippines)

For this inaugural partnership, Mondrian Singapore Duxton serves as both venue and cultural partner. The collaboration centres on Singaporean visual artist tobyato and Filipino artist Jappy Agoncillo, both recognised for their contemporary pop art practices defined by bold colour palettes, graphic compositions, and playful visual narratives, and a natural alignment with Mondrian’s expressive, design-led brand DNA.

Following a two-week long exploration of Singapore, tobyato and Jappy Agoncillo will co-create a site-specific mural across Mondrian Singapore Duxton’s front staircase, transforming a highly visible architectural feature into a striking public artwork. Positioned beside the hotel’s iconic KAWS sculpture, the staircase mural will become a new visual focal point within the Duxton precinct, inviting both guests and passers-by to encounter art as part of the everyday cityscape.

A Regional Exchange Rooted in Discovery and Dialogue

The collaborative artwork, titled ‘Leon at Lion’, translates as Lion and Lion (in Tagalog), incorporates a mix of both tobyato and Jappy Agoncillo’s styles and inspiration. The artwork embodies the spirit of “rojak”, referring to both a salad dish commonly found in Singapore and Singapore’s “mixture” of creativity, culture, and heritage. Quite literally drawing inspiration from that creativity and each artist’s unique point of view, their different art styles come together to form a unique collaborative artwork, across the steps of the Mondrian Singapore Duxton.

tobyato said: “Collaborating with Jappy through STB’s Creator Residency allows us to experience the Singapore creative scene more deeply, with me as the local host and Jappy as the visiting creative. This mural with Mondrian Singapore Duxton offers a chance for us to translate, reflect and present these experiences into an artwork that playfully cuts through the Duxton neighbourhood, for everyone to accessibly enjoy what the Singapore creative scene has to offer.”

Jappy Agoncillo said: “This is a very exciting collaboration for us because we’ve been given the freedom to create and explore – all in real time, in the public view. In some way, that makes the city a part of the collaboration as well as us playing off its sights, sounds, and of course, its people. Platforms like the Creator Residency and spaces like Mondrian allow these vibrant connections to happen.”

The Unveiling Event

On 1 February at 4pm, Mondrian Singapore Duxton invites guests to gather for the unveiling of its newly completed stairs mural as part of Singapore Art Week. Created by tobyato and Jappy Agoncillo, the artists will share stories behind the collaborative artwork before revealing the finished piece. Guests are invited to linger around the mural for light refreshments, customised printed T-shirts, and to join a guided art tour exploring Mondrian’s permanent art collection throughout the hotel, celebrating creativity in all its forms.

Spotlighting Mondrian’s Art Collection 

In conjunction with the new staircase mural 'Leon at Lion', Mondrian Singapore Duxton will spotlight its existing art collection, reinforcing the hotel's identity as a cultural canvas where contemporary art is encountered throughout the property. From KAWS' six-metre bronze sculpture “WHAT PARTY”, at the entrance to works by Ian Davenport’s “Deep Magenta Mirrored”, Dawn Ng’s “Waterfall Series”, Tracey Emin’s “I Longed For You”, and Tyler Shields “Ferrari Legs” and “Water Mouths Monochrome” across social spaces, the collection extends into guestrooms featuring André Wee's augmented reality 'Rojak' and Fares Micue's self-portrait prints in the shophouse suites.

Mondrian Introduces Free Public Art Tours

As part of this initiative, Mondrian Singapore Duxton will launch complimentary public art tours held bi-weekly on the first and third Friday at 4:00 p.m. Free and open to all, the guided tours showcase the hotel's collection including the new staircase mural, underscoring Mondrian's commitment to accessibility and community engagement.

This collaboration positions the hotel as a living cultural platform where art, place, and people intersect in the heart of the Duxton precinct.

Please refer to the Annex for Artists’ Biographies. 

¹ More details will be available subsequently.

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About Mondrian Singapore Duxton

From the Hollywood Strip to the Lion City’s Duxton Hill, Mondrian injects its signature blend of art, glamour and culinary flair into Singapore’s most vibrant neighbourhood. With its bold design and electric energy, Mondrian sets the scene with its cinematic rooftop pool and eclectic collection of bars and restaurants.

Mondrian Singapore Duxton’s 302 rooms and suites take inspiration from the traditional Singaporean architecture with the ‘deconstructed shophouse’ as the overarching design theme. The stylish spaces invite guests to broaden horizons with a multi-disciplinary art collection, featuring pieces by KAWS, Tracey Emin, Ian Davenport, Singaporeans Dawn Ng and André Wee and more. Located in the heart of Duxton Hill, one of the Lion City’s most happening areas, the property rises above Chinatown’s colourful historical shophouses and looks to the future with its sweeping views of the CBD skyline.

Helmed by a team of all-star iconoclasts ranging across the fields of hospitality, cuisine, design, fashion, nightlife and art, Mondrian Singapore Duxton is raises the bar in the art of the possible and raises the roof of Asia’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan city.

Mondrian Singapore Duxton was named among the Top 5 Hotels in Singapore by Travel + Leisure Asia, recognised as the Best Overseas Hotel by Travel + Leisure China, and proudly joins the prestigious 50 Best Discovery list. For more information, visit our website. Follow us on @mondriansingapore.

About Mondrian Hotels & Residences

Mondrian is a series of forward-thinking hotels and residences rooted in art, design, and culture. Groundbreaking interiors, immersive art installations and inventive culinary experiences are hallmarks of a Mondrian, as are dream-like spaces that reflect the city it inhabits. Visionary collaborators and progressive programming bring each location to life, generating an energy that calls to the culturally curious and attracts locals and travellers alike. With properties at the forefront of some of the world’s most exciting established and emerging cultural hubs in Singapore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Doha, Mexico City, Cannes, Bordeaux, Seoul, Hong Kong and Ibiza, the brand is experiencing tremendous growth with upcoming openings in Tulum, Dubai, and Australia’s gold coast. Mondrianhotels.com

Mondrian Hotels & Residences is part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company rooted in culture and community, with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Formed in 2021, Ennismore is a joint venture with Accor, which holds a majority shareholding. For more information, visit our website. Follow @mondrianhotels.

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

Editor’s note:

The public can register for Mondrian Singapore’s Public Art Tour here. Images are available in this link.