Quek Jia Qi is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and organiser. Her socially-engaged practice investigates how relational and transformative learning can emerge through experimental forms of storytelling and hospitality. With a focus on care-based artistic processes, she works collaboratively to explore how modalities of exchange – intersecting art, pedagogy and civic practice – can bring individuals and communities together for civic engagement.

Based in Singapore, she has led and facilitated participatory workshops, site-specific installations, public programmes, and performances across the US, UK, Europe and Asia. Her work has been presented at the Singapore Archifest; Institute of Contemporary Arts, Singapore; CICA Museum, South Korea; Whiteconcepts Gallery, Berlin; Framer Framed, Amsterdam; Raven Row, London; The Yard Theatre, London; King’s College London; Goldsmiths, University of London; 5th Base Gallery, London; amongst others in the public streets of London, Singapore and New York City. She has also worked with Asia-Art-Activism research network, The Substation, and Serpentine Education & Projects, at Serpentine Galleries to develop cross-disciplinary public programmes such as Oceans*A*Part, Discipline the City: Shifting Concretes, and Power Walks. In 2017, Jia Qi was awarded the Social Art Award by The Institute for Art and Innovation e.V. She holds a BA (First-Class) Joint Honours in Fine Art & History of Art from Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, where she was mentored under Dr Janna Graham.   

Working widely with communities on experimental and interdisciplinary collaborations, her recent works include A Picnic In Apart, a digital picnic that brings together individuals from across borders together during the pandemic to re-discover our relationship with food and remotely, Bind, a participatory archival project developed during her research residency at Asia-Art-Activism. Combining traditional bookbinding techniques with socially-engaged pedagogy, participants learn to bind stories of others and our own, tracing a diversity of personal trajectories surrounding stories of care, labour, maintenance and well-being; Field Trip to Redhill, a collaboration with DesignSingapore Associates and My Community to uncover the design of everyday life, heritage and stories through a mix of guided and spontaneous wanderings; She also leads Myths On a Red Hill, in collaboration with architects Isabella Duffield and Randy Chan, to lead a public storytelling pavilion in Singapore and reimagine an open classroom in an urban farm, Sprout Hub by Citysprouts, for creative modes of exchange. The pavilion grows as a living archive — collectively weaving narratives, knowledge, experiences and stories from different individuals and communities. 

In her pedagogical endeavours, she is committed to developing critical arts pedagogies for a socially-engaged education to build our capacity for care, curiosity and inclusion. In 2018, she organised the interdisciplinary symposium, Conversations in Singapore History '18 and And Everything in Between to activate new territories of reflection and social action. In 2017, she led Shifting Concretes, a workshop series as part of The Substation 2017 Discipline the City programme together with Karen Lam, which culminated in a public art intervention, "Can we 'Lepak' better at Orchard Road?" to reimagine and activate urban spaces in Singapore.

With her love for children's literature, Jia Qi is also a published illustrator for The Little Things – a children’s book about kindness, narrated with characters of local food to inspire children in Asia to celebrate who they are; a community initiative in collaboration with Wu Jiezhen and Tampines Kindness Movement. The book has also been distributed and integrated into pre-schools curriculum in Singapore and National Library Board Singapore. 

Jia Qi has written, taught and given talks of various capacities. Some venues include: Goldsmiths, University of London, King’s College London, Royal College of Art, Raven Row London, Asia-Art-Activism, National Library Board Singapore, Brooklyn Free School, Very Special Arts (VSA), Skillseed Sg, and Zarch Collaboratives.

EDUCATION

Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK,
BA (First Class Hons) Fine Art and History of Art 

School of Visual Arts and the Babson Social Innovation Lab, New York, USA
Design for Social Innovation

School of Visual Arts, New York, USA 
City as Site: Performance and Social Interventions 

PUBLIC ART, PERFORMANCES & EXHIBITIONS 

2020
A Picnic In Apart [Virtual] 
AAA Till We Meet Again IRL Digital Programme, supported by Arts Council England & Bagri Foundation

Field Trip to Redhill (Archifest 2020 Edition) [Virtual] 
collaborated with Design Singapore Associates, Myths on a Red Hill and City Sprouts 

Field Trip to Redhill [Virtual] ​
collaborated with Design Singapore Associates, Myths on a Red Hill and MyCommunity

Kopi & Myths
Myths on a Red Hill, Singapore

2019
PARK(ing) Day 2019
Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore

Goldsmiths BAFAHA Degree Show 2019 
Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom

Public Programmes: Power Walks
Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom

Bind
MOKU Pacific HQ, Raven Row, London, United Kingdom

Raven Row Open House
Asia-Art-Activism, Raven Row, London, United Kingdom

Diaspora Disco 
The Glove That Fits, London, United Kingdom

Bind
Asia-Art-Activism, Raven Row, London, United Kingdom

SEACurrents 2019
Raven Row, London, United Kingdom
​
Oceans*A*Part
Raven Row, London, United Kingdom

Diaspora Disco 
The Yard Theatre, London, United Kingdom

2018
UnAuthorised Medium: Intense Visitations​
FramerFramed, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dumplings & Dialogue
Raven Row, London, United Kingdom​

FLOW LIVE #1: Contract With the Skin
Raven Row, London, United Kingdom
​
No Image - International Exhibition
CICA Museum, South Korea
​
Untitled (Goodnight Stranger)
AGORA, Berlin, Germany 

Is This Seat Taken? 
Outside Whitney Museum, New York, USA 

Untitled (Grieving in New York City) 
West 23rd Street, New York, USA 

Shifting Intimacies
RAW, Singapore

TEDxCambridgeUniversity xHibits​
Cambridge University, United Kingdom

Hit Me Baby, One More Time 
London, United Kingdom

Conversations in Singapore History 2018
Kings College London, London, United Kingdom 

No Naked Flames 2
Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom

2017
Stir-fry: An exhibition
London, United Kingdom
​
And Everything In Between: Disciplines in Dialogues 
London, United Kingdom

Social Art Award No.1
WHITECONCEPTS Gallery
Berlin, Germany

Shifting Concretes: Can We “Lepak” Better at Orchard Road?
Orchard Road, Singapore

Creative Debuts x The Black & White Building,
Black and White Building, Shoreditch
London, United Kingdom

​2016
Seven Deadly SINs Exhibition
Capitol Piazza
Singapore, Singapore

A-OK Mindroll Art Exhibition 
Goldsmiths', University of London
London, United Kingdom

SOUND & LANGUAGE EXHIBITION 
Special Collections Archive, Goldsmiths Library 
London, United Kingdom
                   
A Journey Away From Urban Life
5th Base Gallery
London, United Kingdom

2015                    
Ministry of Education (MOE) Headquarters, Singapore 

2014                     
Singapore Youth Festival Art Exhibition 2014
LASALLE College of the Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Art Singapore (ICAS) Galleries 1 & 2 and the Trispace
​Singapore

2013                     
La Viva Art Exhibition 
Goodman Arts Centre
​Singapore

PUBLIC TALKS, LECTURES, WORKSHOPS 

2021
Roundtable: Structures of Care: Ways of Knowing, Being, Working 
A New Season of Care, curated by Annie Jael Kwan, supported by National Arts Council Singapore

2020
Artist Talk Panel: Politics and Practices of Care
AAA Till We Meet Again IRL Digital Programme, supported by Arts Council England & Bagri Foundation
​
2019
Ground-up Initiatives: Artist Talk
AA Asia, Zarch Collaboratives, Singapore Archifest 2019, Singapore

AAA Sharing for MA Curating Contemporary Art, Royal College of Art 
Asia-Art-Activism, London, United Kingdom 

Artist Workshop for BA Curating, Goldsmiths' University of London 
BA Curating, Goldsmiths' University of London, London, United Kingdom 

Serpentine Education and Projects, Public Programmes: Power Walks
Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom​

AAA Sharing Session: ​Artist Talk 
Raven Row, London, United Kingdom 

2018
Interdisciplinary Symposium, Conversations in Singapore History 2018 
Kings College London, London, United Kingdom

Arts for Social Good
Creatives x Alternatives Programme '18, Skillseed Singapore
London, United Kingdom 

2017
The Little Things Book Launch, 
Tampines National Library, Singapore

Shifting Concretes,
Discipline The City 2017, The Substation, Singapore

Arts for Social Good
Creatives x Alternatives Programme '17, Skillseed Singapore
London, United Kingdom

2016
Higher Education and Careers Symposium '16
Dunman High School, Singapore  

2015
Higher Education and Careers Symposium '15
Dunman High School, Singapore  

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, EDUCATION AND CURATING 

Serpentine Education and Projects, Public Programmes: Power Walks
Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom

Co-organiser, Programme Curator and Speaker
Interdisciplinary Symposium, Conversations in Singapore History 2018 
Kings College London, London, United Kingdom

Co-organiser
And Everything In Between 
London, United Kingdom

Illustrator 
The Little Things Book Launch,
in collaboration with Jiezhen Wu and Tampines Kindness Movement
Tampines National Library, Singapore

Lead Artist Facilitator 
Public Workshop: Shifting Concretes 
in collaboration with Karen Lam and The Substation Singapore
Discipline The City Programme Workshop Series,
The Substation Ltd
Singapore, Singapore

Teaching Assistant 
Brooklyn Free School, New York, United States

Public Commission: Mural Doodle in JEM
Mural doodle with Band of Doodlers, White Space Bandits
Commissioned by Jurong East Mall 
​Singapore, Singapore

Co-Founder
Your Familiar Stranger

Teaching Assistant 
Very Special Arts (VSA), Singapore, Singapore

ARTIST & RESEARCH RESIDENCIES

Asia-Art-Activism
Raven Row
​London, UK 

AFFECT Residency for Collaborative Artistic Practices
​Agora Collective e.V.
Berlin, Germany 

City as Site: Performance and Social Interventions
Summer Residency, School of Visual Arts,
​New York, USA

WRITINGS / PUBLICATIONS

Lessons From Caring For House Plants During The Pandemic According To An Artist And Plant Mum
Female Magazine, Singapore 

A Desire to Take Care: Lessons from caring for houseplants during the pandemic
Home & Decor, Singapore

A Desire to Care 
BRACK, COVID Companions feature
​Singapore

AAA Reflection: The Gift of Radicalising Domesticity 
London, UK

Indigo Magazine #2: Cities
London, UK

Cross talk: a halfway point, a sidebar reflection 
Collaboratively written text for 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art 
Sydney, Australia

The Little Things - A Book about Kindness
Children's Book
Singapore

The Social Art Award 2017 - Invigorating the Rise of Social Art
The Institute of Art and Innovation e.V.
Berlin, Germany

SELECT AWARDS

Social Art Award 
The Institute for Art and Innovation e.V., 
Winning work to exhibit at WHITECONCEPTS Gallery, Berlin, Germany 
Published in Award book: The Social Art Award 2017 – Invigorating the Rise of Social Art

The Gold Award 
Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

3rd Runner-Up in Young Artists Category
Singapore Airlines Open House & Art Competition 2015, Singapore
                 
"Mummy, Can I Wash Your Hands" 
Singapore Youth Festival Art Exhibition, Singapore
 
Academic Excellence Award - Art 
Dunman High School, Singapore
                                                                  
Academic Excellence Award - Art
Dunman High School, Singapore

Academic Excellence Award - Art 
Dunman High School, Singapore

Most Photogenic Design Award 
National Azimuth NDP Watch Design Competition
supported by DesignSingapore Council

Finalist 
National Azimuth NDP Watch Design Competition
supported by DesignSingapore Council

3rd Prize
Singapore Youth Photographers Convention, Singapore