Exceptional/Everyday: New Acquisitions, New Perspectives

Publisher: Asian Civilisations Museum

Authors: Peter Lee, Naomi Wang, Alan Chong, Clement Onn, Cheah Hwei’en, Lai Chee Kien, Christopher Ng, Sun Pingyu, Koh Keng We 

Editors: Benjamin Chiesa and Alan Chong

Language: English
County of Origin: Singapore
Page count: 235
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 24cm x 17cm x 2.5cm
Publication Date: 28 October 2026
Search words: Peranakan art; Peranakan culture; Peranakan Museum; Southeast Asian art; Straits Chinese; Peranakan heritage; Material culture; Decorative arts; Museum collections; New acquisitions; Cultural exchange; Cross-cultural art; Collecting and patronage; Peranakan textiles; Peranakan jewellery; Peranakan furniture; Peranakan ceramics; Singapore; Southeast Asia; Art history

Description:
Exceptional/Everyday: New Acquisitions, New Perspectives explores recent acquisitions by the Peranakan Museum that offer fresh perspectives on the rich ambiguity of Peranakan culture. While some objects might be quintessentially Peranakan, others are not. Spanning the public and private, bespoke and mass-produced, these objects invite close study, shedding light on shifting tastes and the creative ways Peranakan communities responded to a rapidly changing world. Fifteen essays by leading scholars examine these acquisitions and the broader questions they raise about the nature and boundaries of Peranakan art.