What if the price of a piece of art wasn’t money, but time? That’s the premise behind “Marking Punggol,” a new public exhibition that invites visitors to trade volunteer hours for artworks. Presented by OH! Open House in collaboration with Thai contemporary artist Mit Jai Inn, the project transforms community service into cultural currency.

Opening 14–29 March 2026 at Waterway Point, the exhibition features 99 colourful sculptures that can’t be bought in the usual way. Instead, anyone who wants to take one home must pledge volunteer hours to social causes in the neighbourhood. It’s part art show, part social experiment — and part invitation to rethink what collecting art can mean.

Anchoring the exhibition is a series of papier-mâché sculptures inspired by humble household stools. In the hands of Mit Jai Inn, the everyday object becomes something exuberant: thickly textured forms painted in vibrant, layered colours.

But the real twist lies in how the works are acquired. Instead of a price tag, each sculpture requires a pledge of community service:

• 80 volunteer hours for a small sculpture
• 100 volunteer hours for a medium sculpture
• 300 volunteer hours for a large sculpture

Participants will complete their volunteer work between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027. In exchange, they’ll eventually receive the artwork they’ve “earned”.

Volunteer hours can be contributed to organisations in the Punggol area, including initiatives like the Heritage Activation Node at Punggol, the Blood Bank at One Punggol, the Enabling Services Hub at Punggol, and SG Care Services @ Punggol by Allkin Singapore. Participants may also dedicate their time to other local social causes they care about.

The idea reframes art collecting as something more participatory — where the story behind an artwork includes time spent mentoring, caregiving, organising, or helping neighbours.

As one of Singapore’s newest towns, Punggol is still shaping its identity. “Marking Punggol” taps into that sense of possibility by embedding civic participation into the act of collecting art. Each sculpture becomes a physical reminder of the hours someone spent contributing to the neighbourhood — a small marker of the community’s collective story.

According to Alan Oei, Executive Director of OH! Open House, the project is meant to encourage residents to see themselves as active participants in shaping their environment. “Punggol is a neighbourhood still writing its story, and Marking Punggol is an invitation for its residents to be the authors.”

In this model, art becomes less about ownership and more about shared effort. The concept builds on an earlier project, “Marking Matters?” (2024), which saw 32 volunteers contribute more than 10,000 hours of service to causes such as volunteer firefighting, soap recycling and community animal care.

For participants, the experience often shifts how they think about both volunteering and art. Volunteer firefighter Looi Khai Chern, who contributed 276 hours during the earlier project, described the exchange as surprisingly natural. “I’d never thought of myself as someone who collects art,” he said. “But when I heard about this, it just made sense. I’m giving a few hours to my community, and in return I get something that represents what this place means to me. It feels like the artwork and the volunteering are the same act.”

The new Punggol edition aims to generate another 10,000 volunteer hours dedicated specifically to organisations in the area.

“Marking Punggol” launches during the HAN@Punggol Open House, a community festival celebrating the first anniversary of the Heritage Activation Node at Punggol, a collaboration between the National Heritage Board and OH! Open House. Visitors can explore the sculptures, learn about participating organisations and pledge their volunteer hours directly at the exhibition.

Marking Punggol runs from 14th to 29th March 2026, 10am-10pm at The Cove, Waterway Point. Admission is free. Those interested in collecting a sculpture can attend a participant briefing on 29 March (4:30–5:30pm) at the same venue to learn about the pledge process. More information available here