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We all have that one thing that pulls us back to centre when the world gets too overwhelming. For painter Louisa Raj, that grounding force is a grain of rice – a symbol of family and togetherness.
Her debut solo exhibition, “Rice is Nice”, was dedicated to rice sacks. In the exhibition, which ended last month, the Singaporean artist invited audiences to find the extraordinary within the ordinary.
“Growing up in Singapore, rice wasn’t something I saw in fields – it was the bright, familiar bags in supermarkets and at home,” the 36-year-old artist said.
“This project is really about slowing down and paying attention to something we see every day, but rarely think about – what rice actually means to us.”
The exhibition featured six rice bags and two sculptures of renowned rice brands found in Singapore.
Raj chose this subject because rice was something people ate almost every day, yet barely noticed. She saw that once objects became part of everyday routines, they faded into the background.
Universal familiarity
Raj comes from a mixed Indian and Chinese heritage. She noted that even though these two cultures can seem worlds apart, they are similar in how they view rice as a symbol of prosperity.
“Rice is a rare universal thread that weaves through different cultures, from Hong Kong households to Mexican kitchens and African traditions. It is a foundation for building family and community,” the artist said.
Each painting took four to six weeks to complete, but her creative process began long before that.
To prepare for the series, she visited supermarkets to research and photograph various rice bags.
“I want to look at some packaging that [is] very classic. For example, Song He’s 10kg rice packaging – it’s remained exactly the same for over three decades, even as their other products’ packaging went modern,” she said. Song He is a Singaporean brand founded in 1990.
A calculated risk
While Raj has been practising her craft for six years, she only made the leap to become a full-time artist last March.
She waited until she was confident that her art could provide a stable income before transitioning from a career in financial technology to painting.
For teenagers keen to explore this path, Raj said consistency is important. She pointed to Olympic champion freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who said in an interview that sports are honest because one cannot lie to themselves about the effort they have put in.
“Similarly, in art, no one is forcing you … Because this is something you’ve chosen to do for yourself, you are your only judge; only you truly know the level of effort you’re pouring in,” she said.
Everyday value
Raj’s focus on human effort may also have led the artist to the subject of rice.
“[While painting], I keep returning to Min Nong, a Chinese poem I learned in primary school that has been passed down for over 1,000 years,” she said.
She shared how the poem’s closing lines reminded her that every single grain in our bowl is the product of gruelling labour.
While preparing for the exhibition, Raj learned that many farmers still harvest rice by hand. It is a very physical and laborious process.
The artist hopes to remind her audience that the true value of everyday objects lies not in their price tag but in the hearts and hands that brought them to life.
