Rajinder Singh's 'Saffron Crossings' at Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
Rajinder Singh's exhibition, titled 'Saffron Crossings,' is currently on display at Wei-Ling Gallery in Kuala Lumpur until September 26. This event is highlighted in the Autumn 2026 edition of ArtReview Asia. The artist, originally from Malaysia and now based in London, delves into his family's journey from Punjab to Malaysia aboard the S.S. Rajula, which facilitated the migration of Indian workers from 1926 to 1973. Singh's father traveled in 1957, while his grandfather made the trip in 1927. The exhibit features a two-meter bamboo replica of the ship, ocean-themed videos, and paintings influenced by the Phulkari textile art of Punjab. Additionally, the evolving piece 'Passenger Manifest' (2026) includes 63 wooden beads, with one bead removed each week. Critic Sharmilla Ganesan examines the dangers of romanticizing migration, drawing comparisons to Singh's earlier show, 'Saffron Surrender' (2024).
Key facts
- Rajinder Singh's solo exhibition 'Saffron Crossings' runs at Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, through 26 September
- The show centres on the S.S. Rajula, which transported tens of thousands of Indian migrants between India and Malaysia from 1926 to 1973
- The ship ran fortnightly between Madras, Nagapattinam, Penang, Port Klang and Singapore
- Singh voyaged on the Rajula, as did his father in 1957 and his grandfather in 1927
- A two-metre-long bamboo model 'SS Rajula' (2026) by Lee Mok Yee and Rajinder Singh is made of bamboo, rice paper, acrylic paint and cotton twine
- Singh's paintings draw on the centuries-old Phulkari textile tradition of Punjab, traditionally made by women as heirlooms
- 'Passenger Manifest' (2026) uses 63 wooden beads in a 7 × 9 grid, with one bead removed each Tuesday of the exhibition
- The review is by Sharmilla Ganesan and appears in ArtReview Asia's Autumn 2026 issue
Entities
Artists
- Rajinder Singh
- Lee Mok Yee
- Sharmilla Ganesan
Institutions
- Wei-Ling Gallery
- ArtReview Asia
- ArtReview
- Dinndiran Studio
- Ding Feng Paper Effigies Trading
Locations
- Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia
- Punjab
- India
- London
- United Kingdom
- Madras
- Nagapattinam
- Penang
- Port Klang
- Singapore