NAFA Unveils “The Grad Expectations 2025” with Bold, Immersive Graduation Showcase

The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), part of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), proudly presents The Grad Expectations 2025—its highly anticipated graduation showcase, running from 6 to 29 May 2025. Featuring over 500 original works, this multi-week exhibition spotlights the creative brilliance of final-year students from the Faculty of Art & Design across Fine Art, Design & Media, and Fashion Studies.

The showcase opens on 6 May at 6:30pm with an evocative evening of durational performances by graduating Fine Art students. From 7:00pm to 8:15pm, visitors will be immersed in five powerful live art pieces across the Ngee Ann Kongsi Gallery (NAKS), Skylight Studios, and Lim Hak Tai Gallery (LHT). These performances explore themes of memory, identity, impermanence, and self, setting the tone for an exhibition that challenges and inspires.

Highlights from the Fine Art Performances include:

• “Woman of Other: I Carry My Mother” by Shana Selvan – a heartfelt reflection on strength across generations.
• “i need (you) to do this (for me)” by Mikail Islam – a raw dive into emotional dependence.
• “3456” by Ng Jia Xi – a meditative puzzle exploring the transient nature of life.
• “Words of Thread” by Amirah Zahirah – a sharp critique of online misogyny through textile performance.
• “Paglaho Sa Anyo” by Dara Gabrielle Go Lo – an unraveling of identity through body and memory.

Fine Art Exhibition (6–13 May)

Held across NAKS, Skylight Studios, and LHT, the exhibition presents a compelling range of visual expressions that probe contemporary issues and personal narratives.

Design Show (22–29 May)

Shifting the spotlight to design innovation, the showcase at the National Design Centre, NAKS, and LHT features forward-thinking concepts and 3D explorations that blur the lines between art, tech, and culture.

Fashion Show: Fashion for Dementia (29 May, 6:30pm, NAFA Foyer, Campus 1)

The showcase concludes with a stirring finale—Fashion for Dementia, a thoughtful collaboration between NAFA Fashion Business Management students and SingHealth Community Hospitals. The “Down the Lane” collection uses fashion to evoke memory and raise awareness about dementia through nostalgic storytelling. In the second segment, Fashion Studies students take to the runway with collections that express identity, culture, and transformation.