A pile of clear plastic ice cube-shaped figurines with happy faces and small arms and legs, some tied with small black or white strings, set against a blue background.

seeing salt with aunties

Under a microscope, salt forms tiny cubic crystals. In this project, those cubes become mischievous little characters from the Auntieverse. Developed for a campaign by Singapore's Health Promotion Board to 'make salt visible,' the artworks transform three beloved hawker dishes, fishball noodle soup, mee siam, and Indian rojak into playful environments inhabited by cube-shaped sodium creatures.

A white ice cube shaped object wearing black lingerie, standing on four short legs against a light blue background.

These tiny characters gather wherever salt is most concentrated, lounging, splashing, and causing chaos in the saltiest parts of each dish. Their presence makes the invisible visible. In every scene, aunties encounter the sodium creatures in humorous face-offs that communicate a simple idea: salt itself is not the enemy, but excess can be.

Growing up, aunties were the quiet guardians of the family's well-being, often expressing care through food. This project draws on that cultural role, inviting viewers to look again at familiar dishes and notice the sodium quietly hiding within them.

Line drawing of a garbage can with a lid and a trash bag inside, with a small trash bag above it.
Sketch of five small, cartoon-style chairs with smiling faces, drawn with a rough black crayon on a white background.
Creative hand-drawn illustrations of various square-shaped characters with different facial expressions, standing, sitting, and with a belly button, drawn in green and pink crayons on a white sheet of paper.

The works are exhibited at ION Orchard B2 Metro Walkway from 12–18 March as part of the “Gallery of Hidden Salt.”

exhibited works

The project was developed by referencing photographs taken of the culturally specific dishes, together with concept sketches by niceaunties. These were combined with visual material from the auntieverse archive built over the past three years, forming the foundation for the artworks.

Set in a Chinese kitchen, aunties stare in shock as sodium creatures frolic inside a bowl of fishball noodle soup. They swim, sunbathe and slide across the clear broth, turning the soup into a playful water park. A cat casually enjoys a fishball nearby, watching the unexpected scene unfold.

Fishball noodles

A group of people, including an elderly woman, a cat, and several children, are gathered around a bowl of ramen with animated, cute tofu and meatball characters, some wearing sunglasses, in a kitchen with pastel green tiles and various kitchen utensils.

Inspired by the energy of a Bollywood dance-off, sodium creatures emerge from the rich rojak sauce to face off against tiny aunties and ingredients on a hawker centre table. Giant Indian aunties observe the dramatic scene with curiosity as the lively encounter unfolds.

indian rojak

Close-up of two large eyes open wide, peering over a table with a bowl of soup containing animated, smiling ice cube characters and a plate of snacks with women in traditional colorful sarees dancing around.

Inspired by seaside picnics at East Coast Park, Malay aunties ride in a boat filled with mee siam while a towering wave of gravy rises behind them. Shielding themselves with an umbrella, they confront the salty tide. A reminder that gravy may be delicious, but perhaps not too much.

mee siam

Two women in traditional clothing on a boat at the beach, holding an umbrella decorated with cucumbers, with a large scene of animated frowning and smiling marshmallows in the background, and a tray of food with eggs, lime, noodles, bean sprouts, and tofu in the foreground.
Digital advertisement for 'The Gallery of Hidden Salt,' featuring a person taking a photo with a camera in a modern kitchen setting with artwork of a green cat, a white counter with various items, and large text overlay.
Art exhibit featuring a large colorful poster of two women in traditional clothing in a surreal, fantasy setting with floating toast and eggs, displayed against a dark wall with other artworks, people walking by.
People walking in an indoor gallery with digital advertisements on the left wall and framed artwork on the right wall, with a blue line on the floor leading to the gallery's name, "The Gallery of Hidden Salt."
Exhibit at an art installation titled 'Seeing Salt with Aunties' featuring a large poster of two women with surprised expressions, surrounded by small salt figurines and traditional food items, with accompanying explanatory text about the artist's co
Three large framed photographs of food art displayed on a dark wall in a gallery, with lighting focused on each piece.
A poster displaying a scene with a woman and multiple children in a kitchen, with cartoonish ghost or spirit figures around a bowl of food with noodles and meatballs.
Blurry silhouettes of three people walking past a large digital screen displaying a woman taking a picture of food, with the text "as guardians of Singapore's favourite recipes" at the bottom.
People walking through an indoor gallery with a large digital display on the wall showing a woman taking a photograph with a camera. The floor is wooden with a white line and text reading 'THE GALLERY OF HIDDEN SALT'.
An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a pink jacket, black shorts, and sandals, looking at a digital screen to view an art print on display at an art gallery. The art print depicts a woman and several cats in a kitchen surrounded by food.
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