In Loving Memory: Undergraduates launch an exhibition about grief to help other youth cope with loss

Ms Li Jike was in the middle of her junior college exams in 2019 when her parents suddenly booked tickets to fly back to her grandfather’s village in Hubei, China, and left in less than 24 hours.

Ms Li, 23, felt something was amiss when her grandfather, whom she was close to, growing up in China, failed to return her phone calls that week. Though she had a sense of foreboding, she did not probe further, afraid of what she might find out.

When her parents returned, about a week later, they broke the news that her grandfather had died. She did not know how to feel. “It was almost as if everything was the same, and he was still there, just that we weren’t meeting each other,” she said.

Her experience dealing with grief led her and that of three other students, Ms Tang Yi Qing, Ms Chong Rui Xuan and Ms Anna Tan, to organise the campaign – In Loving Memory – for their final-year project at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. 

Ms Tang is currently an intern at The Straits Times. 

“Growing up, grief was something never really talked about. You see people dying in movies, but you don’t ever think about it happening to you – until it does,” Ms Li said. 

The undergraduates realised the need for greater support for young adults navigating grief alongside the challenges of adulting, noting that many of them experience grief and the loss of loved ones at that stage of life, but are unsure of how to approach it. 

“It’s something that I think is missing in our education. Especially in families like mine where we don’t talk about it, one might feel lonely,” said Ms Li, who is an only child.

The students began their planning and research in June 2024, aiming to normalise discussions about grief and provide a safe space for it to exist. From there, they conceptualised a campaign that included a website, social media posts and a multimedia exhibition. 

The free exhibition from Jan 17 to 19 showcases 10 profiles through written narratives, short films and interactive microsites. The exhibition content will also be available on the campaign website after the exhibition ends. 

Ms Li said: “I think it will benefit (other) people to listen to each other’s stories, and know that they’re not alone.”

The stories, featuring people aged 21 to 35, include that of Ms Seline Kok, 32, who lost her mother, 63, to cancer in 2019.

Through a four-minute video, she reflects on her mother’s life, her favourite memory of her, what she misses most about her, and her own experience dealing with the loss. 

In the video, she says: “Grief is not something you move on from. You move forward, you don’t move on.” A replica of her mother’s treasured radio, the object that her family brought for her to the hospital, is also on display.

Exhibition-goers can lounge on beanbags and pillows while watching her story, as well as three other short films playing on loop. In the next room, four articles and two interactive microsites give visitors a glimpse into how those profiled coped with their grief. 

The In Loving Memory team hopes that the cosy ambience of the exhibition will be a safe space for visitors to open up about their own grief and have more conversations about the topic.

Wall space has been set aside for attendees to leave Post-it notes of their own grief stories and reflections. They can also write messages and fold origami hearts for friends and family in an origami zone. 

Limited to the first 10 sign-ups, visitors can share their personal stories of grief with certified Life Coach and Grief Recovery Specialist Gracie Mak on Jan 19 when they sign up at

tinyurl.com/ILMexhibit

In collaboration with HCA Hospice Care and Singapore Hospice Council, the team produced physical and digital resources containing tips on coping with grief and supporting the bereaved. These are also free to be taken home. 

The exhibition is open from 12pm to 8pm until Jan 19 at the Goodman Arts Centre in Kallang, a 10-minute walk from Mountbatten station.

For more information, go to

https://www.inlovingmemory.space