‘Hype comes with the territory’: CJ Hendry addresses Flower Market scalpers ahead of JuJu exhibit in Singapore
Ahead of JuJu World’s debut in Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, the Australian artist spoke about creating JuJu with ChatGPT, why she wants art to be accessible and why, if people scalp, “so be it”.
Australian artist CJ Hendry (left) with her JuJu. (Photos: CNA/Joyee Koo, CJ Hendry Studio)
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After the buzz surrounding her Flower Market installation last weekend, it’s round two in Singapore for CJ Hendry. The Australian artist was in town for her immersive experience JuJu World.
Running at the IMBA Theatre at Gardens by the Bay from Jun 20 to Jul 18, 2026, the exhibition centres on JuJu, a toy-like character Hendry created with the help of artificial intelligence.
Visitors can expect large-scale installations and interactive spaces built around the character, which Hendry describes as friendly and open to interpretation. There will also be collectible merchandise items available, such as the small JuJu plush toys that come in blind boxes for S$39 and big JuJu plush toys for S$99. Other items include a water bottle, cap and t-shirt for S$30, S$39 and S$49 respectively.
Ahead of the exhibition’s opening, the artist spoke to the media about how JuJu came to life. For Hendry, projects such as JuJu World stem from a desire to create experiences accessible to people beyond the traditional art market.
“I’ve been in the art world for many years, and there’s something that’s always felt a little bit out of touch for me,” she said. “Some of my artworks are valued at US$100,000, which is really great for those folks who might be in a position to be a part of that.
“But there was a bit of a disconnect. I’d make these drawings, and they would go off to collectors’ homes, and that’s all you’d see.”
She cited her previous Flower Market installation as an example of how she tries to bridge that gap.
“We wanted to create something that was a free exhibition, and then also you could take away something for free,” she said. “It’s for the old, for the young, and literally everyone in between.”
The artist also addressed the mad rush crowds, long queues and resale activity that emerged around Flower Market, where visitors could take home complimentary flowers. Rather than attempting to tightly control how people interact with her work, Hendry said she prefers to leave exhibitions open to interpretation.
“I don’t like the idea of putting constraints on an exhibition,” she said. “Maybe it is a commentary on consumerism. Maybe that’s the point.”
Some visitors, she noted, took only a flower or two, while others purchased large quantities and later resold them online.
“A lot of people came in and got their free flowers and were so happy and excited to be there. And then some people come in and buy hundreds and scalp them. So be it,” she said. “With something that’s so commercial and something so accessible like Flower Market, it’s free, and you get to take your first flower for free, hype comes with the territory.”
Hendry also revealed that the JuJu character was born after Phillips Auction House approached her about designing a toy.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how to design a toy. Why would you do that to me?’” she recalled. She then turned to ChatGPT and artificial intelligence tools to help develop the concept, coming up with “30 to 40 iterations of this thing”.
“The first thing that popped out was horrible. I thought, ‘That’s disgusting.’ So we kept going,” she said. “Then we landed on this image of what looked like a JuJu. I thought it was cute. I thought it was friendly.”
The character has inevitably drawn comparisons to Labubu, the popular collectable art toy by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Hendry acknowledged the connection and said JuJu was partly conceived as a response to the phenomenon.
“If I could be so honest, it was more of a commentary on the Labubu,” she said.
Tickets are required to enter JuJu World. While walk-ins are welcome, pre-registration is encouraged for the activity. More information can be found on IMBA Theatre’s website.
Source: CNA/iz
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