Dutch artist Walen, 44, who curated the exhibition, hopes the show will raise the profile of pop art here and foster a stronger sense of community among artists. “The pop art movement is a bit scattered in Singapore, with everyone doing his own thing,” he said.

His titular exhibit, Instant Fame, an acrylic on canvas painting of canned soup next to the instructions “mix with ambition” and “done in 15 mins”, is a reference to Warhol’s statement that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”.

The tongue-in-cheek piece is a “sign of our times”, Walen says, where anyone can be “famous” if something he posts on social media, however banal, goes viral.

It is also an era of instant gratification: “Everything is bite-sized, click, click click… people don’t want to put in any effort anymore.”

Meanwhile, artist Andre Tan, 39, said his works’ cross-cultural references are a nod to the “interesting mix of cultural heritage” in Singapore. For instance, Porcelain Friends, his 122 x 122cm acrylic on canvas piece, juxtaposes cartoon characters such as Bambi, Tin Tin and Mickey Mouse with traditional Asian motifs.

Walen believes the exhibition will appeal to people who are interested in the here and now.

“Pop art is always current,” he said. “It’s about very relatable things we deal with all the time.