From 7 to 20 December 2026, 10 Kintsugi pottery pieces go on view at Geneco’s Forevermore pop-up outside Wisma Atria. They were made through Awful Grace’s in-prison programme, The Journey.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing pottery with lacquer and gold. The campaign runs in partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Project, Awful Grace and Families for Life.
We covered the campaign announcement on 4 November. This time we put our questions to the two people closest to the pieces. Alex Chan is Head of Brand, Communications and Marketing at Geneco. Christine Tan is the founder of Awful Grace. Both answered in writing, and their answers appear below as they wrote them.
The Piece That Stopped Geneco
Every brand says its campaign is moving. A fairer test is whether the person running it can name one piece that hit them, and why. Chan named one without hesitating.
DANAMIC: When you first saw the finished Kintsugi pieces and read the stories behind them, was there one that stopped you? What was it about that piece?
Alex Chan: “The piece that really stood out to me was Wealth of Love. What moved me most was the creator’s perspective that wealth is not necessarily measured by money or material possessions, but by the love we have for the people around us.
“The flower, which represents his daughter, was particularly meaningful. It symbolises his motivation to become a better version of himself for the people he loves. To me, this reflects the importance of family, the power of love, and how having someone to live for can inspire us to make better choices and work towards a better future.
“At Geneco, our purpose is to Power the Change. We believe that goes beyond powering homes, it is also about creating positive change within families and communities. Through our four-year partnership with Yellow Ribbon Singapore, we have been supporting the belief in second chances. With Forevermore, we want to build on that commitment, especially by recognising the impact that a parent’s incarceration can have on their children.
“What makes Wealth of Love so powerful is that it reminds us that behind every second chance, there is often a family, a loved one, and a reason to change. Personally, I believe that when we give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives, we are not just changing one person’s future; we could also be changing the future of the next generation.”
The flower is the detail to look for if you go. It’s a small, specific choice: a father putting his daughter onto the piece he made, so the reason he wants to change sits on the surface where anyone can see it.
When a Piece Changes Hands
Awful Grace runs The Journey as a 14-week programme. Participants make their pottery for someone they love, break it, mend it with Kintsugi, and then hand it over at an open visit. We asked Tan which of those handovers has stayed with her.
DANAMIC: Was there a moment during the 14-week Kintsugi programme, or at the open visit, when you watched a participant and their family reconnect in a way that has stayed with you?
Christine Tan: “The moments that stay with me are the ones when a piece changes hands. Participants mend their pottery through the art of Kintsugi, for the people they love. And at the open visit, they give them to their children/family members. Watching a participant present a piece to their child/family member, and then seeing that child/family member understand what it means, is something we at Awful Grace won’t forget. When families realise this, the room changes. We have witnessed how family members start to connect. The pottery becomes a physical bridge for conversations that were previously too painful or difficult to start.
“One story I think of often is a participant who made a piece for his father, whom he hadn’t been in touch with for more than half his life. Through that piece, they were able to reconcile, just before his father passed away. Had it not been for that moment of connection sparked by the pottery piece, they would have lost the chance to heal forever. It reminded all of us why this work matters. Relationships can be mended, but we don’t always have as much time as we think.”
This is the answer to sit with. A son and a father who had been apart for more than half the son’s life found their way back through a piece of pottery, and the timing gave them almost no room to spare.
Why Break It at All?
The part of The Journey that surprises most people is the step where participants smash something they have spent time shaping. Tan explained how that moment lands in the room.
DANAMIC: Participants break their own pottery on purpose before mending it. How did they react when it came to that step, and did anything they said about it surprise you?
Christine Tan: “Deliberately breaking a piece of pottery they just spent time forming is always a confrontational step for the participants. The surprise for us when we started the programme in 2017 was that there was a wave of hesitation, tension, and even discomfort in the room right before it happens. What really added value to the programme is when many participants share that shattering the pottery forced them to confront a hard truth: the realisation of how they had broken the trust and relationships with their loved ones in real life. That physical process teaches them patience with themselves and with their families, showing them that genuine healing cannot be rushed, but with time and dedication, the mended whole can become even more meaningful than before it was broken. That is why Kintsugi means so much to participants in ‘The Journey’. It doesn’t pretend the break never happened. The gold makes the mending part of the story.”
Her last two lines explain the whole campaign better than any tagline could. Every gold seam on these pieces marks a real break, and the makers chose to leave those seams on show.
Seeing the Pieces in Person
The photobooth is the lighter draw for a festive stroll, but the stories are the reason to stop. Start with Wealth of Love, given what Chan said about it, then read the rest at your own pace.
🗓️ Date: Monday, 7 December to Sunday, 20 December 2026
📍 Location: Outside Wisma Atria
🏺 On Display: 10 Kintsugi pottery pieces and their stories, plus a complimentary AI face-swap photobooth
🗳️ Vote Online: Open since 29 October, closes 31 December 2026
💝 Donations: Each vote contributes to Geneco’s pledged S$5,000 to Awful Grace and S$10,000 to Yellow Ribbon Cares
Read all 10 stories and vote for the piece that moves you on the Forevermore website before 31 December. Then see the pieces up close outside Wisma Atria between 7 and 20 December. If Tan’s account of the father and son stays with you the way it stayed with her, Awful Grace is worth following for its continuing work with families. Some of those relationships are still being mended, and a single vote helps fund that work.
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Geneco.
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