An art installation featuring 200 eggplants at the National Gallery Singapore has been vandalized by visitors who have been stealing the vegetables, prompting museum officials to issue urgent appeals for guests to respect the artwork. The installation, titled "Still Life" by Singaporean artist Suzann Victor, consists of eggplants that are carefully arranged and inserted into a wall. The piece was originally designed to explore the futility of patriarchal expressions in social spaces, but has faced unexpected damage not from natural decay, but from theft by museum visitors. The eggplants used in the artwork are regularly replaced as part of the installation's design. After they undergo natural decomposition, they are given to the social enterprise Ground-Up Initiative for composting to support community farm recycling efforts. However, some visitors have been taking the eggplants without permission, forcing the museum to repeatedly remind guests about proper gallery etiquette. "We welcome visitors to interact with and photograph the exhibits, but we hope they can appreciate and protect the artwork in a respectful manner, allowing more people to experience it in its entirety," a spokesperson for the National Gallery Singapore stated. Museum officials emphasized that the artwork area is clearly marked with "Do Not Touch" signs, and staff members regularly patrol the space to maintain the integrity of the piece. Despite these measures, the installation has faced ongoing issues since its debut in July. The artwork has attracted large numbers of visitors who come to take photographs due to its striking visual form, but some guests have mistakenly believed the eggplants are free to take, which has sparked debates about food waste and proper museum behavior. The original "Still Life" was first created by Suzann Victor in 1992, when she affixed 100 eggplants to the exterior wall of Parkway Parade shopping center. The installation was designed to prompt reflections on daily life through observations of the morning rush hour crowd. The current exhibition extends this concept to a second-floor passageway within the National Gallery Singapore, making it one of the most talked-about pieces in the show. Artist Suzann Victor emphasized that the eggplants are not randomly placed but are meticulously arranged and painted as part of her artistic vision. She noted that this work reflects her long-standing focus on kinetic and performance art, where the changing nature of the materials is part of the intended artistic experience. This incident is not the first case of artwork vandalism in Singapore's art scene. In 2014, a 30-centimeter square section of the paper wall in artist Casey Chen's artwork was torn off. Chen's piece had been installed at both Jurong Point shopping center and Boon Lay Bus Interchange as part of a public art initiative. In another notable case from 2000, artist Felicia Low's artwork titled "Dragon," which was displayed in Singapore's Chinatown district, went missing entirely. Fragments of the stolen artwork were later discovered discarded in a nearby dump, highlighting ongoing challenges with protecting public and gallery art installations. The National Gallery Singapore continues to work on finding the right balance between making art accessible to the public while ensuring the protection and preservation of the artworks in their collection. The museum has indicated that they are reviewing their security measures and visitor education programs to prevent similar incidents in the future.