Nur Laila Binte Mohammad Razib

Nur Laila Binte
Mohammad Razib

Laila Razib is a Singapore-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans performance, lens-based art (film and photography) and painting. Her research focuses on the experiences of womanhood in the Malay-Muslim community.

Currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fine Art at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts-University of the Arts London, Laila stands as a student representative for her batch. Her work was featured in NAFA BAFA Open House 2026 and 2024. In 2025, Laila has performed both in London and Singapore. Laila was a participating artist in the Beras Basah (Wet Rice) Exhibition, held as part of Singapore Night Festival 2024. Her work was also displayed in the Menagerie: Realms of Possibility group exhibition held at Photographic Society Singapore. Beyond her individual practice, Laila has contributed to collaborative projects with the Women Of:__ Collective and the Pe(ng)lipur Lara Collective.

Previously, she graduated from Republic Polytechnic’s Diploma in Media Production and Design with a Module Prize in Interactive Media and Content Development and was inducted into the Director's Roll of Honour in 2019.

Beauty often serves to obscure the harsh realities we face, and in my experience, our traditions stand as tangible evidence of this phenomenon. My artistic practice centres on addressing socio-political challenges within and surrounding the Malay-Muslim community, particularly issues that have deeply affected women over generations. By uncovering the historical roots of prevailing ideologies, I use my body and film as my primary mediums to scrutinise and deconstruct these traditions, seeking ways to redefine and liberate myself from their cycles. Through rituals, organic materials and storytelling, I hope to spark dialogue about identity and navigate the delicate balance between preserving heritage and embracing change in today’s context.

Title: weight in mama's palm
Year: 2026
Medium: Performance Film
Statement:

Laila’s research explores womanhood and anak dara (unmarried virgin girl) through inherited gestures of care and discipline. This work forms part of her ongoing performance film series 'weight in mama’s palm' and examines the act of cubit (pinch) as passed down through her late paternal grandmother, maternal grandmother, and mother, where cubit manja (affectionate play) and punishment collapse into a single embodied practice. Referencing the Malay idiom “cubit peha kiri, peha kanan terasa sekali,” the work reflects a moral framework in which individual pain reverberates through the family and ummah. Drawing on feminist phenomenology, particularly Sara Ahmed and Luna Dolezal, her ongoing work understands shame (malu/haya) as an embodied, relational force that regulates feminine honour (maruah) through custom (adat).