As a pharmacist, counting medication blister strips has been part and parcel of my work to ensure patients are given the correct quantity of medication during dispensing, or to check if patients have been taking their prescribed medication during medication reconciliation. Artist Poojan Gupta, however, takes used medication blister strips and turns them into works of art, giving new meaning to these strips.

I met Poojan at the recent ART SG exhibition in January 2026, where she presented her sculpture titled “Folded Frequencies”. Popping every pill out of the blister strip leaves a lasting indentation which cannot be reversed, and time becomes immemorial in these seemingly unassuming pieces of metal and plastic.

In my work, checking blister strips is something that we are trained to do routinely with precision and accuracy. These blister strips have now been put together by Poojan carefully into a neatly stitched, yet scrunched up sculpture much larger than its individual components. As I looked at the blister strips, I saw their new purpose as an “illness narrative”. They conveyed a collective story of patients and their caregivers in their day-to-day experience living with chronic illness, taking these medication perhaps with a hope of recovery, or as a means of survival.

How might we as healthcare professionals support our patients and caregivers? I believe every patient’s needs may be different, but one thing is common: the desire for understanding and connection with a fellow human along this journey.

Learn more about Poojan’s art here.

Evangeline Chai is a pharmacist who also appreciates art, music, and nature, and their relationship with human life.