In case you didn’t know: the world’s largest event dedicated to air and inflatable installations is finally here in Singapore! From June 7 to August 31 2025, the Balloon Museum presents Pop Air – Art is Inflatable, an interactive exhibition with site-specific installations that spark emotion and play through art, inspiring curiosity and imagination in young and grown-up minds alike.
With 17 new monumental and interactive works by leading contemporary international artists, there’s plenty that’ll blow you away, but we’ve only got so much airtime. So, in line with the series of exhibit visits I’ve made so far, I’m once again showcasing five of my favourite works. Now, without further ado, let’s get to the art that truly floats above the rest!
A Quiet Storm by Quiet Ensemble
Despite what the museum’s name might suggest, Pop Air – Art Is Inflatable doesn’t feature just balloons, and no better example of this can be seen than with the first pick I encountered: A Quiet Storm.
As one of the two artworks developed by creative studio Quiet Ensemble for the exhibition, this installation first plunges visitors into darkness, before surprising them with dozens of bubbles all filled with thick white smoke. At the slightest touch, these otherworldly orbs explode and release their thick clouds, dispersing what little light there is all around the room.
There’s something so magical about how the bubbles and lasers—together with their respective foam and shadows—interact and intertwine around each other. The experience felt like being beneath the waves of a stormy yet serene sea, and whereas everything before was constantly loud and colourful, this suspension of time by A Quiet Storm was a much-needed shift in pace.
Plus, it’s strangely liberating to poke bubbles here like a child again, especially when it’s so dark that no one can see you, let alone judge you!
Hypercosmo by Hyperstudio
Speaking of being a kid, do you know what every child likes more than a ball pit? A ball pool, of course! Representing the heart of the entire exhibit, Hypercosmo by the Hyperstudio collective presents exactly that, all while reimagining how the skies and the seas interact.
From projections that mimic the shimmer of sunlight to sounds that echo the crashing of waves, each element in this experience corresponds to the upper and lower realms, all to highlight what lies at the centre: man, aka you! The viewer is invited to immerse, play, and be lulled by a candidate environment, becoming an integral part of the work.
This space was therapeutic, even more so than A Quiet Storm. Lying among, and even under, all the balls almost put me to sleep—and if it weren’t for the deafening but exhilarating performance of lights, I probably would have. Honestly, who could’ve thought a critique on the relationship between nature and technology would be so cosy?
ADA by Karina Smigla-Bobinski
But enough with the harmless fun—it’s time to get messier in Pop Air – Art Is Inflatable with Karina Smigla-Bobinski’s ADA: the self-forming artwork, acting artist-sculpture, and even post-pandemic mutant.
Filled with helium and left to float freely in a room, this giant, membrane-like globe spiked with charcoal nubs unsurprisingly leaves stains across all six walls of its canvas. The real surprise, though, is that, unlike the other automated installations, this piece can only come to life with a human’s touch…but not without fighting back.
I learnt this lesson best whilst struggling to write my name on the ceiling, before noticing that Ada was making its mark on me too by coating my hands in a thick soot. Only then did it hit me: no matter how I tried to tame this seemingly lifeless balloon, it—much like the computers of Ada Lovelace, its namesake—could potentially possess enough sentience to resist. That’s scary.
Crazy Love for Polygons by Cyril Lancelin
After wiping off the evidence of my crime, I made my way to Crazy Love for Polygons, which greeted me with a literal mountain of yellow pentagonal prisms—but not for long.
Soon, everyone got to work building with these five-sided inflatables. Some, like me, stacked them high, creating towering enclosures to trap ourselves in. Others took the horizontal route, piecing together long tunnels to crawl through. However, no matter what new wonder of the world we were attempting, one thing was clear: these geometric frames had all of us immersed.
So is it any surprise, then, when I say this might just be my favourite installation? Yep, I’m a total sucker for sandbox games, and Cyril Lancelin’s creation taps right into that by providing the public a chance to assemble their own meaning of this labyrinth. And as people come and go, so does the work—constructing and deconstructing each day.
It’s a celebration of simple forms that, when repeated and combined, reveal infinite possibilities, so what’s not to love about these cute yellow shapes?
Canopy by Pneuhaus and Bike Powered Events
Finally, I’m ending this list off with Canopy, an installation that makes you work for it through my current favourite pastime: cycling!
Thanks to a system of generators built in collaboration with Bike Powered Events, these tree-like light sculptures—designed and crafted by Pneuhaus—are able to come to life through the pedalling of visitors. With every spin of each bicycle wheel, these works gradually transform, illuminate, and expand–-glowing brighter with each revolution.
Overall, it’s both a literal and metaphorical moving installation that emphasises the generation of green electricity, and I like that the sculptures were inspired by the phenomenon of crown shyness! But beyond the leafy imagery, Canopy also reminded me of the bronchial tree of our lungs at first glance, expanding and contracting as it inhales energy and exhales light.
And though it’s likely not the kind of tree the creative studio originally drew inspiration from, I’d argue that this grotesque resemblance still fits by reflecting the very real physical effort it takes to power these pieces to life. God knows the gear ratio on these bikes are no joke!
With that, those are my top pop picks (in no particular order) for the Balloon Museum’s latest exhibit in Singapore; which works did you like too? Hopefully, if you’ve answered with any of them, then I’m pretty sure you’ll love seeing them up close and personal at the exhibition itself.
Perhaps, you’ll even find a new favourite as well, whether that’s the breezy Glowing Ballet that’ll leave your hair blow-dried, or the adorable GINJOS which you can take home as plushies! Well, only one way to find out, right? So don’t hold your breath, visit Pop Air – Art Is Inflatable today!
🗓️Date: 7 June to 31 August 2025
📍Location: Hall F, Sands Expo & Convention Centre, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 01895
💲Price:
| Ticket Types | Adults | Children |
| Weekdays | S$45 | S$35 |
| Weekends | S$60 | S$45 |
⏰Time:
- 10am to 9.30pm (7 to 30 June)
- 10am to 8.30pm (1 July to 31 August)
Tickets for Pop Air – Art is Inflatable are available now via the Balloon Museum website, so get them when you can! Meanwhile, follow the museum on Instagram for the latest happenings, be it here or anywhere else in the world. See you there!
Photos by Zheng Yi of the DANAMIC Team.
