From 6 to 22 November 2026, Gardens by the Bay hosts a free exhibition that asks the people who’ll grow up in Singapore what it should look like next. Expressions Through Art gathers 46 artworks by students aged seven to 18 from all 26 special education (SPED) schools in Singapore, and their answers range from underwater cities to the nation’s first moon landing.
Singtel, which runs the exhibition, calls this the fifth edition. The theme this year is “Future of Singapore”, which is a big question to hand a seven-year-old with a paintbrush. Judging by the ideas Singtel has shared so far, the kids were more than ready for it!
Robots, Rockets and Submarines
Singtel’s announcement offers a quick preview of where the students took the brief. It lists underwater cities, supersonic submarines, friendly AI robots and Singapore’s first moon landing. That’s a far cry from the flying-car clichés most adults reach for when someone asks them to picture the future.
The moon landing is the piece we’d look for first. Going from Changi to the Moon is the kind of ambition most of us stopped pitching somewhere around Primary 3, and it’s refreshing to see a student treat it as a reasonable next step for the country.
The friendly AI robots come a close second. This is a year in which AI dominates every group chat and news cycle, often with a side of anxiety. It says something that these young artists looked at the same technology and decided the robots should be on our side, helping out alongside people instead of replacing them.
The underwater cities and supersonic submarines are worth a slow look too. Singapore is an island that has spent decades worrying about land and sea levels, so a generation sketching homes beneath the waves reads as part fantasy, part practical planning. You can decide for yourself which part wins.
From National Gallery to MRT Stations
Expressions Through Art started in August 2022 at National Gallery Singapore, according to Singtel’s Singtel Touching Lives Fund Impact Report 2012 to 2023. Singtel created it to mark the 20th anniversary of the Singtel Touching Lives Fund (STLF), its corporate philanthropy programme for children and youth with special needs. That first exhibition displayed 128 pieces of 2D and 3D artwork from all the SPED schools in Singapore. According to the report, Singtel also reimbursed the schools’ transport costs so students could visit and see their classmates’ work.
In November 2023, the exhibition moved closer to everyday commuters. Working with SMRT, Singtel placed 36 artworks from all 24 SPED schools at selected SMRT stations across the island for a month, with a week-long pop-up at 313@Somerset.
One detail from the impact report stands out. At Singtel Charity Golf 2023, an artwork by a student from Eden School was auctioned for S$12,000, with the full proceeds donated to her school. Singtel says the sale gave the young artist a significant boost in self-confidence, and it’s hard to argue with a five-figure vote of faith in your work.
Eden School principal Mrs Jenny Lai described the exhibition in the same report as “a brave new venture”. Since then, the exhibition has grown from 24 schools to all 26, and it has moved from MRT walls to a spot near some of the most-photographed trees in the country.
Who’s Behind the Exhibition
This is a Singtel initiative from start to finish. The exhibition runs under the Singtel Touching Lives Fund, which Singtel set up in 2002. Singtel says STLF has raised more than S$64 million since then. It says the fund now supports all 26 SPED schools, reaching more than 9,000 students nationwide, up from six schools directly: APSN Chaoyang School, APSN Tanglin School, APSN Delta Senior School, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School (East), Eden School, and MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School.
In its announcement, Singtel says the exhibition aims to bring the students’ work into public spaces so more Singaporeans can discover their creativity and the thinking behind each piece. That’s a fair summary of why the Gardens location matters. Plenty of people visit SPED school open houses and charity events, but a lot more simply wander past the Supertrees on a Saturday.
How to Make a Day of It
The artworks sit at the North Colonnade, near Supertree Grove, and admission is free. The 46 pieces won’t take up a whole afternoon, so it slots easily into a walk around the Gardens. Families who caught The Formula 1® Exhibition at Gardens by the Bay in October will know the area already.
Our suggestion is to bring a younger sibling, niece or cousin and play a simple game: before reading each title, ask them what they think the artist imagined. Singtel pitches the exhibition as a way to start conversations with children about what Singapore might look like in the years ahead. A kid explaining why a submarine needs to be supersonic is a conversation worth having.
🗓️ Date: 6 to 22 November 2026
📍 Location: North Colonnade, near Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay
🎨 What’s on: 46 artworks by students aged seven to 18 from all 26 SPED schools in Singapore
🖌️ Theme: Future of Singapore
🎟️ Admission: Free
Most of us have strong opinions about what Singapore should become, from housing to hawker prices. This November, 46 young artists get the floor, and their version comes with robots, submarines and a moon landing. Set aside an hour between 6 and 22 November, head to the North Colonnade, and find out more about the programme on Singtel’s Expressions Through Art page. The future looks pretty fun from where these kids are standing!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Singtel.
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