National Gallery Singapore

April is no joke! With some fun and long-awaited events premiering this month, there's much to do in Singapore, and you can find out here!

Experience the “father of video art” Nam June Paik with a new exhibition arriving at National Gallery Singapore this December.

It’s a production that relates close to the heart – NUANSA’s musical, Lukisan Jati, sheds light on the struggles two Indonesian scholars face in developing their artistic pursuits abroad. Following the protagonists’ journey of self-discovery, Lukisan Jati aims to share how rewarding it would be to overcome your personal struggles to follow your dreams. We spoke to the team behind the musical to tell us more about the plot that is set in two different centuries, and how they drew inspiration from the iconic Boschbrand painting. 1. What sparked the interest to follow the story of an accomplished painter, Raden…

You may have heard of the phrase “starving artist”, but what is the reality for artists who are pursuing their dreams? NUANSA’s annual musical production, Lukisan Jati (translated as ‘Portrait of Self’), explores the coming-of-age story of two painters on their journey to self-discovery. One of the two protagonists is none other than Raden Saleh, the 19-century painter who was given a scholarship to study art abroad – just like present-day Elsa, the other protagonist who earned an art scholarship in Singapore. View this post on Instagram GET TO KNOW OUR CASTS! 😗 . RADEN SALEH (Portrayed by Hugo Herdianto)…

Following successive showings in Japan and Korea, Awakenings: Art in Society in Asia 1960s-1990s will make its Southeast Asian premiere at National Gallery Singapore from Friday, 14 June to Sunday, 15 September 2019. Featuring 142 provocative artworks by more than 100 artists from 12 countries in Asia, Awakenings spotlights a critical turning point in Asia’s post-war history that saw artists — and the public — assert their identity and become advocates for change through art. The period between the 1960s and 1990s was characterised by ideological confrontations, rise in nationalism, rapid modernisation, and a wave of democratic movements across Asia.…

The Gallery Children’s Biennale – organised by National Gallery Singapore – is back for its second edition from Saturday, 25 May, to Sunday, 29 December 2019. Held in alternate years to each other, the Gallery Children’s Biennale complements the Children’s Festival, which was first launched by National Gallery Singapore in 2018. This year’s exhibition is themed ‘Embracing Wonder’ and will feature 11 interactive and multi-dimensional artworks committed to inspiring young, curious minds through art. Inspired by a child’s unfettered imagination and ability to embrace all things new, the works activate the senses of children while reigniting their sense of curiosity,…

For the first time, the National Gallery Singapore has commissioned a local artist – Charles Lim Yi Yong –  to transform its Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden into a social space that enables a deeper understanding of the intricacies of Singapore’s reclamation landscape – which has been pivotal in Singapore’s urban development plans. This exhibition is titled SEA STATE 9: proclamation garden and it is also Charles’ first comprehensive foray into re-designing a physical space for his work. Renowned local artist, Charles Lim Yi Yong. Charles Lim studied Fine Art at London in Central Saint Martins School of Art and…

For the first time ever, National Gallery Singapore has collaborated with the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands to launch Minimalism: Space. Light. Object. on 16 November 2018. The five-month exhibition will be the first survey of Minimalistic art held in Southeast Asia, and the first major Minimalism exhibition to include artists from this region as part of an expanded global perspective on the movement. Dan Flavin’s monument for V. Tatlin Minimalism has contributed to the transformation of how artists use materials and space, and how they involve the viewer. This has been fundamental to the development of contemporary art…

Light to Night Festival is back for its third year, and it presents the Singapore Art Week edition and the Singapore Bicentennial edition. Spearheaded by National Gallery Singapore, the Light to Night Festival will span across a period of six weeks to bring close to 50 programmes and immerse audiences in an adventure filled with thought-provoking art and historical encounters. Themed Traces and Echoes, visitors are invited to go beyond the role of a visual spectator to one who interprets art and history with their five senses. The first edition – as a marquee event of Singapore Art Week – presents…

Should you decide to go atop National Gallery Singapore, you would be greeted by an incredible canopy of bamboo scaffolding. A stark contrast to the modern architecture of the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden surrounding it, internationally renowned artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, presents it as his largest bamboo maze installation to date. Named “untitled 2018 (the infinite dimensions of smallness)”, the immersive installation stands at a towering four-meters high, with its inspiration an elegant combination of materials, craftwork, and architecture from across Asia. The maze itself references traditional hand-built bamboo scaffolding – commonplace in Thailand, where Rirkrit spent most of his growing years…