National Gallery Singapore

As we reach the halfway mark of the year, we're excited to announce a new cycle of "Resonates With Residency".

Our residency programme returns with a refreshed format and a new lineup of artists, this time with pianist Nabillah Jalal and dancer Leo Yee. Making their first presentations at the Gallery, join the artists in an intimate Open Studio experience where they will showcase raw work-in-progress performances.

As Leo explores movement within artworks through street and contemporary dance, and Nabillah presents a roving musical experience where visual art, live music and collective reflection come together, take a first look at their creative journeys which will culminate in a final performance at our highly anticipated yearly festival "Light to Night Singapore" in January 2027.

Happening all through the weekend: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/about/our-initiatives-and-collaborations/resonates-with-residency.html 🏛️

📍Level 2, DBS Singapore Galleries

🕺 Sat, 13 June, 2:30pm | "The Forces Between" by Leo Yee
🎹 Sun, 14 June, 2:30pm | "Resonance with: What We Have To Offer" by Nabillah Jalal

"Taking photos is not allowed at the exhibition, effectively taking the show out of the social media sphere where the right photos can tell not only a thousand words but also draw thousands. “People are almost experiencing art online, but with this show, you’re going to have to experience it here,” said Kathleen Ditzig, co-curator of the show."

The conversation around "Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art" keeps growing, and we're so glad it's reaching further shores 🌋

Thank you for the lovely feature by The Korea Herald 코리아헤럴드 , unpacking what makes this exhibition unlike anything we've done before.

Read the full article here: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10761793

Desire exposed at National Gallery Singapore show SINGAPORE — The entrance to the exhibition tucked away on Level 4 of the sprawling National Gallery Singapore is closed, its doors covered in what appears to be

We welcome Milli: Sky Dining & Bar and Milli: Lounge to the Gallery family ✨🌇
Perched at the Gallery’s rooftop, with panoramic views of the city skyline, Milli is one more reason for you to drop by and spend time here. Adding to the many ways you can experience the Gallery from day to night.

Drawing inspiration from the flavours, sounds and experiences that generations of Singaporeans know and love, Milli offers a fresh take on the familiar. Just as the Gallery invites visitors to discover Singapore and Southeast Asia through art, Milli offers another way to experience the people, memories and influences that shape who we are today through food, music, and ambience!

Together with our growing mix of F&B offerings, we hope these spaces make the Gallery feel more welcoming and part of your everyday life.

📍 Milli: Lounge | Milli: Sky Dining & Bar
🏛️ City Hall Wing, Level 5 & 6
🕗 Sun–Tue: 11am – 1am | Wed–Fri: 11am – 3am | Sat & Eve of PH: 11am – 4am

Quiet, contemplative days make for gentle vignettes of Gallery life. Lingering visitors, playful encounters with art and light shifting across spaces, what do you find yourself most drawn to when you visit?

Come through for more, any day from 10am to 7pm: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ 🏛️

We mourn the passing of Khoo Sui Hoe, an artist whose contributions helped shape the development of art in Singapore and Malaysia. Born in Kedah, Malaysia, Khoo studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts before furthering his training in printmaking in New York with the support of a John D. Rockefeller lll Fund Grant.

In 1971, he helped establish Alpha Gallery, an artist-run space that played an important role in fostering artistic discourse and presenting both local and international artists in Singapore. In 1976, he founded the group Utara in Penang, consisting of artists from the northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia, and fostering a spirit of artistic exchange.

In 1965, Khoo completed Children of the Sun, a large-scale painting commissioned for the Singapore Conference Hall. He became widely recognised for his lyrical and dreamlike visual language, using fluid forms and surreal imagery to evoke imaginary worlds and psychological atmospheres. Children of the Sun, along with Untitled (Two Figures) (1960) and Sunbathing on Quilts (1977), are currently on view in our long-term exhibition "Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art". These works are an important part of our National Collection.

We extend our deepest condolences to Khoo Sui Hoe’s family, friends, and the many artists, collectors, and communities whose lives he touched through his art and generosity.

-

Image caption (left): Khoo Sui Hoe. Children of the Sun. 1965. Oil on canvas. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. This acquisition was made possible with donations from an individual in honour of the memory of June Tan Poh Hah, Daniel & Soo Khim Teo, Heritage Research Sdn. Bhd., Penang and the Art Adoption and Acquisition Programme of National Gallery Singapore. Exhibition view, Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art.

Image caption (right): Khoo Sui Hoe. Sunbathing on Quilts. 1977. Oil on canvas. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Currently on view in Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art.

June holidays sorted🎨✨

The Gallery is packed with things for the little ones this June, from hands-on workshops to family-friendly exhibitions! Whether it's a weekend outing or a midweek escape, there's something here for every curious young mind.

Check out everything happening this June 👇
🖼️ Let's Create! Chinese Ink Workshop — Led by leading ink artist Hong Zhu An and his daughter, come spend meaningful time together as a family while discovering the art of Chinese ink painting.
📅 Thurs, 18 June | 10.30am
🔗https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/workshops/Lets-create.html

🖼️ Imaginary Animals Storytelling Sessions — Join us for a storytelling session about a curious Greater Mouse-deer on an adventure, discovering unique animals along the way, followed by a fun hands-on art activity!
📅 Wed - Fri, 24 - 26 June | 2:00pm

🖼️ When Art Meets Nature — Co-curated with Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts, explore nature through the artists’ lenses and reimagine new worlds that foster environmental sustainability.
📅 Open until 1 Nov
🔗https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/exhibitions/When-Art-Meets-Nature.html

The chrysanthemum blooms when most flowers have faded 🏵️ A symbol of resilience, calm, and quiet beauty, it's a motif woven throughout ink painting tradition and central to our exhibition “He Xiangning: Ink & Intent”.

What qualities do you see in the chrysanthemum that resonate with you?💬

At the exhibition's learning station, pick up a poetry card featuring He Xiangning's verses in English and Chinese, personalise it with stamps, and respond to reflective prompts. They're rationed daily, so come early to snag yours!

📍 City Hall Wing, Level 4, Wu Guanzhong Gallery

An opened champagne bottle. A bouquet of flowers on a chair. Two figures blurring into one🌫️✨

Part of a series by artist Lavender Chang, expressions of desire and intimacy are presented in soft glowing forms. Through her camera and lens of long exposure, time becomes visible alongside everyday details, leaving a feeling that is tender and quietly profound.

🎟️ Full series on display at “Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art” (R18)

🪻Lavender Chang. Dissolving into the Same Breath #3. 2024. Fine art archival print on rice paper, 90 x 73 cm Collection of the artist. Image courtesy of the artist.

A celebration of craft in all of its forms, from all over the world.

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize exhibition features works from 30 artisans across ceramics, woodwork, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewellery and lacquer. Have you visited yet?

On display till 14 June: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/LOEWECraftPrize 🤎

📍 Level B1, Imagination Gallery

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize exhibition is now open featuring 30 works by this year’s finalists 🤎

Joined by GISELLE, Baifern, Tay Tawan, Phuwin Tangsakyuen, Min Tanaka and Kara Wai at the opening ceremony, it was a night of celebrating tradition and experimentation in contemporary craft.

Congratulations to this year's Craft Prize winner ceramicist Jongjin Park, the Special Mention awardees, and all finalists on a beautiful showing.

Visit for free and see these works up close: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/LOEWECraftPrize

📍 Level B1, Imagination Gallery
🏛️ On display till 14 June

For the first time, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is being hosted by a museum in Southeast Asia 🤎

The 2026 edition is now on view to the public, following yesterday's Prize ceremony held here at the Gallery. Bringing together 30 finalists from 19 countries across ceramics, woodwork, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewellery, and lacquer, the exhibition is a powerful reminder that craft today is anything but static. These works push materials to their limits, and in doing so, expand what craft can be.

We warmly congratulate South Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park, recipient of this year's Prize for "Strata of Illusion", a remarkable work created from thousands of layered sheets of paper coated in coloured porcelain slip, transformed through fire into a structure shaped by gravity, tension, and precision.

We also extend our congratulations to the LOEWE FOUNDATION on another extraordinary edition of the Craft Prize, continuing to champion contemporary craft and spotlight exceptional artistic practices from around the world.

On display till 14 June 2026.

Admission is free for all: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/LOEWECraftPrize 🤎

Desire, longing, intimacy, obsession. What happens when these emotions take shape through art? ❤️‍🔥

Our newest exhibition, "Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art", was recently featured by Bakchormeeboy, exploring how artists across Southeast Asia express the complexities of desire through their works.

Thank you for the feature ✨ Read the full article here: https://bakchormeeboy.com/2026/04/22/art-passion-is-volcanic-desire-in-southeast-asian-art-at-national-gallery-singapore/

Art: Passion is Volcanic – Desire in Southeast Asian Art at National Gallery Singapore At National Gallery Singapore, its latest exhibition, Passion is Volcanic, announces itself with a sense of anticipation the moment the tour begins, not as a quiet, contemplative walkthrough, but a…

Opening soon🏺

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2026 exhibition brings together 30 finalists from around the world, presenting works spanning ceramics, wood, textiles, glass, metal, jewellery, bookbinding and lacquer, showcasing contemporary craft at its finest.

On view from 13 May 🤎ꕤ

One of life’s most beautiful forms, cast in marble 🌙

In Agnes Arellano’s powerful sculpture, concentric circles of crushed marble stones radiate from the pregnant form of the moon warrior goddess Haliya. While making the sculpture, Arellano was hoping for a child and stated, “To actualise the myth, I cast my own body, except that I was not pregnant—yet.”

When she first installed the sculpture, she turned Haliya to face the star Sirius and wished for a daughter. A year after the sculpture was completed, her daughter was born. The work brings together life, longing, motherhood and myth, where the feminine becomes both earthly and sacred.

🎟️ On display at “Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art” (R18): https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/exhibitions/Passion-is-Volcanic-Desire-in-Southeast-Asian-Art.html

⚪ Agnes Arellano. “Haliya Bathing”. 1983. Coldcast marble sculpture and crushed marble stones, 30 x 104 x 100 cm. Collection of Singapore Art Museum.

Step into a world of play where art and nature come alive! 🌿🎨

We’re delighted to partner with the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts to present "When Art Meets Nature" – an immersive, multi-sensory experience designed especially for children and families.

Co-curated by both museums, it was first presented at the Taoyuan Children’s Art Center in 2025 and now arrives at National Gallery Singapore. Visitors can encounter two captivating works by artists from Singapore and Taiwan, transforming the space into an environment of exploration and discovery.

Peace Forest by Singaporean artist Ee Shaun Soh invites audiences into a tactile ecosystem of soft sculptures inspired by endangered wildlife, encouraging open-ended play and imagination.

In Where the River Runs, Taiwanese artist Yenting Hsu presents a sound-led installation rooted in indigenous narratives along Taiwan’s Dahan River, reflecting on the interconnectedness of culture, ecology, and memory.

Together, these works open up meaningful conversations about sustainability and our relationship with the natural world, offering fresh perspectives for younger audiences and beyond.

Which would you explore first, Peace Forest 🌿 or Where the River Runs 🌊?

"Taken together, the entire exhibition makes a simple but important point: s*x and desire have been part of Asian art for centuries, even if they have not always been openly discussed."

A huge thank you to The Business Times (The Business Times) for featuring our newest exhibition "Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art", where it explores the power and presence of desire in art and life✨

Read the full article here: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/national-gallery-singapore-s*x-and-desire-south-east-asian-art

National Gallery Singapore: S*x and desire in South-east Asian art The museum’s new exhibition is the first to be rated R(18) Read more at The Business Times.

AI can generate images, mimic writing styles and produce music in a matter of seconds. But does that make it an artist, or simply a tool? And when something is created with AI, who actually owns it? 🤖⚡️

In our upcoming Insider Series panel discussion Can a Machine Be an Artist?, we unpack how generative AI is reshaping creativity, copyright, originality and authorship. Hear from panellists Kathleen Ditzig, Lim Wenhui () and Vignesh Sundaresan (Metakovan), moderated by Usha Chandradas, as they explore what happens when machines enter the artistic process.

📍 Supreme Court Wing, Level 5, Glass Room
🗓 22 May 2026, 7–8pm

Sign up as a Gallery Insider and join us for an evening of thoughtful discussion:
https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/talks/Insider-Series-Panel-Discussion-Can-a-Machine-Be-an-Artist.html

What does it mean to listen to your own body, and what can that teach us about how we relate to one another?

Last Thursday evening, we hosted a panel discussion titled 'The Body Remembers', where we brought together voices across movement, film, wellness and storytelling. Together with our speakers Dr Jade Kua, Ruby Jayaseelan, Chan Sze-Wei, Preeti Nair and our moderator Qinyi Lim, we had a meaningful evening of open reflection on what our bodies hold, reveal, and tell us 🫶

Drawing from their distinct disciplines and lived experiences, the speakers reflected on how the body processes and expresses experience — from self-care and trauma resilience to identity and representation. The conversation concluded with a shared call for greater body awareness in everyday life.

After the discussion, attendees were also invited to experience two of the exhibitions that explore the themes of gender, identity and the body, extending the conversation beyond the auditorium.

We thank our speakers for their candour and generosity, and all who joined us for this session.

💬 If your body could speak, what do you think it would say?

The body has always been central to art as a powerful form of expression, identity and desire.

In Eri Imamura’s textile sculpture "Love", vintage kimono silk fabric, 24-carat gold beads and seed beads are woven intricately into a soft, sensual female form. Up close, the beads come together to form recognizable Japanese motifs and imagery, turning the original garment into more than something worn.

What details do you see? Let's discuss in the comments.

🎟️ On display at "Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art" (R18)

🗼 Eri Imamura. "Love". 2014. Seed beads, cut beads, 24-carat gold beads, vintage Kimono silk fabric and stuffing. 66 × 80 × 10 cm. Collection of Agnes and Paul Ma. © Eri Imamura

We are thrilled to share that "City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s–1940s" has been named Best Illustrated Non-Fiction Title at the Singapore Book Awards 2026✨

This marks the Gallery’s first win in the category, and a meaningful one.

The publication extends the exhibition beyond the Gallery, tracing how Asian artists lived, worked, and shaped modern art while navigating Paris in the early 20th century. Through artworks, archival material, and essays, it brings into focus a moment of movement, exchange, and identity that continues to resonate today 📖

More than an exhibition catalogue, it is a way into these artists’ worlds, both intimate and expansive.

Pick up a copy at our museum store, select bookstores, or online: https://readabook.store/products/9789819408283

Follow the red tape‼️

Last week, the Gallery opened "Passion is Volcanic", our first R18 exhibition. Behind the tape and pink box lie paintings, sculpture, photography, and video works, bringing together a diverse range of artists and practices, examined through the lens of the erotic.

No photos allowed. This is an in-person experience only for your eyes, and we can't show you much here. So come take a look 🫦

"Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art" on display till 30 August: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/exhibitions/Passion-is-Volcanic-Desire-in-Southeast-Asian-Art.html 🎟️

Insiders go for free: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/membership.html 🏛️

More than just an art museum, our Gallery is full of photogenic corners waiting to be discovered 📸 Whether you're in the mood for a photoshoot or just snapping a few pictures with friends, there's a space for every occasion. Here's your guide to the best spots: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/sg/en/the-gallery-edit/instagram-spots-national-gallery-singapore.html

Tag a friend you'd bring along for a photo adventure here! 👇

National Gallery Singapore: Best Instagram Photography Spots | National Gallery Singapore Discover the most Instagrammable spots at National Gallery Singapore. Snap your fit checks and OOTDs against iconic art and architecture.

The Gallery Benches have returned home! 🟥

To celebrate this, we partnered with five beloved local illustrators to document the Benches in their 10 different locations sprinkled across the Gallery. Each illustrator was given creative reign to create the kind of art they wanted. The only rule? The Benches had to be at the heart of it all.

A massive thank you to our wonderful collaborators Jolene, Jaey, Lauren, Whitney and André who reimagined our little red blocks and our spaces so beautifully. We love seeing our Benches come alive through their unique styles and perspectives.

Full illustrations on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalgallerysingapore/ 🪑

You're invited to sketch, rest, play, and just be, on our Gallery Benches. Anytime you're ready for your next visit.

-

🎨 1 — Jolene Tan ()
🎨 2 — Jaey Sim ()
🎨 3 — Lauren Cheung ()
🎨 4 — Whitney Ng ()
🎨 5 — André Wee ()