National Gallery Singapore opens Let’s Imagine the World Together: Art in Southeast Asia on Thursday, 5 November, in the Level 4 Gallery of its City Hall Wing. The Gallery has set the run to 26 September 2027, and entry comes with its General Admission ticket, which is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents.
The show is built for all ages, with family activities placed alongside works from the national collection.
People, stories and places
The exhibition draws its highlights from the Gallery’s own collection and groups them under three themes: People, Stories and Places. Artists in the show include Raden Saleh, Juan Luna, Affandi, Basoeki Abdullah, Liu Kang, Chia Yu Chian, Hendra Gunawan, S. Sudjojono, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, FX Harsono, Syed Ahmad Jamal, Lim Hak Tai, Nhek Dim, Saya Chone, Fua Haribhitak and Tan Lip Seng.
Works the Gallery has picked out for the show include:
- Raden Saleh, Portrait of Betsy Teengs (1855), oil on canvas
- Juan Luna, España y Filipinas (1884)
- Saya Chone, Royal Family (1880 to 1900), gouache on cloth
- Lim Hak Tai, Fire (1956)
- Fua Haribhitak, Face (c. 1956)
- Nhek Dim, Village Scene (1960)
- Tan Lip Seng, Artwork 7: Z (1970, reprinted 2017)
Touch, listen and add to the wall
Visitors can pick up an Imagination Bag of prompts, props and hands-on activities. Raden Saleh’s Boschbrand (Forest Fire) gets its own station, where the painting is explored through tactile details, audio descriptions and a projected image.
The exhibition also has a contemplative audio guide, a Co-creation wall and the Imagination Lounge.
The exhibition is presented with the support of UOB.
Tickets and opening hours
Entry is on the Gallery’s General Admission ticket, valid for 180 days from purchase.
- Singaporeans and permanent residents: free
- Other nationalities: S$20, with S$5 off for children aged 7 to 12, seniors aged 60 and above, full-time National Servicemen (excluding foreign personnel), overseas students and teachers
- Free for Gallery Insiders, children aged 6 and under, students and teachers based in Singapore, and persons with disabilities with one caregiver
The Gallery opens daily from 10am to 7pm, and general ticket sales close 30 minutes before closing time. The same ticket covers Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art and Lai Foong Moi: Crossings in the DBS Singapore Gallery, plus the Fan Chang Tien show in the Wu Guanzhong Gallery.
On 21 November, the Gallery marks its anniversary with SANTAI: IN PROGRESS, running from 11am to 7pm.
