The best art exhibitions in Singapore 2026

Renowned Japanese contemporary artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia is now at the Singapore Art Museum. Titled Form is Emptiness, a line drawn from a foundational Buddhist text, the exhibition features over 60 works and fossils from his personal collection that outline five decades of artistic journey and expression.

Inspired by the concept of the Five Elements in Buddhist philosophy (earth, water, fire, air, and space), the showcase unfolds as a mandala, inviting viewers to explore the works in a continuous, seamless loop. It also reflects the themes in Sugimoto’s works, which are marked by his curiosity and fascination with time and metaphysics. Beyond photography, the exhibition also explores the expansion of the Tokyo-born artist’s photographic thinking, featuring his works in sculpture, large-scale installations, writing, and architectural design. Artwork highlights include the Brush Impression, Heart Sutra (2023), a magnificent curved wall with 288 gelatine silver calligraphy prints of Kanji characters, as well as U.A. Walker, New York (1978) and Tyrrhenian Sea, Scilla (1993), a series of black-and-white photographs of theatres and landscapes.

Titled David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), the show is happening at the newly opened IMBA Theatre at Gardens by the Bay from now to June 30, 2026.

The exhibition is a full-body encounter with an artist who has spent a lifetime challenging how we perceive art. Look forward to towering projections of Hockney’s works flooding IMBA Theatre – think vivid California pool scenes and dreamy Yorkshire landscapes filtered through multiple perspectives. The presentation unfolds over six loosely structured segments, charting six decades of evolution in Hockney’s work. Along the way, catch glimpses of how he thinks, constructs an image, and rewrites rules. 

Here’s your chance to see masterpieces from one of the world’s most significant collections of Islamic art. Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is collaborating with the Louvre, one of the world’s most prestigious museums, on Crosscurrents: Masterpieces of Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Art from the Musée du Louvre, running from June 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027. 

The Singapore show turns the spotlight on three of history’s great empires: the Mughal Empire, the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, these dynasties dominated large regions of Asia, shaping everything from trade routes and political alliances to artistic trends. Today, their courts and artistic traditions are often studied within what museums and historians call the “Islamic world” – a cultural and historical space that spans West, Central and South Asia, and beyond.

Irish cartoonist Niall Breen makes his highly anticipated Singapore debut at Heartware Store with Lazy Days with Dog & Frog. The solo exhibition features the artist’s beloved duo, the adorable pup and green amphibian, aptly named Dog and Frog. Over the years, Breen has gained a cult following online for his minimalist comic style, which pairs everyday observations with gentle humour and quiet wisdom that are unexpectedly poignant. As its name implies, Lazy Days offers a welcome respite from the fast-paced world, creating a meditative space where visitors can linger, reflect and simply be present. At the centre of the showcase are giant plushies of Dog & Frog that you can cuddle and take pics with.

It’s not every day you get to come face-to-face with real human specimens – and that alone makes ArtScience Museum’s latest exhibition, Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy, worth the visit. Alongside this unforgettable encounter, the show explores how the human body has been examined, imagined, and interpreted in countless ways, shaped by diverse cultures, technologies, and artistic lenses.

Bringing over 160 works, this exhibition presents life-sized illustrations, detailed woodcut artworks, rare books, and medical manuscripts across nine thematic sections. 

Calling all sci-fi and fantasy fans: have you ever wondered what it might feel like to step into the world of your favourite novel or game? Now you can experience it for real with The Portals Experience at Fever Exhibition Hall. Billed as the world’s most extensive collection of original fantasy and science-fiction art, the exhibition invites you to step into eight richly imagined realms to explore more than 300 masterpieces, alongside over 10,000 books and miniatures that have inspired beloved universes, such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Dune and Warhammer 40,000.

Displayed are also original book cover art for classic titles, including David Wingrove’s White Moon, Red Dragon, and The Day After Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein. The experience is completed with immersive, larger-than-life sets that’ll transport you to these magical worlds. No digital screens or VR technology, just elaborate backdrops and plenty of imagination to create the ultimate photo op.

Botero: A Life in Fullness pays homage to renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero with a 40-minute audiovisual portrait narrated by his eldest son. The installation at IMBA Theatre marks the world’s first-ever immersive experience dedicated to the artist’s journey – both as a creative and a father. Combining large-scale projections, animations, and soundscapes, the showcase plays out like a detailed biography, tracing and celebrating Botero’s life and enduring legacy from his humble beginnings to his rise as a global icon. The exhibition is told through anecdotes and family memories, giving the audience a peek into his personal struggles, humour and joys of making art.

Life in Fullness runs alongside Botero: Garden Grandeur, featuring his monumental bronze sculptures scattered around Gardens by the Bay – free and accessible to all, as the artist intended. 

Juju World, the world’s first inflatable experience built around Cj Hendry's collectible toy series, Juju, is coming to IMBA at Gardens by the Bay. This is her cult character series centred on a plush, rabbit-like figure with a flower over one eye. Fluffy and soft to the touch, the plush comes in an array of colours and is typically packaged in a blind box – so you’ll never know what colourway you’re about to get.

But for the first and only time, Juju World in Singapore will present the toy in a bold new yellow colourway. At the event, you can also expect a dreamscape filled with larger-than-life inflatable JuJu figures, a pit of yellow balls, and playful sculptural installations. As for merch – there'll be oversized Juju dolls for sale, available nowhere else in the world. 

i Light Singapore has returned to Marina Bay (until June 28), bringing together 14 light installations by 17 artists, with a strong showing from Singapore and across Asia. The theme for this year's showcase is Movement, and each artwork is built with eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient lighting, reflecting how our actions – no matter how big or small – can affect the things around us. Among the highlights is Wave by Japanese artist Masamichi Shimada. The interactive installation visualises the ripple effect through light and audio. For something a little more trippy, head to Raffles Place Park, where Arch Flower by Cyril Lancelin stands, a mesmerising tubular sculpture inspired by the city’s tropical gardens.

Over at the Marina Bay mist walk, step into a garden of wildflowers created with reclaimed metal offcuts and recycled carpet that glow and sway when touched. See the full lineup of featured installations here.