The best art exhibitions in Singapore

Film fanatics, don’t miss out on ArtScience Museum’s upcoming exhibition Goddess: Brave. Bold. Beautiful. Curated by ACMI (Australia’s national museum of screen culture), Goddess is set to debut in Asia at the ArtScience Museum on April 6, 2024. Get ready to uncover 120 years of moving image history featuring stories, costumes, sketches, interactive experiences, as well as the pillars behind these wonderful masterpieces. 

It will also shine a spotlight on Asian film stars from Hong Kong, Japan, India, and Singapore, alongside other countries such as America, Australia and Europe. Other notable film icons to expect are, the one and only Marilyn Monroe, equal rights activist Laverne Cox, and Chinese American Hollywood star Anna May Wong. All of them are influential female figures in the film and television industry that have transcended stereotypes and influenced ideas of femininity through their representation on screen.

Explore a curated selection of 30 paintings by artist Cheong Soo Pieng, completed from the 1950s to the 1980s. Visitors can venture through the space segmented into three sections that will answer the following questions: “What makes a painting?”, “When is a painting complete?”, and “What is painting?”.

This exhibition is a special one as it is the first in Southeast Asia to utilise material analysis such as x-ray scans and infrared photography to unveil fresh insights into Cheong’s artistic processes. Visitors will be able to dive into Cheong Soo Pieng’s art journey and learn more about the ins and outs of his practice such as materials used, art approaches, and untold stories and ideas.

It’s time to zoom in and tickle your mind at Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka’s first ever exhibition in Singapore, small Muji exhibition – Enjoying Everyday Items, held at Muji’s flagship store in Plaza Singapura. For those that aren’t familiar with the artist, Tanaka-san is best known for his playful miniature works where he toys with everyday objects to create tiny elaborate everyday life scenes. 

If you’ve seen the widely-discussed artwork featuring a banana taped to a wall that sold for over a hundred thousand dollars, then you would know that there are no boundaries in modern art. This inevitably leads us to the pressing question: What exactly is art? With this question in mind, take a trip to the National Gallery’s latest show, Figuring A Scene.

The exhibition is divided into six segments: ‘Shadow’, 'Fruit’, ‘Fire’, ‘Air’, ‘Wax’ and ‘City’. These different points of focus hope to further aid our understanding of the displayed works beyond its historical or societal contexts. 

For example, in the segment ‘Fruit’, the show examines the diverse portrayals of the King of Fruits, Durian, throughout several mediums of art – from sculptures to paintings and photographs. With each medium offering its own unique point of view, visitors can reflect on its status during colonial times and uncover how this fruit has evolved into an iconic symbol of Singapore's national identity.

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Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju pays homage to planet Earth through his depiction of rainbow waterfalls on large-scale canvases. Standing before his expansive paintings, one can almost sense the cascading water and feel the mist in the air, as if standing before real waterfalls.

Senju has delved into the exploration of mother nature for over three decades. As a Japanese, his profound respect for Japanese culture and traditions is deeply ingrained in his appreciation of nature. However, he extends beyond cultural boundaries, believing that these values are universally significant. This profound admiration for nature's essence is reflected in his portrayal of waterfalls – a symbol of life force to him.

Here’s some effortlessly enjoyable art that’s gentle on the senses. Scottish textural painter Ronnie Ford is returning to Singapore after five years to showcase his new body of work: Shades of Grey. The exhibition, titled Meadows to Mountains, will feature said body of work of iconic paintings of vast landscapes, seen through his eyes. What makes this showcase exceptional is Ford's debut of grayscale pieces, alongside his traditional colourful series.

Explore the creations of Yanyun Chen, Hong Zhu An, and Prabhavathi Meppayil, produced during their artists’ residency as they venture beyond their typical practices to experiment with various print and paper mediums. At STPI’s Creative Workshop, these artists engaged with unfamiliar materials, techniques, and collaborators. The exhibition showcases the outcomes of their projects, highlighting the artistic breakthroughs that occur during the enriching period of an STPI residency.

From April 12 to May 31, 2024, A Trail to Chase will feature 29 multidisciplinary functional art – think everyday furnitures with a twist – created by renowned artists like Fernando Mastrangelo, Charlotte Kingsnorth, and Vincent Pocsik. Visitors are invited to go on an introspective journey to uncover narratives and contemplate the interconnectedness of our world through extraordinary creations. As you traverse the gallery space, explore the beauty of shifted perspectives, where nature's allure meets modern innovation, while tracing the invisible routes of art's journey, uncovering stories of cultural heritage and art.