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What if you could experience a painting without looking at it? National Gallery Singapore and The Teng Company are giving that a go with Music for Mindfulness: The Gallery Edition, a new collaboration that translates four works from the National Collection into original soundscapes designed to encourage reflection, wellbeing and a different kind of connection with art.
Launching in October 2026 to coincide with World Mental Health Month, the eight-month activation introduces ‘Soundscapes of Art’, a new listening space at the Gallery’s City Hall Wing, Level 2, just outside DBS Singapore Galleries 1 and 2. Open daily from 10am to 7pm, the space sits alongside Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours to Art, allowing visitors to listen to the compositions while encountering the artworks that inspired them.
The four works in question are Tan Ping Chiang’s Music (1979), Khoo Sui Hoe’s Sunbathing on Quilts (1977), Abdul Ghani Hamid’s The Face in Meditation (1975) and Jaafar Latiff’s Vision 1/86 (1986). Developed by Teng, the compositions draw on Singapore and Southeast Asia’s multicultural musical heritage, weaving together Chinese, Malay and Indian influences through instruments including guzheng, pipa, erhu, sheng, bansuri, accordion, cello and keyboard. Rather than simply scoring the gallery like a fancy museum playlist, the music responds to the works’ colours, forms, moods, and artistic sensibilities in sonic form.
There’s some serious thought behind the pairing, too. An art therapist guided the artwork selection, while a music therapist helped shape the compositions, alongside Teng's own research into mindfulness music. The project is part of the Gallery’s wider focus on art, care and inclusive museum experiences – particularly fitting given that National Gallery Singapore was named Asia’s first Healing Arts Centre of Excellence by Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, in December 2025.
The Gallery’s Calm Room on Level B1 will also feature specially adapted versions of the four compositions. The dedicated sensory-friendly space is designed for visitors who need somewhere to rest, regulate or take a breather. The music has been layered with pulsing monaural beat elements, which some studies suggest may help reduce anxiety.
Music for Mindfulness is The Teng Company’s ongoing work exploring how music can support mental wellbeing. Developed over two years with the Singapore Institute of Technology, the practice combines Teng’s signature East-meets-West sound with soundwave technology such as binaural beats, creating accessible, easy-listening music designed to support relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety.
Find out more about The Teng Company here, and National Gallery Singapore here.
Music for Mindfulness: The Gallery Edition runs from October 2026 to May 2027. Soundscapes of Art is located at City Hall Wing, Level 2, outside DBS Singapore Galleries 1 and 2, while the Calm Room is on Level B1. Both are open from 10am to 7pm.
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