Funan’s Chinese New Year art and lifestyle trail gallops back with creative horse-themed experiences

Creative Intersections 2026 ushers in the Year of the Horse with a month-long mix of installations, workshops and play
Creative Intersections 2026
Photograph: Time Out Singapore
Time Out Singapore in partnership with CapitaLand
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Chinese New Year is typically filled with feasting, family visits and busy days out. This Year of the Horse, Funan is raising the tempo by turning that festive energy into something far more playful. After all, the downtown lifestyle hub is known for bringing together design, tech, fitness, food and fashion under one very walkable (and cyclable) roof.

From January 22 to February 22, Creative Intersections returns to Funan with HOBBYHORSE: Rhythm and Forms of Play, which comes as part of Singapore Art Week (SAW). All six floors are set to transform into an experiential wonderland inspired by the folkloric hobbyhorse, celebrating the rhythms of movement, imagination and performance that shape both art and everyday life. 

Here, you’ll find eye-catching sculptural horses, digital art flickering to life, pickleball courts doubling as a party spot, shopping pit stops with creative surprises, and many more. Not sure where to start? ‘Neigh’ worries – we got you.

Follow the horses

Your journey begins with the Six Passion Horses, a series of sculptural horses standing tall across the mall, bringing together six artists to interpret the spirit of the horse through Funan's Passion themes: Taste, Craft, Chic, Fit, Tech and Play. Crafted by local and regional artists, these aren’t your typical zodiac decorations. 

Jeremy Hiah’s Silver Appetite (Taste) gleams with cutlery to celebrate dining rituals; Phua’s Fit in Motion (Fit) is built from layered plywood, reflecting discipline and balance through fitness; Lionsforge’s Techno-Steed (Tech) fuses sleek forms with circuit-like precision to nod to innovation and technology. They’re playful, a little theatrical, and designed to be stumbled upon. The joy is in discovery.

Pause for a moving picture or two

At Level 1, Funan’s Kinetic Wall becomes a digital storybook starring Hobbi, a hobby horse with big ideas. In Gavin Lee’s looping animation Horse Shtick!, Hobbi ventures out into the city, sniffing, observing and ultimately transforming –  a cheeky metaphor for creativity, reinvention and finding possibility in the everyday. It’s short, charming and oddly mesmerising. 

Inside, the Grand Stairs double as a playful guessing game by Wendy Victoria Mack. Spot, count and hazard a guess at the number of horseshoes for a chance to win 2,000 STAR$, because art can be rewarding in very literal ways too.

Where art meets appetite, wardrobes and workouts

One of the best things about this trail is how seamlessly art blends into shopping and dining. Grab a lemonade at Lemonaide (#B2-K12), and you’ll find cup sleeves and stickers designed by illustrator Loy Yu Shuen, all sun-soaked nostalgia and carousel-daydream vibes. Over at Wingstop (#02-04), Clio Chuang’s fantastical illustrations transform the walls, adding a playful twist to your chicken break.

Fashion fans should swing by TOMS (#01-25), where embroidery artist Isabel Lim personalises shoes live, inspired by childhood imagination and play. Allbirds (#01-24), Herschel (#01-22/23), and Hydro Flask (#02-K09) also get artistic makeovers, with designs that explore heritage, sustainability and reinvention, turning everyday items into collectible keepsakes.

Roll up your sleeves and maybe break a sweat

This isn’t a look-don’t-touch affair. There are workshops and live experiences throughout the season, from speculative terrarium-making at The Green Capsule (#04-11) to sustainability talks and an interactive installation at The Green Collective (#02-18)

Feeling energetic? Head to Ace Club Tennis (#04-19 to 21) for In Full Swing, a pickleball experience that blurs sport, performance and social choreography. It’s less about winning and more about rhythm, exchange and collective play – no prior skills required. 

Families, take note: lyf Funan (Level 4) hosts Hoseh!, a batik puppetry experience where kids can watch a live performance and then create their own puppets. It’s hands-on, imaginative and refreshingly screen-free.

Explore, spend and redeem

While you’re soaking up all the playful experiences, treat yourself with Funan’s festive Spend and Redeem offers. From now until February 16, spend $150 and receive a $10 eCapitaVoucher. During the Creative Intersection period from January 22 to February 22, spend $250 and enjoy a $20 eCapitaVoucher – a little extra incentive to shop, explore and play. Terms and conditions apply.

That’s not all – don’t miss exclusive promos at Funan like a lucky draw to win a Cultural Rhythms Edition bottle from Hydro Flask, complete the stamp rally at the DJI Store to redeem a DJI Cylinder crossbody bag after following @dji_singapore on Instagram, and grab a SAW Combo at Wingstop with eight pieces of boneless wings, voodoo fries, ranch and a drink for just $15.50.

So if you’re looking to escape the usual mall routine this Chinese New Year or want to add a little whimsy between lo hei sessions, consider Funan’s Creative Intersections, HOBBYHORSE: Rhythm and Forms of Play, your sign to trot down to Funan. Find out more here.

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