Singapore Biennale 2025, Rail Corridor edition: Take a family-friendly hike for four must-see artworks

SINGAPORE – See art in Tanglin Halt and Wessex Estate, neighbouring estates which are worlds apart. The former is Singapore’s oldest public housing estate slated for redevelopment; the latter is a cluster of idyllic black-and-white houses once reserved for British military personnel.

Both spaces, which flank a section of the Rail Corridor,

will show art from Oct 31 to March 29 as part of Singapore Biennale 2025

. Here are four must-see artworks curated by The Straits Times in this family-friendly 1km trail. Admission is free.

1. Various artists at three Tanglin Halt retail units

The hundreds of household casebearers – moth larva which carry a case of dust and debris – lining the walls of a retail unit at 49 Tanglin Halt read like a metaphor for the estate as its residents vacate. Malaysian artist Tan Zi Hao’s Levelling Schemes (2025) is the result of collecting these petite bugs from Malaysia and Singapore.

The two other units are more upbeat. American artist Adrian Wong recalls his paternal grandfather Eddie Wang – a prolific composer for Shaw Brothers films – in a video work playing within a coffee-shop film set. Have a meal at the nearby Tanglin Halt Market and then head over to watch Wong’s 20-minute With Hate From Hong Kong (2025).

Singaporean artist Joo Choon Lin’s brightly coloured sculptures made of found materials are on display at Block 47. The Laugh Laughs At The Laugh, The Song Sings At The Song (2025) is made of forms that are foldable and collapsible, hinting at states of being which are in perpetual play.

As retail tenants have their leases till March 2027, this thoughtful triptych of temporary art spaces – possibly the best site in the biennale – gives the estate another lease of life before its redevelopment deadline.

Where: 01-327, 47 Tanglin Halt Road; 01-337, 48 Tanglin Halt Road; 01-357, 49 Tanglin Halt Road
When: 10am to 7pm daily

2. Kate Newby’s A Line Through Time (2025)

It is easy to miss this work as you cut through the Rail Corridor to get to Wessex Estate. Look down to the side of the walking path and spot New Zealand artist Kate Newby’s 30m of handmade drain tile made with slip from a local construction site.

Its colours transition from a deep blue to a lush green. The work is a minor gesture to the importance of the Rail Corridor, which has transformed from a colonial-era railway to a transport line and now a popular hiking area.

Where: Along Rail Corridor near 55 Commonwealth Drive
When: 24 hours daily

3. Aya Rodriguez-Izumi’s Gate: 3 (2025)

The one thousand strings of pony beads draped on a gate-like sculpture in front of a banyan tree, out in the sweaty tropics near Wessex Estate, is a reminder of artist Aya Rodriguez-Izumi’s birthplace in Okinawa.

“Okinawa and Singapore are both island spaces that have experienced occupation from multiple forces, and these forces have had a huge impact on the local culture,” says Rodriguez-Izumi. The pony beads reference rave culture – the dance club was one of the rare spaces in Okinawa where the artist could interact with young military personnel – and also her father’s Yoruba heritage.

Rodriguez-Izumi made this work with Singaporeans in beading sessions where she conversed with locals. “The cultural expression feels both traditional and blended. I love that dynamic and it was something that really made me feel at ease.”

Where: Wessex Estate, lawn below 10 Woking Road
When: 24 hours daily

4. field-0’s Drifting Bodies (2025)

Every minute, about 37,850 litres of water circulate through the Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport. It is a spectacle to behold and has become a Singapore icon since it opened in 2019, but the energy cost can be tremendous.

Drawing from their background in architecture, artist duo field-0 invite audiences to peer behind the curtain of the vortex to unveil a three-screen video work about how the indigenous Karen hill tribes in Thailand’s Vajiralongkorn Reservoir have been displaced by the construction of a dam on their homes.

The Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project brings clean energy to Singapore, but artist Jingru Cyan Cheng says: “The irony is that (the villagers) live on vast waters, but they don’t have access to clean drinking water.”

In the videos, “islands” can be seen near the Karen hill tribes’ floating houses – but Cheng points out that they are actually mountain caps after they have been flooded. Across a year, their floating houses move 20m away as the dam releases water to generate electricity.

As part of the artwork, the artists are appealing for donations to install a rainwater collection and filtration system for the community at field-0.xyz/reservoir-project

Where: Blenheim Court, Wessex Estate, 5 Westbourne Road
When: 10am to 7pm daily