Art takes over everyday spaces for Singapore Art Week
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SINGAPORE – Singapore Art Week 2026 is in full swing on Jan 23 with the launch of Botero in Singapore: Garden Grandeur
Unveiled at Silver Garden at Gardens by the Bay, the six monumental bronze sculptures – Adam and Eve, Cat, Horse, Seated Woman, The Dancers, and Woman on Horse – by the late world-renowned Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero are on display till May 18.
Horse, the largest of the six sculptures, is more than 3m tall and weighs 3 tonnes.
Horse, by the late Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero, at Silver Garden in Gardens by the Bay on Jan 23.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
“The great public of Singapore and millions of tourists that visit Gardens by the Bay will be able to enjoy them, touch them, caress them, take pictures with them, post them on Instagram, share them, and make them their own,” said Mr Fernando Botero Zea, son of the late sculptor and co-president of the Fernando Botero Foundation, at the opening.
“This is exactly what my father would have wanted, because he believed the true and timeless calling of art was to generate pleasure and to make people’s lives better, happier and more fulfilled.”
A visitor mimicking the pose of Seated Woman, a sculpture by the late Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero, at Silver Garden in Gardens by the Bay on Jan 23.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Singapore Art Week, which is organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), runs from Jan 22 to Jan 31. It brings together local and international art communities in a celebration of visual culture.
Now in its 14th edition, the 10-day festival invites both art enthusiasts and the general audience to experience a wide range of exhibitions, installations and events across the city.
Visitors interacting with the pull-cord bus stop system from the 1970s and 80s, which inspired Sound Stop: A Sensory Journey by Singaporean artist Twardzik Ching Chor Leng, in the mobile art bus at The Gateway on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
“With over 200 programmes and events at Singapore Art Week, of which more than half are by our local artists, we’re bringing the arts to our streets, parks, daily commutes and everyday spaces, turning our beautiful city into a living canvas for the arts,” said Mr Tay Tong, director of NAC’s arts ecosystem group (visual arts).
Engaging audiences beyond the confines of galleries, Next Stop: Together! is a public art project that transforms Singapore’s transport system into an artistic platform, combining a mobile art bus and eight large-scale MRT station commissions.
A visitor taking a picture with the Bus Ride Together installation, which features two wire-mesh sculptures by sculptor Victor Tan, in the mobile art bus at The Gateway on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The roving art bus will make 25 stops in 12 districts
The project is curated by independent curator John Tung and presented by ART:DIS with NAC, the Land Transport Authority, SBS Transit and SMRT.
The mobile art bus, whose exterior features the work Sanctuaries Between Spaces: Nurturing Nature And Mind by Singapore-based Canadian artist Vincent Twardzik Ching, making a stop at The Gateway on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Community-oriented works, like Bring Your Own Racket by local artists Aaron Lim and Quek Jia Qi, place sculptural play at Discover Tanjong Pagar Community Green, inviting spontaneous interaction and movement from workers in the Central Business District.
Using rackets and a frying pan, office workers play badminton at a public interactive installation called Bring Your Own Racket.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The familiar void deck, reimagined by artist-run studio Arterly Obsessed as illuminated monuments, finds its spot in a shopping mall to promote everyday togetherness. There, visitors can play chess, or leave with a capsule containing a keychain. The installation will be at Plaza Singapura from Jan 24 to Feb 1.
Void (Deck) The Walls by artist-run studio Arterly Obsessed at Raffles City on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
At Gillman Barracks, local artist ANTZ’s The Last Tree Was A Building activates the precinct with four giant inflatable monkeys, prompting reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature and urban environments.
One of the four large inflatable monkey sculptures at Gillman Barracks on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
At the southern waterfront, Sentosa’s Tanjong Beach transforms into Lobster Beach through a public art installation by British pop artist Philip Colbert. It features an 8m-tall lobster sculpture wearing a melting ice-cream cone, surrounded by three 5m inflatable installations inspired by sea creatures.
A worker blowing up the inflatable installations inspired by sea creatures at Sentosa’s Tanjong Beach on Jan 22.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Korean contemporary art is among the international works featured. K-Art: Contemporary Inner Scapes – Moment & Face spotlights pieces by rising K-Art figures, including actress-turned-painter Ha Ji Won, with her work shown in South-east Asia for the first time.
Supported by STB and Resorts World Sentosa, the K-Art exhibition is held at the Equarius Hotel Ballroom until Jan 30.
“Through these encounters, we want everyone to share the joy that the arts bring,“ said Mr Tay.
For full programme details and ticketing information, visit the official website at www.artweek.sg
