As the tropical humidity of January prepares to welcome the international art circuit to the Lion City, Singapore prepares to host its popular cultural showcase to date. Returning from January 22 to 31, Singapore Art Week is anchored by the fourth edition ART SG fair at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre housing over 100 world-class galleries and their artworks. But unlike the previous editions, this one runs across the city at various venues, which are also a favourite among the tourists.
This year, however, the narrative shifts towards a more cohesive regional identity. For the first time, the curated platform SEA Focus — a champion of Southeast Asian voices — will be integrated directly within the ART SG floor plan (large-scale and site-specific installations and performance art presented across the fair). Under the theme The Humane Agency, curator John ZW Tung offers visitors an exploration of works that foreground compassion and environmental resilience, positioning the artist as a vital participant in a changing world rather than a mere observer.
Step out into the city and head to The Light to Night Festival, which is celebrating its tenth milestone edition by transforming the historic facades of the National Gallery Singapore and the Asian Civilisations Museum into canvases of light based on the theme — The Power in Us. At the National Gallery, the exhibition Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise offers a poignant counterpoint to the festival’s festive atmosphere, spotlighting five decades of Southeast Asian women artists who have challenged social hierarchies through their practice.
Gardens by the Bay houses David Hockney: Bigger & Closer – a massive immersive audiovisual experience narrated by the artist himself. Singapore’s contemporary arts cluster Gillman Barracks displays The Last Tree Was a Building with inflatable monkeys perched on the rooftops of this colonial-era art enclave.
Tanjong Pagar Distripark showcases Sonic Shaman 2026 – an experimental music festival at the Singapore Art Museum. The Wan Hai Hotel project, a partnership with Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, will see The Warehouse Hotel at Robertson Quay reimagined as an immersive site-specific exhibition.
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