Need to keep hyperactive kids engaged during the school holidays? Head to the Children’s Biennale by National Gallery Singapore where they can immerse themselves in plenty of fun activities, games and unique experiences.
From May 27, 2023 to Mar 31, 2024, visitors can explore 11 new artworks by international artists that spotlight four core values: Care, Collaborate, Imagine and Respect.
Not only will kids have fun, but they will be invited to think about today’s pressing issues and reflect upon the future, based on the biennale’s theme “Let’s Make a Better Place”.
Each artwork is tied to one of the four core values and leverages artistic concepts to bring to the fore the relevant issues in an easy-to-understand manner for children.
Under Care, New York-based Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita presents Foundation Wave, an artwork comprising a collection of intricate human profiles melded into a cloud-like sculpture at the Supreme Court Foyer and hand-drawn on a 13-meter wall at the corridor opposite Odette restaurant.
Singapore-based Izziyana Suhaimi asks, Can you see the forest for the trees? Made up of repurposed textiles and recycled materials, this artwork invites children to care for communities who are affected by landfills.
Indonesian artist Arahmaiani’s I Love You artwork encourages empathy, acceptance (more so than tolerance) and harmony in diverse environments. Children are invited to reflect on how they can show love to another through an art-making activity and are encouraged to display their creations in the space.
Under Collaborate, Fadilah Karim’s artwork, Sama-Sama (Together) is inspired by key moments spent with her daughter Aira – both at home and in her studio. Visitors are invited to create artworks inspired by their favourite memories, build and spend time in a fort and to draw quirky portraits of themselves and their loved ones.
Hutan by LittleCr3atures (Dr Natalie Alexandra Tse, Jevon Chandra and Lynette Quek) is a toddler-friendly immersive space inspired by the Tree of Life and the forests of Southeast Asia. Children are invited to journey through the space, engaging with sensorial experiences including light-up mushrooms and a dynamic, evolving soundscape that uses recordings of visitors in the space.
Under Imagine, Singaporean artist Chiang Yu Xiang presents We Move This City, an MRT cabin with larger-than-life tetris blocks, inviting children to imagine vehicles and modes of transport of the future.
Thai artist Tawatchai Puntusawasd has two artworks: Compound invites visitors to view and experience the sculpture from different perspectives to identify what they can see, while Optical Paths is a visual optical artwork that invites children to challenge their understanding of physical space and depth.
Under Respect, Singaporean artist Wang Ruobing presents Tides, an immersive kinetic artwork inspired by the moving tide and the rise and fall of sea levels, and uses marine debris collected from coastlines of Singapore.
Artist and illustrator Ly Yeow’s artwork I am With You is inspired by intertidal explorations at Changi Beach and invites children to walk through, feel, connect, and identify with marine life, learning to respect the creatures that call the intertidal areas home.
The Magic Forest by International Museum of Children’s Art features artwork by children that responds to the theme of the “environment around us”. Visitors can also create their own pieces at the activity table, and contribute to the forest’s growth.
New games to play
The 2023’s edition of the microsite will showcase four games where each is inspired by a core value. The game titled “A Curious Connection” is integrated into the Biennale’s onsite offerings, providing a unique and interactive way for visitors to collaborate with anyone in the world.
Visitors can look forward to an exciting addition – My Biennale Buddy. Inside is a comprehensive map inviting them to collect stamps after visiting each artwork and to redeem a complimentary souvenir at the Visitors Services Counter upon collecting all 10 stamps. Children can also design their own character, which will come to life and interact with the artworks through Augmented Reality Activation.
Don’t miss other activities such as craft workshops, choral performances and interactive theatrical sessions.
For more information, visit www.nationalgallery.sg.
