Explore and discover new worlds at National Gallery Singapore's latest exhibits for the young
Refreshed offerings at the Gallery’s Keppel Centre for Art Education encourages children to let their imagination run wild as they build miniature cities, create characters for story-telling and experiment with shadows.
Singapore, 9 March 2018 – Journey through a world of shadow and light in imaginary cities or breathe new life into Singapore artist Liu Kang’s iconic masterpiece at the Keppel Centre for Art Education at National Gallery Singapore. From 10 March 2018, it will introduce two new interactive exhibits – Wandering in Black and White at Art Playscape, and Who’s by the River – after the successful runs of Sandra Lee’s The Enchanted Forest at Art Playscape, and Who’s in the Woods.
A collaboration with Singapore artist Tang Ling Nah, the refreshed Art Playscape will encourage imaginative play with object, shadow and space. Known for her large-scale charcoal drawings depicting the Singapore cityscape, Tang has injected her artistic style to transform the space into an urban cityscape made up of familiar Singapore architecture and everyday sights such as HDB void decks, staircases and MRT transits and linkways.
As young visitors move around the cityscape, they will experience optical illusionary perspectives designed to challenge their sense of depth and space. They can play ‘hide and seek’ in mini-houses, ‘climb’ up and down staircases and discover hidden miniature city-scapes. To further encourage creativity in children, 3D printed charcoal blocks are also provided by the artist to encourage them to build their own imaginary cities. They can also go on a treasure hunt with pops of colours as clues around the space to locate hidden torches and coloured discs, and create dramatic silhouettes and skylines against the cityscapes. Talk tubes, which are often used in outdoor play, are also incorporated in the indoor play area for children to experiment with sounds and echoes in their imaginary cities.
The new exhibit takes over Sandra Lee’s The Enchanted Tree House – a very well-received fantastical play area inspired by the idea of ‘entering a painting’.
Over at the interactive area at City Hall Foyer, Who’s by the River replaces the popular Who’s in the Woods exhibit that featured a day-to-night forest-scape. The new exhibit will cast a spotlight on Singapore pioneer artist Liu Kang’s masterpiece Life by the River, which is part of the National Collection. Visitors can now create their own characters and watch them move around and interact as the village scene changes from day to night. A self-guided drop-in activity, it aims to pique the imagination of children by immersing them in the lively kampong scene and encourage them to be creative in designing their own story inspired by the painting.
Sharing about the two new immersive exhibits, Ms Ye Shufang, Deputy Director, Education at National Gallery Singapore said, “Art can stimulate one’s imagination and creativity while enhancing learning. Both art exhibits are designed to provide a multi-sensory learning experience for our young visitors through kinaesthetic and imaginative play. Children develop a sense of curiosity and narrative thinking as they make connections between their daily lives, emotions and stories in art. By providing creative spaces and exhibits for children to discover and enjoy art, we hope to cultivate in children, a love for art at a young age.”
The Keppel Centre for Art Education is the first of its kind in the region that provides young visitors the opportunity to be exposed to art through experiential learning and role-play led by artists and educators. It is part of National Gallery Singapore’s education programme to nurture in visitors an appreciation for art, creativity and culture to contribute to a vibrant and inclusive society. The Gallery identifies and applies pedagogies that are meaningful and relevant to the diverse groups of learners and helps them build knowledge and awareness of art and history, while developing a critical mind.
The education programme, which caters to visitors aged three years and above, is structured to meet the needs of families, school children and teachers through designed activities such as story-telling, hands-on studio workshops and gallery tours. This also includes a museum-based learning programme for Primary 4 students that was recently introduced as part of the 2018 Primary School art syllabus developed by Ministry of Education. Co-developed with MOE curriculum specialists, the programme by the Gallery’s education team aims to develop visual inquiry skills, curiosity and imagination in students, while they appreciate Singapore art and artists. Students will be led to view and learn about the works in the National Collection before engaging in interactive activities to discuss and share their experiences.
Admission to the Keppel Centre for Art Education is free. For more information, please visit https://www.nationalgallery.sg/discover-learn/kids-families#KCAE