National Gallery Singapore to Open with Multi-Sensory Art Extravaganza
Free admission for all visitors for two weeks of celebrations. Over 20 free events and activities with Art Carnival and grand façade show. Accenture-enabled museum app to enhance Gallery visitors’ experience
National Gallery Singapore today announced more than 20 free events and activities for the public to be immersed in engaging and moving art experiences at the Gallery’s opening celebrations and inaugural art festival. Spanning over two weeks from 24 November to 6 December 2015, National Gallery Singapore’s Opening Celebrations will offer a diverse programme designed to captivate and kindle a curiosity for art.
Public will enjoy free admission to the exhibitions at the two permanent galleries, the DBS Singapore Gallery and the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery as well as the festivities of the Art Carnival which will be held at the Padang from 27 November to 29 November. Visitors will continue their art journey beyond the walls of the Gallery as they celebrate at the block party at the Padang replete with interactive art installations, community art workshops and artisanal treats. By nightfall, visitors will be enthralled by the Share the Hope Façade Show generously sponsored by Cartier, a stunning display of light and sound designed with inspiration from the art in the museum and set against a grand stage: the facade of the newly transformed National Gallery Singapore.
“As the first museum in the world dedicated to Southeast Asian modern art, National Gallery Singapore aims to provide a differentiated art experience for visitors to fully explore and appreciate art and its history,” said Ms Suenne Tan, Director, Education and Programmes, National Gallery Singapore. “We crafted activities to give the public many ways and reasons to connect with art, inspiring more to develop a deeper understanding of Singapore and Southeast Asian art and its links with art all around the world.”
Making art accessible and easy to learn more about, the opening celebrations will include art forums and a panel discussion that will provide an inside look into the Gallery’s part in promoting Southeast Asian art. Visitors will have the opportunity to hear more from curators, art critics and architects about the evolution of Southeast Asian art in the region, the changing roles of museums, as well as the architecture, design and conservation principles of the Gallery.
Theatre and film buffs can also look forward to plays inspired by artworks, the world premiere of three local short films that realise the Opening themes of memory and hope, as well as a special selection of over 30 films from the 26th Singapore International Film Festival. The new interpretations of artworks extend to dance and music that will be performed in surprising spaces and venues within the Gallery (for full programme listing, please refer to Annex A in the downloadable PDF below).
Exploration of the Gallery spaces and art will be enhanced by the new Gallery Explorer app which the public can download for free from Apple’s App Store from 18 November and from Google Play Store shortly after. Created in collaboration with the Gallery’s Innovation Partner Accenture, the app enables intelligent indoor navigation across the Gallery’s 64,000 sq m area, proactively giving information on the art within the vicinity. The app is also integrated with social media capabilities, allowing users to share their experiences with friends and create conversations about the art at the museum (for more details, please refer to the Galley Explorer factsheet in the downloadable PDF below).
All visitors will enjoy complimentary entry to National Gallery Singapore, its exhibitions and the opening celebrations from 24 November to 6 December 2015. For more information about the upcoming activities and registration requirements, please visit our website.