We’re going to come right out and say it: when it comes to things to do with kids in Singapore, the National Gallery is one of our absolute favourites for a family day out. When Sunday rolls around, you’ll often find us at the Keppel Centre for Art Education, hanging out at the Colour Wall and exploring Sandra Lee’s Enchanted Treehouse, or having lunch with the kids at Gallery & Co cafe (psst: the Gallery & Co store is one of the best spots in Singapore to shop!). If you love the place as much as we do, you’ll also know how hard it is to drag your kids away from the Who’s In the Woods interactive forest. So, the first-ever Children’s Biennale at National Gallery Singapore, which kicked off on 20 May, had a lot to live up to, because it’s hard to imagine this place getting any better for kids.
Consider our minds blown.
Here are just some of the highlights at Children’s Biennale: Dreams & Stories, and why you’ll be going back to #childrensbiennale again and again. (It’s on until 8 October 2017. Woohoo!)
Join the dots
The Obliteration Room, by Yayoi Kusama
Chances are you’ve seen this one all over Instagram from its time at the Queensland Art Gallery: Yayoi Kusuama’s Obliteration Room is an entirely white space (down to the bowls of white fruit!) where you can all go crazy sticking colourful dots wherever you want. We spotted one creative soul with the dots artfully placed in her hair – you’ve got to admire that dedication to the art. This exhibit alone calls for repeat visits to watch the space transform into a riot of colour.
Go with the glow
Homogenizing and Transforming World, by teamLab
If you’re a fan of the ArtScience Museum’s FUTURE WORLD exhibit, you’re no stranger to the work of teamLab’s totally trippy, immersive installations – and those giant glowing balls! Here, you’re led through a path of orbs that change colour and make sounds when they’re touched. Soak up this experience because in your eagerness to move through this maze, it can all be over too soon. Mesmerising.
Wander through a tunnel of blue, with big, big blooms
The Sonnet in Blue, by Tran Trong Vu
The kids dropped everything (literally: I had to pick up a trail of backpacks and water bottles) when we approached this eye-popping maze. You won’t be able resist ducking in and out a few times, but don’t forget to look close: there are flowers with poems and stories written on the petals of the giant blooms.
Look down into the deep
Firewalk: a Bridge of Embers, by Mark Justiniani
Cross a bridge that hovers above the excavations of the former Supreme Court building and see artefacts that take on an otherwordly feel. Take your time to soak it in – this one is a surprise favourite from the day!
Get the full spread of exhibits and special activities happening at Children’s Biennale: Dreams & Stories, and don’t forget to pick up a Gallery Children’s Biennale Art Pack: for $5 you’ll get a map, activity cards, a rainbow pencil, stickers for Yayoi Kusuma’s The Obliteration Room, a festival pass for the kids and a 20% discount voucher for Gallery Insider membership (that membership has some pretty fantastic perks!).
Best of all, entry is free for kids under six!
Like this story? Here’s more we think you’ll enjoy:
Must-see exhibits for kids in Singapore this year
Playeum’s new exhibit Making it Home is here!
Children’s Season at Singapore’s museums 2017
Is ArtScience Museum’s FUTURE WORLD Singapore’s best exhibit for kids?
