Gallery’s 10th Birthday Bash: National Gallery Singapore Celebrates a Decade of Art, People, and Possibilities
The Gallery celebrates its role as a civic space and cultural hub with a weekend of festivities, creative collaborations, and digital-first experiences.
(Singapore, 7 October 2025 – National Gallery Singapore, home to the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, officially turns 10 this year on 24 November 2025. Since opening in 2015, the Gallery has welcomed over 14 million visitors and established itself as one of Asia’s leading art institutions. More than a museum, it has become a vibrant civic space where people gather to encounter art, exchange ideas, and create shared memories.
Dr Eugene Tan, CEO and Director of National Gallery Singapore, says, “In just ten years, the Gallery has transformed from a bold idea into a cultural landmark that belongs to the people. Every visitor, artist, and community that has engaged with the Gallery has shaped its journey, proving that art is not only about what hangs on our walls but about the connections it sparks among people. Our 10th anniversary is both a celebration of these shared stories and a call to the future, to continue championing Singapore and Southeast Asian art with renewed ambition, placing our region more firmly on the global stage while remaining a space that belongs to everyone.”
Over the past decade, the Gallery has redefined how art is experienced in Singapore. It has presented groundbreaking exhibitions, from Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow (2017), which drew record-breaking crowds, to Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America (2023), which placed regional art in dialogue with global movements. It has also launched festivals that animate the Civic District, including the annual festival, Light to Night Singapore, and the biennial Gallery Children’s Biennale, engaging hundreds of thousands of visitors. At the same time, the Gallery has pioneered innovative programmes and digital platforms that make art more accessible to diverse audiences, strengthening Singapore’s cultural landscape while positioning Southeast Asian art firmly on the world stage.
A Weekend to Celebrate Together
To mark this milestone, National Gallery Singapore will host Gallery’s 10th Birthday Bash on 15 and 16 November 2025, transforming its spaces into a festival of art, music, food, performances, and shared experiences with extended hours from 10:00am to 10:00pm daily. The celebrations are designed for audiences of all ages, reflecting the spirit of creativity and connection that has defined the Gallery’s first decade.
Throughout the weekend, all the Gallery’s exhibitions – over ten in total – will be open to the public for free, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy the artworks and reflect on the Gallery as a space for inspiration and connection. Opening just in time for Gallery’s 10th Birthday Bash is Into the Modern: Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – the largest exhibition of French Impressionism ever presented in Southeast Asia. Visitors will be among the first to encounter this landmark show and see many artworks debuting in Singapore.
In addition, a series of special programmes created exclusively for the weekend will offer once-in-a-decade experiences for visitors. Reflecting the Gallery’s role as a people’s museum, most programmes are free to attend, with registration required for selected activities due to limited capacity.
A key highlight is Artsplaining: 10th Anniversary Edition, a light-hearted, dialogue-driven tour featuring cultural personalities and local stars such as Gurmit Singh, Kishan, Liu Ling Ling, and Shazza. Paired with Gallery staff, they will share candid perspectives on art – blending entertainment with insight, breaking down barriers to art appreciation, and showing that art is truly for everyone. Also debuting is Sketch Chapter: 10th Anniversary Edition, an interdisciplinary sketching programme held at the Rotunda Library and Supreme Court Terrace. Presented in partnership with NAFA Centre for Lifelong Learning, the session blends facilitation and free sketching time to explore the Gallery’s heritage architecture as inspiration for creative expression.
Food also takes centre stage during the celebrations, kicking off the weekend with GalleryTurns 10: Celebrating with Cake, where local bakeries reimagine cake as edible art inspired by the Gallery’s architecture and collection, and share their bakes with visitors. Complementing this are nostalgic refreshments close to the hearts of Singaporeans, including familiar favourites like a MILO van, an Old Chang Kee Mobile Food Truck, as well as traditional treats such as tutu kueh and ice-cream served the classic way – inviting visitors to savour familiar flavours while creating new memories. The Gallery’s restaurants will also join in the celebrations with special promotions and dining deals throughout the weekend.
For those seeking something unexpected, the Gallery will host a Gallery Rave: Day Edition with Exposure Therapy, blending afrobeats, matcha, and dance culture in a one-day takeover of the Supreme Court Terrace. As night falls, the beloved Keppel Centre for Art Education (KCAE) transforms for KCAE After Dark, an adults-only playground with immersive installations, a live DJ, and creative play. For the first time in its history, the Centre opens after hours, offering a rare, one-off experience that reimagines the space in ways never seen before.
As part of a community photography initiative marking the Gallery’s 10th anniversary, members of the public have shared photos capturing their most meaningful moments at the Gallery, from favourite artworks and quiet corners to celebrations with family and friends.
Selected entries will be presented in the Your Gallery Memory: Community Photography Showcase, a pop-up at the Supreme Court Terrace. Visitors can explore this collective tribute to the past decade and see how the Gallery has been a space for art, community, and connection. Visitors are also invited to co-create the Gallery Birthday Mixtape by contributing their favourite songs, which will be played across public spaces during the weekend celebrations.
Not forgetting our little ones, families can look forward to a series of themed art activities and hands-on workshops at the Keppel Centre for Art Education, from cake-inspired art making to animal face painting, all designed to spark imagination and fun for young visitors. The popular Messy Morning for the Little Ones returns with a cake theme for the Gallery’s 10th Birthday Bash, inviting children aged 3 to 5 to dive into creative, sensory play to mark the occasion.
Specially curated collaborations with well-loved local brands
To mark its 10th anniversary, the Gallery has brought together an unprecedented 13 brands in a landmark series of exclusive collaborations, the largest of its kind for any cultural institution in Singapore. From fashion and lifestyle to food and design, each collaboration reimagines the Gallery’s identity in a unique and collectible form, capturing the spirit of creativity and community that has defined its first decade.
Highlights include Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie’s bold reimagining of artworks into artisanal chocolate flavours, Curious Creatures’ jewellery inspired by the Gallery’s architectural motifs, Rocket Eyewear’s sunglasses in striking Gallery colourways, Orientalist Spirits’ limited-edition gin and whisky in homage to Raden Saleh’s iconic Boschbrand (Forest Fire), and The 1925 Brewing Co.’s tropical pineapple pale ale. These are joined by distinctive creations from ANS.EIN, Binary Style, Bynd Artisan, CLIZ, Leica, Sea Apple, Still Goods, and Supermama, a once-in-a-decade coming together of Singapore’s beloved creative brands.
These limited-edition products will be available from 8 October, with a retail showcase at the Gallery’s Spine Hall where visitors can explore the collections in person and purchase them easily via QR code links to partner websites. During the birthday bash, all 13 brands will come together for a one-of-a-kind Birthday Bash Market, transforming the museum into a vibrant hub of art, design, and creativity. Beyond the Gallery, the products will also be available at partners’ stores and online platforms. A portion of proceeds from sales will go towards supporting the Gallery and its programmes to make art more accessible to diverse audiences, ensuring the celebrations leave a lasting impact beyond the anniversary.
Digital experiences that bring art closer
To extend the celebrations beyond its walls, the Gallery is also rolling out a suite of digital-first initiatives designed to make art discovery more personal, playful, and accessible. At the heart of these is a dedicated 10th anniversary microsite, serving as the hub for community stories, brand collaborations, and a timeline of milestones that have shaped the Gallery’s first decade.
Visitors can take part in a personality quiz that pairs them with an artwork best matching their habits and ways of thinking, offering a uniquely tailored connection to the Gallery’s collection. On TikTok (@nationalgallerysingapore), a new gamified filter inspired by Raden Saleh’s Boschbrand (Forest Fire) challenges users to guide a tiger through a burning jungle using only their voice. With its sound-controlled gameplay and immersive 2D tiger mask, the filter opens up a fresh and creative way to experience art while extending the Gallery’s reach into digital communities.
Join the Celebration
The Gallery’s 10th Birthday Bash takes place on 15 and 16 November 2025. Admission to most programmes is free, but registration is required for selected activities due to limited capacity. Sign-ups and the full line-up of events are available at www.galleryturns10.sg.
