Celebrate National Day with National Gallery

To commemorate Singapore’s 55th year of independence and our spirit of resilience in a challenging year, National Gallery Singapore will launch a series of on-site and online initiatives for the public to mark National Day together, at the Gallery or from home. The initiatives aim to support Singaporeans and celebrate compassion and kindness amidst adversity, through art.

Gallery Light Up: From 24 July to 30 August 2020, the Gallery’s façade will be illuminated in the national colours of red and white as part of a joint effort by agencies and institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth: the Arts House Limited, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, National Gallery Singapore and National Heritage Board (NHB). The light-up is intended as a show of solidarity and unity by local arts and cultural institutions in the Civic District and Bras Basah.Bugis Precinct, as the country marks National Day in a tough year.

The exterior of the Gallery’s central veiled canopy facing the Padang will also feature rotating projections of 60 artworks by artists in Singapore, following the Gallery’s open call which invited artists to submit original artworks inspired by the National Collection.

By participating in the light-up, the Gallery is able to support local production houses, as well as artists and cultural workers, in a year where many events and showcases have been cancelled or postponed.

The light-up and projections will take place daily from 24 July to 30 August, 7pm to 12 midnight.

Gallery Open House and free one-year membership
Visitors to the Gallery in August will enjoy free admission to all exhibitions. From 1 August, Singaporeans and PRs can also redeem a free one-year Gallery Insider membership (worth up to $120 in value), which includes perks such as unlimited and priority access to all exhibitions, and discounts on dining and shopping, with the National Day Parade e-discount coupon, available via the NDP2020 website.

Gallery at Home – Digital art programmes and exhibitions:
The public can also participate in a series of exciting activities and live programmes made available online by the Gallery (details at Annex B) as part of National Day. These programmes include:

○ Words That Count: A self-guided, therapeutic online art programme that guides participants to express their reflections, gratitude, appreciation and encouragement for others through art and poetry. Available from 9 August.

○ National Gallery Singapore’s Docent-led Programmes: A series of online programmes led by the Gallery’s docents that explores themes from the Gallery’s artworks and architecture.

○ Art + Live: A series of performances featuring artists, poets, musicians and art therapists who respond to art in the context of the world that we live in.

○ City Hall: If Walls Could Talk (Digital Edition): Accessible via the Gallery’s website from 9 August, the digital edition of this exhibition recounts defining moments in our nation’s history which occurred around and within the City Hall building that houses part of the Gallery today. It will also feature interviews with former officers who used to work in City Hall, about their memories of the place.