The best art exhibitions in Singapore you shouldn't miss

Celebrate the life and work of iconic American neo-expressionism artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who rose to success in the 80s at the movement’s peak. As the first of the Behind the Canvas series, the experience runs until March 6, 2025 and features his captivating sketches and illustrations interspersed with innovative elements of art, fashion, literature, and technology. Get a deeper understanding of Basquiat's life and journey through pages from his personal notebooks, never-before-seen artworks, and interactive experiences including wall graffiti stations. Glimpse into his early years as a budding artist and discover the events that led to his rise as one of the world's most recognised street art icons. Get your tickets here.

There’s plenty to look forward to at the ArtScience Museum this year, starting with two fresh additions to Future World, the museum’s beloved permanent exhibition. However, stealing the spotlight in 2025 is Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, the Dutch designer’s highly anticipated debut solo exhibition in Asia. Running from March 15 to August 10, 2025, this headline show is part of the museum’s Mind and Body season which explores the intricate connection between mind and body.

Seeing Forest will soon be at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, marking its Singapore debut. After its run in Venice, Robert Zhao Renhui’s exhibition invites you to explore the lesser-known world of Singapore’s secondary forests – areas that have regrown after human-caused deforestation. Drawing on nearly a decade of research, Zhao encourages us to look past the city’s familiar skyline and dive into the complex ecosystems of these often-overlooked spaces.

The exhibition will feature a mix of videos and sculptures, originally shown in Venice, transforming SAM’s gallery into an immersive forest-like environment filled with sights, sounds, and stories. Zhao’s work brings these spaces to life, showing everything from sambar deer that escaped a zoo in the ‘70s to Japanese sparrowhawks stopping for a drink, and even a wild boar giving birth just outside Zhao’s apartment.

Seeing Forest was first presented at the Singapore Pavilion during the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte 2024). When it opens in Singapore, it’s a great chance to discover a side of the city you might not know and think about how we fit into these wild, untamed places.

You guys will soon get a rare, up-close look at the iconic works of anonymous street artist Banksy as The Art of Banksy: Without Limits exhibition lands in Singapore for the first time this December at 25 Scotts Road. Presented by Muse Marketing & Entertainment and Fever, this global sensation has captivated over 2.1 million visitors across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. 

The Amazon rainforest is a vast and fragile ecosystem, and many of us go through life without ever having the chance to explore its depths. Amazônia offers an intimate look at the Amazon through the lens of renowned photo artist and photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, featuring over 200 stunning black-and-white photographs from his daring seven-year expedition. This breathtaking exhibition celebrates the rainforest and its indigenous communities while urging us to reflect on the delicate relationship between humanity and nature. Amazônia has captivated more than 1.4 million viewers worldwide, gracing iconic cities like Rome, London, and Zurich.

Experience the inner workings of the mind like never before in Mirror Mirror: Journey Into the Mind, opening on March 1 at Marina Bay Sands. Created by Moment Factory, this immersive exhibition takes visitors through eight interactive rooms that explore themes such as memory, perception, and ego. Using innovative technology and artistic expression, the exhibit brings the intangible aspects of the human psyche to life in a visually stunning and thought-provoking way.

Somewhere Near Home is the artist Adam Handler’s first solo exhibition in Singapore. The New York-born painter is known for his colourful and whimsical paintings done with oil sticks, and this exhibition is no exception. He uses an explosion of vivid colours and layered compositions to create characters that have simple yet expressive forms. Each artwork is a reflection of his early childhood memories at home, evoking a sense of joy, comfort, sadness and anger. The exhibition is held at LOY Contemporary Art Gallery and more details can be found here.

National Gallery Singapore’s latest show highlights the journeys of influential Asian artists like Foujita Tsuguharu, Georgette Chen, and Liu Kang, who brought their unique cultural backgrounds to Paris at the height of its modern art movement. The exhibition uncovers how their personal stories and heritage shaped their work, leaving a lasting mark on Paris’s art scene and influencing the course of modern art. 

Pop Air by The Balloon Museum is set to blow us away, transforming Marina Bay Sands into a playground of giant inflatables, trippy lights, and interactive installations from June 13 to August 31, 2025.

Hailing all the way from Rome, this immersive exhibition is packed with jaw-dropping installations, from towering inflatables that fill the space to delicate sculptures that redefine what air can do. Expect interactive and digital pieces that blur the lines between reality and imagination, proving that inflatable art is anything but full of hot air.

You might have heard about Monet Inside, an immersive art exhibition that opened last year, allowing visitors to step into 200 of famous painter Claude Monet's dreamy paintings. If that sounds like your vibe, or if you’ve already been there and done that, here’s the deal: the 360-degree art experience has now added two more classic iconic artists to their show: Gustav Klimt, and Vincent van Gogh, from January 24, 2025. 

Presented by Groundseesaw at Parkview Square, the event features stunning visuals, original soundtracks, and captivating storytelling showcased across the venue's floors and five towering screens, each exceeding six meters in height. 

Batik, a timeless art form and symbol of Southeast Asian heritage, takes centre stage at the Peranakan Museum. This captivating exhibition shines a spotlight on the creative and entrepreneurial journeys of three remarkable Peranakan women from the bustling port city of Pekalongan, Indonesia. Meet Nyonya Oeij Soen King, her daughter-in-law Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing, and granddaughter Jane Hendromartono, each a batik master in her own right. Discover their inspiring stories through about 200 objects, including cherished family heirlooms and 60 stunning batik pieces from the 1890s to the 1980s. You can also explore batik’s evolution through time at the interactive stations. Then take a fun mobile quiz to uncover your personal batik style and score an exclusive bookmark to take home. Keep an eye out for exciting pop-up performances, hands-on craft activities, and engaging curator tours during your visit. 

An out-of-this-world experience – literally – awaits you at Science Centre Singapore’s coolest new virtual reality (VR) experience, Space Explorers: The Infinite. Whether you geek out over anything space-related, or you love one-of-a-kind experiences, we guarantee this is one thrill you don’t want to miss. From now until March 2025, enjoy the world’s largest and most immersive space exploration experience at its first Southeast Asian debut. 

Inspired by real NASA missions, the award-winning showcase will transport you to the International Space Station 400km above Earth in a visually stunning and incredibly immersive multi-sensory adventure you won’t find anywhere else – at least not on Earth. The best part is that the showcase features 250 hours of footage filmed on the ISS – plus an additional 16 hours of astronaut testimonials – so no matter how many times you experience it, you'll always discover something new at the exhibition.

The Untold Stories: Four Singapore Artists’ Quest for Inspiration in Bali 1952 exhibition at the National Library takes a fascinating look at the journey of Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Cheong Soo Pieng, and Chen Wen Hsi to Bali and Java. This trip in 1952 had a lasting impact on Singapore’s art scene, and the exhibition features over 1,000 of Liu Kang’s photos, 31 original artworks, and a range of archival materials. Visitors can dive into three main sections – Imagining Bali, Experiencing Bali, and The Bali Legacy – each offering a unique glimpse into the artists’ experiences and creative processes.

Happening till August 3, the exhibition also has a satellite display at regional libraries, bringing the story to a wider audience. There will also be monthly talks, children’s workshops, and guided tours.

Remember Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience that showed in Singapore last March? The same people behind that successful show – immersive entertainment company Exhibition Hub and live-entertainment platform Fever – are stacking up another masterpiece once again, bringing back one of CNN’s Top 10 global must-see exhibitions to Singapore since its debut in our city in 2012.

Over 100 years ago in the year 1864, 84 pagodas were hand-carved in Shanghai at the Tushanwan Workshop by Jesuit missionaries. Many of them then went on to influence several other celebrated artists that we have come to know of today, such as watercolourist Xu Yongqing and sculptor Zhang Chongren. Today, these 84 pagodas are now being reunited in Singapore at Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM)’s exhibition Pagoda Odyssey 1915: From Shanghai to San Francisco.