Sketch Up 2026 at Asian Civilisations Museum: Slow Down, Sketch & Rediscover the Civic District

Hi Huneybees,

There are places in Singapore that we walk past so often, we eventually stop really looking at them.

The Civic District is probably one of those places for many of us. We recognise the grand buildings, know the museums and have probably photographed them countless times. But when was the last time we actually slowed down and noticed the little details?

That is exactly what Sketch Up 2026 is inviting us to do.

Returning to the Civic District on 12 September 2026, Arts House Group's Sketch Up turns the precinct into an open-air drawing room once again, bringing artists, sketching enthusiasts and curious beginners together to capture one of Singapore's cultural landmarks from their own perspectives.

This time, all eyes, and sketchbooks, are turning towards the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM).

---

Seeing the Asian Civilisations Museum Differently

Since its launch in 2024, Sketch Up has been encouraging people to experience the Civic District through art rather than simply walking from one attraction to another.

The idea is refreshingly simple: pick a spot, sit down, observe and sketch what you see.
And no, you don't have to be an artist.

What I like about the concept is that everyone can be looking at exactly the same building, yet walk away with completely different interpretations of it. One person might be drawn to ACM's architecture, another to its windows and columns, while someone else might capture the people, trees or everyday activity happening around it.

For the 2026 edition, Arts House Group is taking that idea a little further with a new artist-led workshop.

---

New for 2026: The Art of Noticing

Before the mass sketching session begins, a limited group of participants can join The Art of Noticing, led by Ying of Ying In Art.

Rather than focusing solely on drawing techniques, the workshop encourages participants to slow down and pay closer attention to the architecture, details and stories hidden within familiar surroundings.

Instead of looking at ACM and simply thinking, "I've seen this building before", you might start noticing the shapes, textures, shadows and tiny architectural details that normally disappear into the background when you're rushing somewhere.

And perhaps that's the more interesting takeaway from Sketch Up. It's not necessarily about creating the perfect drawing. It's about learning to look at familiar spaces differently.

The workshop is beginner-friendly, so you don't need any previous sketching experience to take part.

Then Find Your Own View of ACM

From 4pm to 6pm, Sketch Up opens up for its signature mass sketching session.

Participants can find their own vantage point around ACM and the surrounding Civic District before translating what catches their attention onto paper. 

There isn't one "correct" view to draw. You could focus on the museum's distinctive façade, zoom in on an architectural detail or step further back and capture ACM as part of the wider cityscape.

In a world where we're so used to snapping a photo and moving on, there's something rather lovely about spending time in one place long enough to actually study it. Maybe you'll notice something you've walked past a dozen times without ever seeing.

A Few Perks for Sketchers

Participants should bring their own preferred sketching materials and tools, but early birds can look forward to a few extras.

The first 200 mass sketching participants who check in on event day will receive a Sketch Up bucket hat and Pencil Sketching Set goodie bag, while participants attending The Art of Noticing workshop will receive a Watercolour Set goodie bag.

*All participants can also enjoy 15% off dining at Baker & Cook at ACM on 12 September.

---

Your Sketch Could Win You Prizes Too

The experience doesn't end when everyone puts down their pencils. Participants can upload their completed works to a digital Sketch Up showcase, allowing the public to see the different interpretations of ACM and vote for their favourites.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a Creative Art Station worth S$280, a S$50 UmiStrong voucher and ACM exhibition tickets.

Two runners-up will each receive a Desktop Creative Station worth S$160, a S$50 UmiStrong voucher and ACM exhibition tickets.

Even voters get a little something to look forward too, with two lucky voters walking away with exclusive gift cards.

---

Maybe We Should Look at Singapore a Little Slower

What draws me to Sketch Up isn't really the competition or even the sketching itself.
It's the idea of noticing.

Singapore changes so quickly that we're always looking for what's new, what's opening next and where we should go this weekend. Sometimes, though, there's something equally interesting about returning to somewhere familiar and asking ourselves: What haven't I noticed before?

You might arrive at ACM thinking you're there to draw a building, but perhaps you'll leave having discovered a side of the Civic District you've never really paid attention to. So what if your sketch isn't museum-worthy, that's perfectly fine.

Sometimes the best souvenir isn't the prettiest drawing. It's simply proof that, for an afternoon, you stopped long enough to really look.

Sketch Up 2026 Event Details

Sketch Up 2026 at Asian Civilisations Museum
Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026
Venue: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555

Mass Sketching Session
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Registration: 4pm – 5.30pm
Price: S$5 refundable deposit

Bookings: https://bookmyshow.sg/en/e/SKETCH26

The Art of Noticing Workshop
Time: 3pm – 4.30pm
Price: S$15
Capacity: Limited to 35 participants

Bookings: https://sketch-up-2026-the-art-of-noticing.peatix.com

For more information on Sketch Up 2026, visit:
https://www.artshousegroup.sg/civic-district/sketch-up-2026.

Do follow me on my social media for more daily updates...
Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | X 

Read More

First Look at Light to Night 2025: Giant Ferns at the Padang, Mirror Mazes & Mesmerising Projections

Hi Huneybees,

The annual arts festival that truly comes alive after sunset is back and the Civic District is glowing once again! ✨ Light to Night 2025 returns with its biggest edition yet, transforming our familiar cultural landmarks into luminous playgrounds filled with art, music, and moments that make you pause and reflect.

This year’s festival features over 70 artworks and programmes, stretching across the Padang, National Gallery Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, The Arts House, Esplanade, Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, and even nearby malls. Whether you’re planning a romantic night stroll, a creative catch-up with friends, or a solo wander with your camera, there’s something waiting around every corner.

---

A Theme That Asks You to Look Closer

The 2025 theme: “Do You See Me?”, is a deeply reflective one. It invites us to think about what it really means to see... ourselves, others, and the communities we’re part of. As Singapore celebrates its 60th birthday, many of the works explore identity, visibility, and how we understand one another in an increasingly complex world.

Beyond the installations, the festival atmosphere is elevated with live DJ sets, music, dance, theatre performances, and of course, food. You won’t go hungry thanks to Art X Social: Festival Street along St Andrew’s Road, where food stalls and live entertainment keep the vibes going late into the night.

Organised by National Gallery Singapore, which is also marking its 10th anniversary, Light to Night 2025 shines a spotlight on both veteran and emerging artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia. Best of all? Admission is completely free, with the Gallery extending its weekend opening hours until 11pm from Friday to Sunday, alongside complimentary entry to all exhibitions.

Running for three weeks only from 17 January to 6 February 2025, time is limited, so here's what you the event highlights to help you plan your visit.

---

Installations at Light to Night 2025

Travelling Through the Tropical Rainforest
By Han Sai Por
📍 Padang

If you’ve been to Light to Night before, you’ll know the Padang is where the festival’s most iconic centrepieces live. This year is no exception. Cultural Medallion recipient Han Sai Por presents six colossal sculptural forms inspired by tropical ferns.

Towering yet elegant, these organic structures quietly remind us of the natural world that exists alongside Singapore’s urban landscape; often unnoticed, yet deeply rooted in our everyday lives. It’s one of those installations that feels especially magical when viewed against the night sky.

Art Skins on Monuments
The Perception of Beauty by Jaafar Latiff
Spirit of Resilience by Chng Seok Tin
Imprinted Memory by Goh Beng Kwan
📍 National Gallery Singapore, Façade

Look up as you cross the road from the Padang and you’ll be treated to a stunning visual spectacle. The National Gallery’s façade becomes a living canvas, animated with bold colours and hypnotic patterns inspired by works from three late Cultural Medallion recipients.

Created in collaboration with a Bandung-based multimedia design studio, these projection mappings are especially meaningful, marking the Gallery’s first collaboration with the estates of late artists, celebrating their legacy through contemporary digital storytelling.

Blades, Shrapnel
By Ang Song Nian
📍 National Gallery Singapore, Former Supreme Court Foyer

What seems mundane — grass-cutting — becomes strangely mesmerising in this performative installation. Featuring laser-emitting grass cutters, the work mimics synchronised maintenance routines while questioning our relationship with nature and control.

Live performances:
17, 18, 24 & 25 January, 7.30pm at the Padang and Empress Lawn
(Performance remnants remain on display throughout the festival.)

Through The Looking Glass

By Claire Teo
📍 National Gallery Singapore, Level B1 – Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer

This quietly powerful installation explores the heart of the festival’s theme. Inspired by artist Claire Teo’s lived experience as a visually impaired individual, the work brings together voices from people with disabilities and underserved communities.

Visitors are invited to answer intimate questions and add their responses to the artwork using silver stickers, turning personal reflections into a collective conversation about visibility, inclusion, and empathy.

Adding another layer to the experience are live performances by five artists living with disabilities, each sharing deeply personal narratives through movement, sound, and expression.

Performance times:

• 17 Jan: 6.30pm & 8pm

• 18 Jan: 6pm & 8pm

• 1 Feb: 6pm & 8pm

kālacakra (a clock for progress)

By Kapilan Naidu
📍 National Gallery Singapore, Rotunda Library

This interactive generative art installation invited visitors to take part through a QR-code quiz, which created unique AI-generated artworks drawn from the National Gallery’s archives. Each personalised piece was then woven into an ever-evolving collective projection on the Rotunda’s dome ceiling, merging individual reflections with shared memory. Doubling as a timepiece, the projection featured glowing rings and a sweeping line that marked the passing hours, minutes, and seconds.

Performance times:

• Fri - Sun: 5.30pm - 11pm

• Mon - Thu: 5.30pm  - 7pm

Photo Credits: National Gallery

Return to Paradise
By Beverley Ng
📍 National Gallery Singapore, Supreme Court Wing, Level 1 – Padang Atrium Corridor

Imagine a personal scrapbook gently unravelled across the floor. Through collages, handwritten notes, old photographs, and fragments of thought, Beverley Ng invites us into an intimate space of memory and vulnerability.

It’s a quiet, contemplative work that encourages you to slow down and appreciate the beauty found in reflection, creation, and moments of emotional honesty.

Return to Paradise (Play)
By Beverley Ng
📍 Funan B2 Underground Link

This installation serves as an extension of her work at the National Gallery, bringing together illustrations and imagery inspired by life in Singapore during the 2000s — from arcades and theme parks to pasar malams. Designed to evoke a sense of carefree nostalgia, the piece invites viewers to reconnect with the simple joys and shared memories of that era.

A Little Bead of Work
By Kray Chen
📍 The Arts House at the Old Parliament – Outdoor Lawn

Feeling crafty? This hands-on installation is part of VERSE and invites everyone to create glow-in-the-dark word bracelets using alphabet beads.

Simply grab a string and start beading — or join the guided sessions happening every Friday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm during festival weekends. It’s playful, creative, and perfect for couples or friends looking to make something meaningful together.

We’ll Make Heaven a Place on Earth
By Arterly Obsessed
📍 Asian Civilisations Museum – ACM Green

Step into a glowing pagoda made of two-way mirrors and lose yourself in endless reflections. This immersive installation feels almost dream-like, amplified by an atmospheric soundtrack that makes it impossible not to linger (and take photos or even show off soe dance moves).

Now You See Us? 
by Singaporean street artist TraseOne (Sufian Hamri)
📍 The Arts House at the Old Parliament

TraseOne transforms the historic façade of The Arts House at the Old Parliament into a striking visual canvas, responding to Light to Night Singapore 2025’s theme, “Do You See Me?”

Now You See Us? delves into the essence of graffiti as an art form rooted in visibility and self-expression. Charting the journey of Singapore’s graffiti scene from its underground beginnings to mainstream recognition — and hinting at its future possibilities — the multimedia projection combines layered visuals with an immersive soundscape. Projected onto the iconic building, the installation bursts with bold colours, playful characters, and rhythmic beats, offering a fresh lens on street art as cultural storytelling and artistic identity.

Unsung Threads
by SOTA Students

📍  Asian Civilisations Museum's facade

Featuring student-created animations projected onto the Asian Civilisations Museum’s façade, this installation celebrated Singapore’s layered history through stories of river life - from coolies and hawkers to artists and everyday communities. Drawing visual motifs from the museum’s artefacts, such as fish dishes and rattan covers, the vibrant projections highlighted often untold narratives that form the foundation of Singapore’s success.

By weaving together art, history, and community spirit along the river, the work connected diverse voices through colour, movement, and shared heritage, offering a fresh and heartfelt perspective on the lives that shaped the nation.

Words
By Song-Ming Ang
📍 Victoria Theatre

This installation featured abstract words flashing across the space, mirroring emotions and everyday anxieties in a way that felt eerily familiar, much like scrolling through endless digital feeds of text, visuals, and sound. Offering a contemporary commentary on identity and perception, the work aligned seamlessly with the festival’s broader aim of encouraging introspection and inviting audiences to see themselves — and others — from new perspectives.

Photo Credits: National Gallery Singapore

Our Migrants’ Leisure

In collaboration with Ministry of Manpower, ACE Group
📍 National Gallery Singapore, City Hall Wing, Level B1, Auditorium Anteroom

This moving exhibition offers a heartfelt glimpse into everyday joy beyond the workplace. Featuring over 80 photographs submitted by migrants and locals, it captures moments of fishing trips, football games, and quiet connection — stories that are often overlooked but deeply human.

Angin Cloud

by Art Labor
📍 National Gallery Singapore – Padang Atrium

Spanning multiple floors, Angin Cloud draws inspiration from Vietnam’s Central Highlands. From suspended pillars referencing peppercorn farming structures to hammocks in the basement, the installation blends tradition with modern architectural space,  inviting you to pause, lie back, and breathe.

Scarce City

by Rainshadow Studios
📍 Basement 1, Concourse Gallery, Supreme Court Wing

This interactive installation invites visitors to work together — quite literally. By moving your hands across the surface, glowing sparks light up, symbolising collective action and environmental responsibility. It isn't just a game, it is a powerful exploration of our relationship to resources and what it means to have enough in a world obsessed with scarcity.

*Available until 2 February 2025 only.

---

Eat, Chill & Hang Out at Art X Social

On selected weekends — 17–18 Jan, 24–25 Jan, and 31 Jan–1 Feb — St Andrew’s Road transforms into Art X Social: Festival Street, featuring Mediterranean bites, live music, and games.

Prefer something more laid-back? Head indoors to The Living Room at National Gallery Singapore’s Courtyard. Open throughout the festival, it offers colourful cardboard furniture, DJ sets, workshops, artist talks, and identity-driven activities, perfect for winding down after a night of art hopping.

---

Don't Miss Light to Night 2025

With luminous installations, meaningful performances, and spaces that invite both play and reflection, Light to Night 2025 is more than just an art festival,  it’s an experience!  Whether you’re here for the visuals, the conversations, or simply a beautiful way to spend an evening in the city, this is one event worth lingering for.

Light to Night 2025

📍 Civic District
📅 17 January – 6 February 2025
🕕 6.00pm – 12.00am
🎟 Free admission (ticketed programmes apply)

*Things to note:

• Timings vary by programme

• Exhibits span multiple locations across the Civic District

For full details, visit lighttonight.sg.

Do follow me on my social media for more daily updates...
 Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok

Read More