Huney'Z World: things to do in Singapore January

Hi Huneybees,

ART SG 2026 has officially opened at Marina Bay Sands, kicking off with an exclusive VIP Preview and Vernissage at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Now in its fourth edition, the region’s leading international art fair brings together more than 100 galleries from over 30 countries and territories, alongside expanded programming, new curatorial directions, and exciting global partnerships. The fair runs 23–25 January, right in the heart of Singapore Art Week.

But this year, there’s an especially meaningful milestone for Southeast Asian art.

S.E.A. Focus 2026 Entrance Facade.
Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus & ART SG

S.E.A. Focus Enters a New Chapter

For the first time, S.E.A. Focus — Singapore’s homegrown platform dedicated to Southeast Asian contemporary art — is presented as part of ART SG through a strategic collaboration that gives regional artists an even bigger international stage.

Curated by John Tung with artistic consultation by Emi Eu (Executive Director of STPI), the eighth edition revolves around the theme “The Humane Agency.” The idea is simple but powerful: artists as agents of compassion in a world facing uncertainty, displacement, and environmental fragility.

Instead of responding to today’s crises with distance, the works here lean into empathy and care. Across the presentations, you’ll find reflections on conflict and peace, migration and belonging, and our increasingly fragile ecosystems — all positioning art as a way to slow down, feel deeper, and reconnect with our shared humanity.

Installation View at S.E.A. Focus 2026.
Image courtesy of S.E.A. Focus & ART SG

Sixteen galleries are part of this year’s S.E.A. Focus, including several familiar Singapore names like Mizuma Gallery, Gajah Gallery, AC43 Gallery, Mr Lim’s Shop of Visual Treasures, Intersections Gallery, and Wetterling Teo Gallery.

International galleries are also spotlighting Southeast Asian artists. Berlin’s neugerriemschneider centres its booth on Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen, while Jakarta’s ara contemporary presents a dialogue between Indonesian artists Mar Kristoff and Enka Komariah exploring identity and marginalisation.

Other powerful presentations include works by Filipina artist Imelda Cajipe Endaya (Silverlens), whose richly layered mixed-media pieces address cultural identity and globalisation, and Thai artist Ruangsak Anuwatwimon (Gallery VER), whose research-driven practice looks at environmental destruction along the Mekong River.

Adding to the regional strength, ISA Art Gallery presents works by acclaimed Indonesian artist Arahmaiani, known for her sharp social and political commentary.

ART SG 2026 VIP Preview & Vernissage.
Image Courtesy of ART SG 2026

Conversations That Go Beyond the Booths

S.E.A. Focus also extends into dialogue through the SEAspotlight Talks, curated by Clara Che Wei Peh. These panel discussions and fireside chats bring together artists, curators, and cultural leaders to unpack how Southeast Asian art is evolving — creatively, historically, and within the art market.

Expect thoughtful conversations on institution-building, storytelling across disciplines, and how artists today turn ideas into immersive worlds and long-term projects.

Roberto Matta, Le temps de la nuit, 1963
Image from Galerie Gmurzynska

What Else to See at ART SG 2026

Beyond S.E.A. Focus, ART SG’s main GALLERIES sector features an impressive mix of global blue-chip names and leading regional spaces. International heavyweights like White Cube and Thaddaeus Ropac return alongside regional powerhouses including Sullivan+Strumpf, Ames Yavuz, Ota Fine Arts, Gajah Gallery, and Richard Koh Fine Art.

If you love discovering rising talent, the FUTURES sector spotlights young galleries founded within the last decade. This year also marks the launch of the ART SG FUTURES Prize, awarding USD 10,000 to an outstanding emerging artist.

Another new addition is SOUTH ASIA INSIGHTS, a dedicated pavilion highlighting contemporary art from South Asia, while FOCUS presents tightly curated solo and duo presentations.

Performance Art - Brian Fuata
Image Courtesy of the Artist + John Miller @ Sumer Gallery Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Large-scale works take centre stage in the PLATFORM sector, where you’ll encounter monumental installations and site-specific pieces scattered throughout the fair. For the first time, ART SG is also introducing a PERFORMANCE ART sector, bringing live, experimental works into the fair environment — expect spontaneous, immersive encounters rather than traditional stage performances.

[Zilberman] Chi Yin Sim - Time Travels with a Rotten Suitcase (2025)
Image Courtesy of Artist and Gallery

ART Beyond the Fairgrounds

ART SG also spills out into the rest of the city.

The ART SG FILM programme, presented with ArtScience Museum, runs daily from 22 January to 1 February. Curated under the poetic theme “Would You Tell Me a Story Until I Fall Asleep?”, the screenings transform the cinema into a quiet, contemplative space for moving image works by artists from around the world.

Meanwhile, PERSPECTIVES brings talks and keynote conversations into the fair itself, featuring artists, museum leaders, and cultural thinkers discussing everything from performance art to building global museum collections.

View of Wan Hai Hotel, Singapore Strait
Image courtesy of ART SG & Rockbund Art Museum

One of the most atmospheric off-site highlights is Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait at The Warehouse Hotel. Co-presented with Rockbund Art Museum, this immersive exhibition transforms the heritage property into a living, breathing art space exploring maritime identity, migration, and survival. It runs 20–31 January with free admission.

[INKstudio] Bingyi, Lightning Series

Art Meets Lifestyle

As always, ART SG blends art with lifestyle experiences. Expect special presentations and installations from partners like UBS, Ruinart, AXA XL, Belmond, and more, alongside tastings, design showcases, and even hotel packages such as The Standard Singapore’s ART SG Culture Fix stay that bundles accommodation with fair access.

Melati Suryodarmo, I Love You, 2007.
Installation view @ ART SG 2026, Singapore.
Image Courtesy ART SG 2026

If you’re heading down, set aside a few hours at least as ART SG 2026 isn’t just about viewing art, it’s about stepping into conversations, stories, and perspectives from across Singapore, Southeast Asia, and the world.

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Hi Huneybees,

Start the new year on a luminous note as Light to Night Singapore returns for its landmark 10th edition in 2026, transforming the Civic District into a glowing, living canvas of creativity, connection, and collective expression. Running from 9 to 31 January 2026, this milestone edition is the festival’s longest yet, unfolding across four vibrant weekends for the very first time.

Anchored by the theme The Power in Us, Light to Night Singapore 2026 celebrates what happens when people come together - the strength of communities, the richness of diverse voices, and the invisible bonds formed through shared experiences with art. From large-scale projection mappings to intimate participatory works, this year’s festival invites everyone to not just observe art, but to be part of it.

Light to Night Singapore 2026 is organised by National Gallery Singapore, in collaboration with Asian Civilisations Museum, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, The Arts House, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and CapitaLand, bringing together some of Singapore’s most iconic cultural institutions for a city-wide celebration of light and art.

Installation Highlights

Of course, Light to Night wouldn’t be complete without its much-loved projection mappings illuminating the Civic District’s iconic buildings. This year’s Art Skins on Monuments sees the façade of National Gallery Singapore transformed by two multidisciplinary artists exploring entanglements between nature, technology, labour, and belief.

Singaporean artist Fyerool Darma presents Ⱥn§ibℓøm∞ (Ansiblomoo), a hypnotic digital meditation on natural signals, emergent patterns, and technological rhythms. In Memory Gesture, Vietnamese artist Ngoc Nau reflects on contemporary labour and belief systems, drawing inspiration from her hometown’s transformation from agricultural roots to tech production.

One of this year’s most refreshing additions is SANTAI, a brand-new series inspired by the Malay word for “to relax”. Thoughtfully woven into the historic Civic District, these artworks are situated across key gathering spaces such as the Padang, Empress Lawn, the Front Lawn at The Arts House, ACM Green, and Esplanade Park. Rather than rushing from one artwork to the next, visitors are invited to slow down, linger, and experience art as a shared moment of rest and connection within the city.

Photo credit: Michael Lin – Gathering on the Lawn

On weekends, the Padang comes alive through Gathering on the Lawn by Taiwanese artist Michael Lin, where the line between artwork and audience gently dissolves. Festivalgoers carry artist-designed paper lantern bags adorned with batik-inspired motifs, creating a moving constellation of light as they wander, interact, and come together. With every step and encounter, the open field transforms into a warm, glowing space shaped by collective presence and participation.

Also unfolding across the Padang is Rumah Laut by Singaporean artist Firdaus Sani, a fourth-generation Orang Laut and Pulau descendant. This three-part installation traces a path between the Art Connector, Padang, and ACM Green, drawing from the journeys of Singapore’s earliest seafaring communities. At its heart is a reimagined rumah laut, or coastal home, constructed from materials such as nibong palm leaves and mangrove wood. Through this evocative structure, the work reflects on heritage, displacement, and resilience, honouring the stories of the Orang Laut, Orang Kallang, Orang Seletar, Orang Selat, and Orang Pulau communities.

Photo credit: Michael Lin – Untitled Gathering

Michael Lin’s exploration of participation continues indoors at the Gallery’s Singapore Courtyard with Untitled Gathering. Known for his large-scale installations and iconic floral motifs, Lin collaborates with students from the University of the Arts Singapore to create hand-painted wooden furniture pieces. Arranged as a patchwork reflecting the textures and rhythms of the city, the work invites visitors to sit, move, and rearrange the pieces, constantly reshaping both the artwork and the social interactions within it.

Photo credit: Navin Rawanchaikul

Another monumental highlight is SINGAPORAMA by Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul, presented at the Padang Atrium. Developed through a year of research and deep engagement with Singapore’s diverse communities - from migrant workers and artists to indigenous groups, Peranakans, social advocacy groups, and faith organisations; this work features two large billboard-style paintings inspired by vintage cinema posters. Accompanied by video interviews and a travelogue drawn from the artist’s journeys across Singapore, SINGAPORAMA becomes both a tribute and a time capsule of the city’s layered identities.