Singapore Art Week 2026, now in its 13th edition, aims to push boundaries further, emphasising collaboration, innovation and technology
It is far from an isolated question — “and what of art, really?” — and it is no less urgent historically. In post-WWII Europe, the philosopher Theodor W Adorno declared: “There can be no poetry after Auschwitz.” Even earlier, on the brink of WWI, the Imagist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky pronounced art dead: “It found itself in the backwater of life … It was soft and could not defend itself.”
Much of this scepticism towards art was shaped by historical circumstance — precisely where the art movement stands today, confronting the loom of the machine and the great swallow of the artificial.
In movements such as those in Thailand and Indonesia, the trend has been to grapple with developments — technological, imagistic and mechanical — by reaching not so much to the recent past as to the primordial, engaging with mythology, brutal history and sexuality. Some works present screens of endless, weaving, sequential images — perhaps chaotic at first glance, but grounded in purpose, story and context.
When it commenced in 2013, Singapore Art Week (SAW) chose a different path. It aimed not to assert a particular artistic stance, attitude or aesthetic, but to serve as a platform, not solely for national expression, but for a more regional, global and cosmopolitan one.
And one rooted in what it calls the “capital” of art, as it states in its press release: “With opportunities for exchange of ideas and networking between artists, curators and thought leaders, SAW’s growing presence in the region reflects an increasing market potential.” Here, SAW shows its acuity, moving beyond the perennial focus on national identity to offer, within the region, the chance to encounter — and often be surprised by — the eccentric presence of remarkable artists in unexpected and repurposed spaces.
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Now in its 13th edition, SAW promises a larger assemblage of artists and exhibitions — and a broader artistic vision — particularly exploring the intersection of art and technology. Its focus remains, however, on building an ecosystem that supports individual artists and collaborative ventures, while transforming the island itself into an artistic landscape brimming with creative spaces.
The 2026 edition sees the transformation of LRT stations, malls, repurposed spaces such as former military barracks, and the pier at Tanjong Pagar — now home to the Singapore Art Museum and other galleries, as well as independent institutions such as the Private Museum.
Tay Tong, director of Arts Ecosystem Group (Visual Arts) at the National Arts Council Singapore (NAC), emphasises the visual arts festival’s growing regional significance. “Each year, SAW expands its reach and depth of offerings as the visual arts community from Southeast Asia and the world converge in Singapore to showcase some of the best works, forge meaningful connections and inspire groundbreaking collaborations,” he says.
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He adds that the festival reinforces SAW’s role as a premier platform in the region and reflects Singapore’s evolving and dynamic visual arts landscape. With more than 100 programmes, it allows visitors to “experience and immerse themselves in the creative energy pulsing through our city. SAW is more than a celebration of art; it is a testament to the transformative power of creativity that connects people, ignites discourse and shapes exciting new possibilities”.
International highlights for SAW include the exclusive Southeast Asian staging of Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait (translated as “Circumnavigating the Sea”), presented by international art fair ART SG and Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, and curated by X Zhu-Nowell.
Exclusively featuring Southeast Asian artists, this unique iteration will transform the lobby of The Warehouse Hotel, a restored heritage property on Robertson Quay, into an immersive exhibition space that combines institutional-level curation with seamless hospitality experience. In this hybrid environment, visitors are drawn into a dynamic world in which film and video programmes, site-specific interventions, installations, performances and artist-led gatherings unfold.
Art Outreach features the contemporary art titan Ibrahim Mahama’s Digging Stars, curated by Clémentine de la Féronnière and Francesca Migliorati. It marks the spectacular Ghanaian artist’s Southeast Asian debut with new fabric-based works, collages, photographs and video reflecting on systems of labour, trade and collective memory.
chapalang explores how 10 regional artists intertwine art and technology
Other major presentations on Southeast Asian art include Isang Dipang Langit/Fragments of Memory, Fields of Now, which brings together 10 contemporary Filipino artists examining the boundaries of memory, place and identity; and chapalang, co-curated by Gunalan Nadarajan and Roopesh Sitharan, which explores how 10 regional artists intertwine art and technology. Commissioned by NAC, these presentations invite visitors to delve deeper into the diverse practices of Southeast Asian art.
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Where the immersive first surged into popular attention with shows such as Van Gogh, IMBA at the new IMBA Theatre in Gardens by the Bay will present David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) alongside Botero in Singapore. These exhibitions offer cutting-edge experiences that fuse art and technology. The Hockney production, created by Lightroom in collaboration with the iconic artist, spans six decades of his work.
Oca Villamiel, who created Bahay ng Mangingisda, will appear in the Isang Dipang Langit/Fragments of Memory, Fields of Now programme
In contrast, Botero, jointly presented with the Fernando Botero Foundation, features a multi-format display including the largest exhibition with paintings and sculptures from the family’s collection. Additionally, monumental sculptures will be displayed throughout the garden, exclusive to Southeast Asia.
A gathering of local and international galleries based in Singapore will offer group and solo exhibitions as well as retrospectives.
The immersive, all-encompassing experience of SAW is further enhanced with the educational element in a series of forums and lectures, principally the National Gallery Singapore’s FORCE•FIELDS, which invites leaders of the visual arts community to engage critically with contemporary artistic practice and discourse. Organised by NAC, National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum, the upcoming edition highlights three keynote sessions by leading international voices, including British art historian Claire Bishop and Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa, who will explore how individuals navigate and influence complex systems that in turn shape contemporary art and society.
Arts organisations will also be hosting their own symposiums, such as STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery’s The Print Show and Symposium Singapore: The Politics of Print, and Art Outreach Basecamp 2026, contributing to the overall growing thought leadership presence at SAW.
Legal firm Withers KhattarWong LLP will hold an intimate forum about building family legacies through art.
In its next edition, SAW confronts the question of “What is art, really?” by creating, literally, a trail of the immersive, experiential and democratic into the palpable.
