April 22, 2019
The world of art encourages the development of curiosity, creativity and a more discerning view of the world.
The first edition of the National Gallery Singapore Children’s Biennale was organized in 2017. With the theme “Dreams & Stories”, the event consisted of 9 contemporary art installations by artists from around the world, selected and assembled with children as the target audience.
In the exhibition, every artwork tells a story, whether inspired by myths and legends, people and places, or expressing the artists’ perspectives on the world we live in. Exploring different works and forms of art allows children to learn more about their surroundings and themselves .
Through different interactions with works of art, children build repertoires, enrich their imagination, have their curiosity stimulated, their perception challenged and make unexpected connections . It is up to art museums to include families in the programming of exhibitions and activities, and for families to include museums in their lives.
As the Biennial organizers say, curious children are the creative thinkers of the future . Check out some highlights of the works presented:
The Obliteration Room
(The Obliteration Room, de Yayoi Kusama)
Photo: Reproduction/National Gallery Singapore
This work is one of the most famous by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The inspiration comes from the artist's childhood, when, as a little girl, she began to see the world full of dots that covered everything she saw. In this montage, especially designed for children, the furniture is all the right size for the little ones, who are free to cover the room with colorful dots.
The Sonnet in Blue
(The Sonnet in Blue, deTran Trong Vu)
Photo: Reproduction/National Gallery Singapore
A large blue mass gains shape and meaning as it gets closer. It is a maze full of flowers in which the flowers bring stories and poems written by children from Southeast Asia. When walking through the work of Vietnamese artist Tran Trong Vu, it is possible to come into contact with the dreams and imagination of children from his region of origin.
Rock & Sphere
(Rock & Sphere, ofIan Woo)
Photo: Reproduction/National Gallery Singapore
Inspired by regular and irregular shapes, Singaporean artist Ian Woo presents two objects, a rock and a sphere, that can be broken and rearranged to create new shapes. Here, imagination runs wild, as from two elements, each person can invent infinite connections between colors and shapes.
Being Yourself
(Being Yourself, deChng Seok Tin)
Photo: Reproduction/National Gallery Singapore
This wooden panel combines a series of woodcuts that children can touch and, through touch, get in touch with the emotions that the artist expressed through different textures. Singaporean Chng Seok Tin lost her sight in adulthood. In her work, the artist expresses different feelings linked to her life.
Photo: Reproduction/chooyutshing
Along with visual and sensory exploration, when interacting with this work, children come into contact with these emotions. There was also the possibility of taking a sheet of paper and drawing a crayon over part of the panel, allowing them to have a personal cutout of this work of art at home.
Here you can see all the works of the Biennale in movement: