Imaginarium 2015: A Voyage of Big Ideas, Singapore Art Museum

Imaginarium is SAM’s much-loved annual contemporary art exhibition for children, begun in 2010 and now in its fifth year. In the spirit of SG50, this year’s exhibition is inspired by the crescent moon on the Singapore flag, a symbol of a young nation on the rise with the capacity to dream big and think large. What might we be able to envision and aspire to? What worlds could we imagine for ourselves and create for others? With interactive and immersive artworks and hands-on activities at every turn, Imaginarium offers creative space where inspiration can bloom freely, and joyfully!

Featuring artists from Singapore and the region, Imaginarium beckons the adventurers, the dreamers, and the explorers of today to embark on a journey of discovery, and together, sail towards exciting new horizons…

A Voyage of Big Ideas
What are your dreams and aspirations? What worlds could we imagine for ourselves and create for others?

Trees (2015) by Takashi Kuribayashi
Takashi Kuribayashi has created an installation comprising glass boxes filled with parts of a tree that had been chopped down to make way for redevelopment. His work reminds us how nature often exist in very controlled environments in cities such as Singapore. Over time, the sections of the tree trunk will decay, and in the process give life to new organisms and ecosystems, so that each glass box will hold a tiny new world of its own.

We Built this Estate! (2015) by Chiang Yu Xiang

For a child, the world is a giant playground. This work invites children to be architects, builders and master-planners of their own housing estate and city skyline, two ubiquitous features in urban Singapore. With housing blocks designed like giant tetris pieces, visitors are free to create whatever they can imagine, and build a world of tomorrow.

Imagin-a-doodle (2015) by Band of Doodlers
With illustrations sprawling across the walls and winding up the four levels of the building, this work brings to life a fantastical storytelling of Singapore’s folklore and an inventive version of the future. As we journey through vividly animated scenes, a sense of the limitless possibilities of stories yet to be written, and told, abounds.

Greenroom II: Interstellar Overdrive (2015) by Vincent Twardzik Ching
Activated only through interaction between the artwork and the visitors, this work prompts us to think of how our future cities might be powered, and how this might change our lives. As the title Greenroom II: Interstellar Overdrive suggests, we are reminded that within this universe, there are still infinite potential resources and more thoughtful ways of living, still waiting to be discovered.

Let’s Make! Studio (2015) by Izziyana Suhaimi
Sewing and embroidery are meaningful and symbolic ways of enfolding time as well as the creativity and actions of the maker. Her installation invites visitors to create small objects using textiles, which capture their thoughts about the future of the country. Over time,the artwork becomes a collective tapestry of dreams, weaving together our shared future.

Dream House (2015) by Lee Jeeyoung
Filling a house with candy that visitors are invited to take and ‘plant’ in a garden, Lee Jeeyoung presents these sweet treats as symbols of a child’s wishes and desires. Over time, the work is gradually transformed into a garden in full bloom. Dream House is a delightful space where our inner wishes for the future can be projected, and be encouraged to flourish.

Kiko’s Secrets (2015) by Kumkum Fernando
Kumkum Fernando invites us to broaden our minds bu entering three magical worlds hidden within three secret boxes and beyond. Follow our protagonist Kiko on a journey of discovery, in this work inspired by the wonder that children experience as they explore the world around them. For the artist, Kiko’s Secrets seeks to recreate these sensations for both young and old alike.

Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on international contemporary art practices, specialising in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Housed in a restored 19th-century mission school, Singapore Art Museum opened its doors in 1996 as the first art museum in Singapore. Also known as SAM, the museum is now a contemporary art museum.

SAM has built one of the world’s most important public collections of Southeast Asian contemporary artworks, with a growing component in international contemporary art. SAM draws from its collection and collaborates with international contemporary art museums to co-curate and present contemporary art exhibitions. Contemporary art of the region is also given international exposure through SAM’s travelling exhibition programme and collection loans.