Singapore’s signature visual arts season, Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2023, returns for its 11th edition next month. The 10-day celebration of visual arts, with the theme “Art Takes Over”, runs from January 6 to 15 and will feature more than 130 events and programmes, including art fairs, festivals, installations, interactive projects and exhibitions across the island and also online.

The exciting line-up of art experiences – organised by Singapore’s National Arts Council and Singapore Tourism Board – will be presented at museums, galleries, independent art spaces and public spaces across Singapore, with a variety of discussions, talks, walks and tours to showcase the city state’s diverse art scene. More than 700 artists and curators from Singapore and around the world will be taking part in SAW 2023, the biggest visual arts season regionally.

Here we take a look at five not-to-be-missed programmes during SAW 2023.

1. Light to Night 2023: Here and Now

The National Gallery Singapore’s Light to Night festival, which has the theme of “Here and Now”, features newly commissioned works that explore what it means to live in the present. Works by artists from Singapore and abroad, including Poland, the United Kingdom and Indonesia, will invite visitors to reflect on contemporary topics including deforestation and the passing of time.