Shaped from the National Gallery Singapore’s logo, the benches will invite people to sit, interact and encounter the Gallery as part of everyday life.

 

From January 9 to 18, 2026, National Gallery Singapore is taking its presence islandwide with the launch of The Gallery Benches, an initiative that reimagines the Gallery’s iconic logo as 10 bold, functional benches placed across 10 public locations in Singapore.

Designed as usable public furniture and distinctive visual statements, the bright red benches invite people to do more than just look. Members of the public are welcome to sit, rest, eat, chat, play, take photos, and interact with the benches in their own ways – encountering the Gallery not only through exhibitions, but through everyday moments in shared public spaces. This initiative reflects the belief that meaningful encounters with art and culture can happen during a lunch break, a walk in the park, or a casual meeting with friends.

The benches will appear across a range of neighbourhoods, parks, civic spaces, and cultural districts, including CQ @ Clarke Quay, East Coast Park, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Lau Pa Sat, Marina Bay, New Bahru, Orchard Road, Raffles City Singapore, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Each site offers a distinct public setting, from heritage and commercial precincts to leisure and recreational spaces, reinforcing the Gallery’s intention to meet people where they are.

Eugene Tan, CEO and director of National Gallery Singapore, said, “The Gallery believes that art is for anyone and everyone. These benches are a simple way of meeting people where they already are. By placing them in everyday public spaces, we hope to break down the perception of art as distant or intimidating, and show that it can be encountered casually, openly, and as part of everyday life.”

Beyond serving as seating, The Gallery Benches will also be documented through film and photography that capture everyday moments and interactions unfolding around them. To do so, the Gallery will work with a selected group of Singapore-based visual creators to observe and document how the benches are used in public life. Members of the public are similarly encouraged to photograph, share, and engage with the benches in their own ways.

The benches also anchor a new fundraising initiative, through which organisations and individuals may adopt a bench for a three-year period in support of the Gallery’s ongoing mission to make art accessible to all. Organisations and individuals may adopt a bench in its entirety for a three-year period at S$10,000, or support one of the two rectangular elements at S$6,000. All contributions will support the Gallery’s mission to make art accessible to all and go towards exhibitions, access programmes, children and family engagement, and arts and wellness initiatives.

Following the islandwide presentation, the benches will return to the Gallery and be installed within its premises.

 

(** PHOTO CREDIT: National Gallery Singapore)