Boedi Widjaja, ‘Round and round and back home again’, 2018. Image courtesy the artist.

The eighth edition of Singapore Art Museum’s annual family-friendly contemporary art exhibition returns from 6 May to 26 August 2018 at SAM at 8Q. The exhibition explores the tales and theories that shape our memories and futures, and examines the concept of time through immersive and interactive artworks by 10 international artists and art collectives.

‘Imaginarium’ allows the young and young- at-heart to explore big ideas and concepts through contemporary art. This year’s edition, titled ‘Into the Space’ of Time, invites visitors to reflect on our eternal fascination with time, and celebrates how something so universal can simultaneously, be so personal. “Through the presented artworks and accompanying programmes, we hope that our visitors will experience contemporary art’s powerful potential to inspire and engage” says Tan Shir Ee, SAM’s Head of Programmes.

Lee Xin Li, ‘In Our Time’, 2018. Image courtesy the artist.

Featuring site-specific installations and commissioned interactive works, audiences can expect a wide spectrum of artworks such as Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey’s interactive megaphone installation, as well as Matthew Sia’s immersive ‘Cosmic Grass’ and Mayuko Kanazawa’s ‘Utsuroi Iroha’. ‘Cosmic Grass’ is a grassy plain of motion-activated fibre optic lights responsive to human movement that transform into a breath-taking visual metaphor of our relationship with nature. ‘Utsuroi Iroha’ similarly allows visitors to affect the animated paintings that represent the four seasons, making flowers bloom in Spring, morphing into an animal in Summer, playing with forest animals in Autumn, and becoming snowmen in Winter.

Matthew Sia, ‘Cosmic Grass’, 2018. Image courtesy the artist.

Artists featured in the exhibition such as Indonesian Ronald Apriyan, Filipino artist duo The GedAze Project and Singaporean-based Lee Xin Li and Lee Mei Ling showcase artworks with strong themes of home and childhood. Lee Xin Li’s ‘In Our Time’ is an immersive installation that combines memories and dreams from his childhood with references to Singapore’s changing landscape over time, while Lee Mei Ling’s ‘Connect-the- Dots’ charts the aging of three characters through a series of charcoal portraits, inspired by connect-the-dots books from the artist’s childhood. Lee’s ongoing development of the work is also compelling for repeat visits to the exhibition, some canvasses slated to be completed on-site in May.      

Lee Mei Ling, ‘Connect-the-Dots’, 2018. Image courtesy the artist.

A series of programmes will take place throughout the exhibition period, where visitors of all ages can further engage with the ideas and concepts explored in the exhibition. These include a special preview tour led by Imaginarium artists, toddler art workshops, tours and workshops specifically tailored for school children, as well as daily screenings of award-winning short films inspired by the concept of time, dreams and imagination about the world.

More information at singaporeartmuseum.sg.