The Children's Biennale: A global connection
Everyone is warmly invited to come and experience the Groninger Museum’s new interactive Children’s Biennale, largely inspired by Gallery Children’s Biennale 2019 in Singapore, themed Embracing Wonder. The Dutch exhibition features three works from the Singapore show by artists Eko Nugroho, Donna Ong, and husband-and-wife duo Andreas and Hazel Lim-Schlegel. Book your tickets in advance at www.groningermuseum.nl.
The Children’s Biennale is an active art exhibition that invites you to respond to the works. You can literally walk through an artwork, help to build one, and interact with a digital presentation. Eleven works of art are on show at this first Dutch edition. Other than the three installations from the Singapore show, all the works were created by artists from the Netherlands. The Dutch Children’s Biennale was developed in cooperation with National Gallery Singapore, Groningen primary schools, and other regional partners.
Spreading the spirit of play through art
The Biennale at the Groninger Museum is inspired by Gallery Children’s Biennale at National Gallery Singapore, which aims to stimulate curious young minds through art and imaginative play.
Groninger Museum director Andreas Blühm says, “We believe that knowledge-sharing should be reciprocal – we have as much to learn from children as they do from us. The extent of imaginative and collaborative play that Gallery Children’s Biennale encourages is something we found especially inspiring, so we wanted to introduce it in the Netherlands. We are grateful for National Gallery Singapore’s invaluable support and expertise as we work together to launch the inaugural Children’s Biennale in Groningen, and we look forward to further collaborations that will stimulate greater engagement with art among children.”
Suenne Megan Tan, Senior Director of Museum Planning and Audience Engagement at National Gallery Singapore, says, “The role of art in nurturing critical thinking and building character in children is more important than ever in these changing times. Art matters, not least for children, and we are excited to be able to take Gallery Children’s Biennale global with our international partnerships with the Groninger Museum. Our new hybrid online and on-site format makes it possible for us to reach out to children in and beyond Singapore and connect them with international artists and each other through art.”
Experience the new Singapore exhibition at home today
This year National Gallery Singapore is bringing its popular Children’s Biennale to young people around the world through its first-ever hybrid on- and offline edition. Guided by the theme “Why Art Matters”, Gallery Children’s Biennale seeks to empower children to navigate the changing times with empathy and confidence through playful and interactive art experiences that explore topics relevant to the present moment, such as Home, Diversity, Time and Environment. The online festival at www.childrensbiennale.com makes the programme available to local and international audiences. Many of the works featured allow children to co-create with established international artists and connect with peers all over the world. The online show will be followed by on-site art installations at National Gallery Singapore; these will open on later on in the year
About National Gallery Singapore
National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution which oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art. Situated at the birthplace of modern Singapore, in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments – City Hall and the former Supreme Court – that have been beautifully restored and transformed into an exciting 64,000-square-metre venue. Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery aims to be a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in our collaborative research, educational activities, long-term and special exhibitions, and innovative programming. The Gallery also works with international museums such as the Centre Pompidou; the Musée d'Orsay; Tate Britain; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, to jointly present southeast Asian art in the global context, positioning Singapore as a key node in the global visual arts scene.
In 2020, National Gallery Singapore was the only museum in southeast Asia to achieve a ranking in The Art Newspaper’s annual global survey of attendance at art museums, taking 20th place. It was the first Asian museum to receive the Children in Museums Award from the European Museum Academy and the Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums in 2018. The Gallery also won the prize for Best Theme Attraction at the TTG Travel Awards 2017. And in 2016, for its role in adding to the vibrancy of Singapore’s tourism landscape, it won awards for Best Attraction Experience, Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism and Best Customer Service (Attractions) at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards.
Enjoy the Childrens Biennale video: Groninger Museum
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Note to the editor
For more information or visual material, please contact the communication department:
Willemien Bouwers wbouwers@groningermuseum.nl +31 (0)6 2421 0358
Caption visual
Child ambassadors Sam, Job and Angelina playing with The Oort Cloud and the Blue Mountain by artists Andreas Schlegel en Hazel Lim-Schlegel from Singapore. Photo: Gea Schenk.
