SINGAPORAMA by Navin Rawanchaikul (Navin Production)
Image Credit: Navin Rawanchaikul (Navin Production)
National Gallery Singapore presents SINGAPORAMA by Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul, a monumental panoramic installation unveiled at the Padang Atrium as part of the Gallery’s ongoing OUTBOUND series. Conceived as an evolving work, SINGAPORAMA will be introduced in phases during Light to Night Singapore 2026, with each presentation marking a key milestone in the artwork’s development and public encounter.
Anchored by three large-scale hanging billboard paintings rendered in the style of vintage cinema posters – a signature of Rawanchaikul’s practice – the installation expands over time through video interviews and a travelogue shaped by the artist’s extensive engagement with Singapore. These elements present a collective portrayal of encounters, stories, and perspectives, reflecting the diverse communities and lived experiences that shape Singapore’s social and cultural landscape.
SINGAPORAMA was developed over a year-long process of research and engagement, during which Rawanchaikul and his studio worked closely with communities across Singapore. These include migrant workers, artists and cultural producers, Indigenous groups, Peranakan communities, social advocacy groups, and faith-based organisations. At the heart of the installation are their voices, shared through video interviews that surface personal stories, inspirations, and affinities. Together, these narratives trace connections between local communities, overseas kinship, and friendship networks, and the many ways in which belonging to Singapore is experienced, negotiated, and imagined.
As the installation unfolds in stages, audiences are invited to return to the Padang Atrium to encounter new chapters of the work as they are revealed. The first presentation of SINGAPORAMA launches on 9 January 2026 in conjunction with Light to Night Singapore 2026’s opening, featuring one billboard installation which offers an introductory glimpse into Navin Rawanchaikul’s expansive panorama. The full billboard installation will be unveiled in mid-January 2026, inviting visitors to experience the work anew as it continues to evolve.
Extending this unfolding encounter is a travelogue video presented within the space where visitors may pause to watch at their own pace. Comprising seven episodes that trace the artist’s journey across Singapore, the travelogue will be screened in phases, with the first four episodes presented in January 2026 across two public programmes under the dedicated programme SINGAPORAMA Unfolded. The remaining three episodes will be released monthly from February to April 2026.
SINGAPORAMA is artist Navin Rawanchaikul’s portrait of Singapore, presented at a panoramic scale and shaped by multiple voices. It reflects his view of the country as a place formed by movement, memory, and shared human connections. The installation is jointly commissioned by the Gallery’s OUTBOUND series and Light to Night Singapore 2026 at National Gallery Singapore.
| SINGAPORAMA by Navin Rawanchaikul (Navin Production) | |
| Date & Time | 9 January – 31 January 2026 (presented as part of Light to Night Singapore 2026):
|
| Venue | National Gallery Singapore, Padang Atrium |
| Admission | Free |
| Programmes | |
|---|---|
| SINGAPORAMA Unfolded Part I | |
| Date & Time: | Saturday, 11 January 2026 4pm – 6pm |
| Venue: | City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer |
| Admission Details: | Free, registration required here |
| Description: | Starting with two out of seven parts of Navin’s SINGAPORAMA travelogue, which capture migrant stories and a captivating initiative by a domestic worker group in Singapore under HOME (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics), the programme continues with an intimate fireside chat featuring Jo Ann Dumlao (Lead Coordinator of Kaugany), Essil Agricula (Kaugnay member), and Navin Rawanchikul. Moderated by Cristina Maria Nearing (Kaugnay member and HOME volunteer), the session will delve into the story behind Kaugnay’s marvellous Trashion Show, where participants are challenged to upcycle trash into extravagant fashion. The fireside chat will be followed by a lively Trashion Show catwalk featuring the top five winners of this year’s competition, which took place at the Gallery, as well as Navin’s introduction to the SINGAPORAMA installation at the Padang Atrium. |
| Singaporama Unfolded Part II | |
| Date & Time: | Saturday, 25 January 2026 4pm – 6pm |
| Venue: | City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium Foyer |
| Admission Details: | Free, registration required here |
| Description: | Featuring two additional chapters of the SINGAPORAMA travelogue that traces the long history of migration to Singapore, the programme continues with a dynamic showcase that begins with Oyilattam, a traditional folk dance from Tamil Nadu. Performed in synchronised formations with rhythmic steps, colourful handkerchiefs, and ankle bells, the dance is presented by Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) Ambassadors. This leads into a fireside conversation between Professor Vineeta Sinha (Department of Sociology, NUS), Navin Rawanchikul, and Ada Cheong from TWC2 (Transient Workers Count Too). They will discuss themes of community, identity, and collaboration. After which, audiences are invited to head to Navin’s introduction to SINGAPORAMA at the Padang Atrium. |
For images of SINGAPORAMA, please refer to our media kit.
Artist Biography of Navin Rawanchaikul (Thailand)
Born in 1971 in Chiang Mai, Navin Rawanchaikul is a Thai artist whose ancestral roots trace back to the Hindu-Punjabi communities of present-day Pakistan. His practice critically examines systems of artistic production and display through a sustained commitment to collaboration and social engagement. Since the early 1990s, Rawanchaikul has presented many of his projects under the banner of Navin Production, first introduced in 1994 with the sale of undrinkable bottled water drawn from a polluted canal in his hometown.
Seeking to bring art more directly into everyday life, he initiated the landmark project Navin Gallery Bangkok in 1995, transforming a Bangkok taxicab into a mobile art gallery. The project’s success led to further iterations of the Taxi Gallery in cities such as Sydney, Birmingham, Bonn, and New York, establishing his international profile. As his practice expanded, Rawanchaikul increasingly explored the tension between local circumstances and globalisation, while more recent works have turned toward personal history, memory, and diasporic experience.
Today, Rawanchaikul is widely recognised as a storyteller, weaving together his family’s migratory past with the lives of people he encounters through sustained public engagement. His work spans a wide range of media, including billboard paintings, films, installations, comics, performances, and community-based events. He has participated in major international art festivals and held solo exhibitions at institutions such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Palais de Tokyo, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, MAXXI, and Neiwei Art Center. His works are held in major museum collections worldwide.
In 2010, he received Thailand’s Silpathorn Award for Visual Arts and represented Thailand at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. He lives between Fukuoka, Japan, and Chiang Mai, where his studio and Navin Production team are based.