The UOB Southeast Asia Gallery is temporarily closed and will reopen in late 2027. In the meantime, works from the National Collection remain exhibited across the Gallery. 

SANTAI: IN PROGRESS is a one-day creative gathering that brings together illustrators, artists, and makers at National Gallery Singapore.

Commemorating the Gallery’s anniversary, the programme explores the art of gathering through the ongoing process of art making and the creative experience. 

Audiences can discover independent makers and explore illustrations, crafts, and other creative practices. Enjoy live performances, participate in hands-on activities, and contribute to a collective artwork.

Developed in response to the Gallery’s Southeast Asian collection – Let’s Imagine the World Together: Art in Southeast Asia, SANTAI: IN PROGRESS considers how the collective artistic and creative voices contribute to the formation of communities, identities, and culture across Southeast Asia.

Across the day, audiences can:

  • Experience SANTAI Rhythm: Encounter live performances that bring sound, rhythm, and movement into the Gallery.

  • Join Sketch Chapter: Sketch and engage with the Gallery, its architecture, and surroundings through a dedicated sketching session.

  • Visit the SANTAI Social Circle: Contribute to a growing artwork through collective drawing and making. Take part in creative activities and explore ways of making, sharing, and responding through co-creation and hands-on participation.

  • Explore the SANTAI Market: Discover works by illustrators, artists, craftspeople, publishers, and independent makers.

  • Visit the Exhibition: Discover Southeast Asian art through Let's Imagine the World Together: Art in Southeast Asia, which highlights how art brings people, stories, and places together. Whether you're visiting for the first time or already enjoy art, there are different ways to explore this exhibition, regardless of your age or experience with art.

SANTAI: IN PROGRESS invites audiences to engage with creativity through collective making, sharing, experimenting, and connections.

  • When: 21 Nov 2026, 11am – 7pm
  • Suitable For: All
  • Where: Various locations around National Gallery Singapore

Experiences

SANTAI Rhythm

11am – 7pm | Supreme Court Wing, Level 4M, Supreme Court Terrace

SANTAI Rhythm brings live music and performances into the Gallery, creating a vibrant focal point that invites audiences to gather, pause, and experience the Gallery in a different way.

Featuring local musicians and performance groups, each performance is developed as a contemporary response to themes, stories, and artworks from the Gallery’s Southeast Asia collection. Through rhythm, movement, and sound, artists explore ideas of identity, cultural exchange, memory, and community, demonstrating how artistic traditions continue to evolve across the region.

Featured Activities:

  • Joget Dangkung by Firdaus (Orang Laut): A lively communal dance experience inspired by Orang Laut cultural traditions. Led by Firdaus, the performance brings together island rhythms, social dancing, and coastal heritage in an interactive presentation.
  • Alunan Kampung Gelam: A local music collective presenting musical tributes and storytelling inspired by Kampong Gelam and the wider Nusantara. The ensemble continues the musical legacy of the late Radio Malaya baritone Ahmad Jama through performances that blend heritage and contemporary interpretation.
  • Groovetop DJ Performance: A community-driven music experience by Groovetop, featuring soulful selections and an inclusive atmosphere that invites audiences to gather, connect, and enjoy music together.

SANTAI Rhythm

SANTAI Social Circle

11am – 7 pm | Supreme Court Wing, Level 4M, Supreme Court Terrace

The SANTAI Social Circle is a participatory creative space where audiences can drop in throughout the day to draw, make, and contribute to collective creative activities.

Join local creative community Krafers' Paradise for Draw & Trade, an open invitation to create and exchange original Trading Cards. These pocket-sized artworks are created on standard 2.5 x 3.5-inch cards and are traded or swapped rather than sold, encouraging participants to connect through creativity and shared artistic expression.

Basic drawing materials will be provided, and participants are welcome to bring their own favourite art supplies. Together, each contribution becomes part of an ongoing celebration of creativity, community, and artistic exchange.

Featured Activities:

  • Draw & Trade by Krafers' Paradise: Create your own Trading Card artwork and exchange it with fellow participants. Basic materials are provided, and participants are welcome to bring their own art supplies. This activity is held throughout the day.
  • Kolektif: Come hang with us for some SEA board games, chill activities, colouring sheets you can add to our growing display, and generally good vibes.  Curious about what Kolektif does? Wondering how you can be part of the crew? Come say hi, play a game, make something, or just chill with us.

SANTAI Social Circle

SANTAI Market

11am – 7pm | Supreme Court Wing, Level 4M, Supreme Court Terrace

SANTAI Market is a community makers’ market bringing together illustrators, artists, craftspeople, publishers, and independent makers in a shared creative space.

Featuring more than 10 independent artists, makers, and creative businesses from Singapore, the market offers visitors an opportunity to discover original artworks, prints, publications, handmade crafts, ceramics, jewellery, and other creative products while meeting the people behind the work.

Browse a curated selection of illustrations, prints, ceramics, jewellery, handmade crafts, vintage books, and more from a diverse line-up of independent creatives. Along the way, connect with artists and makers, learn about their practices, and support local creative communities. Visitors can also enjoy a cup of coffee from Mad Roasters Coffee (while stocks last) as they explore the market.

SANTAI Market

Gallery Sketch Chapter

4–7pm | Various locations around National Gallery Singapore

Sketch Chapter returns as part of SANTAI: IN PROGRESS, inviting participants to explore the Gallery through drawing in our signature indoor–outdoor sketching experience.

Whether you're joining the First Marks or Collective tier, you'll have the opportunity to sketch alongside a growing community of artists and enthusiasts. As part of this special edition, participants are also invited to display selected works on or along the SANTAI Social Wall, contributing to a collective showcase of creativity in progress.

For more information on Sketch Chapter, registration and participation, please visit the Sketch Chapter programme page.

Register Here

Gallery Sketch Chapter

OPEN CALL: INVITE TO BOOTH AT SANTAI: IN PROGRESS

Calling all artists, makers, and creatives to be part of SANTAI: In Progress and booth at the SANTAI Market. 

Participants are welcome to showcase a range of works, including art prints, accessories, trinkets, zines, and ceramics. As part of the programme’s focus, participants are encouraged to consider how their works might draw from or respond to Singapore and Southeast Asian cultures.

Selected participants will be featured within a curated marketplace set alongside a wider programme of independent makers, live performances, hands-on activities, and a collective artwork.

Each selected participant will be provided with one table and two chairs. Please note that electrical points will not be available. To participate, please submit the form below.

Register here

Explore other exhibitions

Placeholder promotional graphic for the exhibition, Let’s Imagine the World Together: Art in Southeast Asia, featuring the exhibition title and Portrait of Betsy Teengs, 1855, by Raden Saleh.
Exhibition

Let’s Imagine the World Together: Art in Southeast Asia

This exhibition explores Southeast Asia through art that brings together people, stories, and places. From expressive portraits to environments that shape everyday life, each section offers different ways for everyone to encounter art and diverse perspectives across time and place in imaginative ways.

Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art
Exhibition

Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art

The newly revamped DBS Singapore Gallery exhibition presents a layered, ever-changing story of Singapore’s art history. Explore the unique pathways and detours of artists, and see their iconic artworks from the 19th century to present.

Exhibition view of "Art Remembers" at National Gallery Singapore, showcasing artworks on red walls and banners beneath a chandelier.
Exhibition

Art Remembers

Bringing together 20 artworks centring on Southeast Asia, this exhibition examines how artists work with archives to address forgotten, lesser known, or difficult histories.

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