Step into Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie at Asian Civilisations Museum and be immersed into a showcase that explores tea as a deeply human ritual shaped by centuries of craftsmanship, stories, and practices, while continuing to evolve through modern creativity.
A collaboration between Asian Civilisations Museum, international tea brand CHAGEE and the Singapore Tourism Board, Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie will run daily from 28 January 2026 to 7 June 2026 at the museum at Empress Place.
Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie – Re-experience Tea at the Asian Civilisations Museum X CHAGEE X STB Collab
Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie invites visitors to re-experience tea beyond taste or smell. It also appeals to sight, touch, hearing and thought, reconnecting visitors back to the core of what defines makes us human beings.
The multi-sensory journey reveals how tea drinking reflects human life itself, turning a simple cup into a moment of mindfulness, one that spans cultures and time. Expect to encounter installations inspired by tea leaves, fragrance-led experiences and tactile explorations of tea-making tools.
A visit to the CHAGEE exhibition unfolds as a progressive journey that brings together historic collections, contemporary interpretations and new artistic commissions from local creatives, including Ashley Yeo and Alecia Neo, who explore tea through their own contemporary perspectives.
Visitors can take in the spirit of stillness and contemplation invoked by Ashley Yeo’s work shade of tea where tea leaves are represented in floating paper forms. Yeo’s artistic practice creates quiet, atmospheric works that explore slowness, materiality, and contemplative modes of perception.
In contrast, Symphony of Tea by Alecia Neo and composer Clarence Chung, with videography by Jonathan Goh and sound recording by Wesley Meow explores the symphonic experience of tea through sound, rhythm, gesture and human connection.
The exhibition also juxtaposes historic tea wares next to contemporary CHAGEE cups. Nature-inspired communal spaces invite visitors to pause, share, and reflect.
Together, these elements mirror the social rituals that have long surrounded tea, positioning it not just as a cultural artefact, but as a living practice that continues to connect people today.
CHAGEE Pop-Up at Asian Civilisations Museum
The Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie exhibition is complemented by a CHAGEE pop-up that will offer a full selection of beverages, as well as merchandise previously accessible only in China.
Visitors can look out for two specially designed CHAGEE plush charms that combine a horse — an homage to the ancient tea routes where tea was traded across borders via horseback — along with the Merlion, celebrating Singapore’s historical origins as the Lion City, creating a bridge between tea heritage and Singapore’s cultural identity.
There is a limited-edition light blue variant available exclusively to showcase ticket holders and a light brown variant will be offered to all walk-in customers.
Visiting Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie
Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie is presented as part of the Asian Civilisations Museum’s All Access ticket, priced at S$25 for tourists and S$12 for Singaporeans and PRs. All Access grants visitors admission to all exhibitions at the museum on the day of their visit.
Get more details about Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie.
When: 28 January to 7 June 2026
Where: Asian Civilisations Museum
