Pop culture takes centrestage at SingaPop! 60 years of Singapore Pop Culture exhibition at ArtScience Museum. The multimedia exhibition celebrates everything from Singlish to hawker culture to local music, film and fashion and has been curated by renowned Singapore singer-songwriter Dick Lee.
SingaPop! 60 years of Singapore Pop Culture Exhibition: Exploring Six Decades of Singapore at ArtScience Museum
Go on a journey through Singapore’s cultural heartbeat and experience how Singapore has evolved from the youthful 1960s to the digital dynamism of the 2020s – through the eyes of Dick Lee.
The exhibition also captures how Singapore’s multicultural or “rojak” society has developed into a cohesive national identity. It explores how everyday moments and experiences bind generations together.
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The SingaPop! 60 years of Singapore Pop Culture exhibition at ArtScience Museum is presented in several chapters.
SingaWho?
Stepping into the first zone of the SingaPop! exhibition, we were greeted by a bluescape with waves motifs all around us. It is a nod to Singapore’s origins and ties to the sea.
The words “Welcome” in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil come out as whispers from all around.
Venturing further in, an animated map traces the early migratory paths of those who arrived in Singapore from China, India, the Malay Archipelago and Europe. A video introduction from Dick Lee sets the stage for what is to come as he provides a personal introduction to this creative journey and search for what it means to be Singaporean
RojakLane
We love that Singapore celebrates the different cultures that make up society and at RojakLane, the heart of the SingaPop! exhibition, the distinct traditions of the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Peranakan and other communities is highlighted.
Take a walk down RojakLane – almost like a yellow brick road that leads to RojakLand.
RojakLand
At the end of the Peranakan-tiled RojakLane is RojakLand, the core of the exhibition.
This zone has been designed to look like a theatre set with a pavilion inspired by the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ Bandstand at the centre. It is made up of different rooms that you can pop into and explore.
Dick Lee studied fashion and design. Hence, style and fashion gets its time in the spotlight at SingaStyle area. Look out for pageant wear from 2013 to 2022 by local designers like Frederick Lee and Moe Kasim.
NDPop is a room where the National Day Parade gets put on parade! It recreates the experience of watching the National Day Parade around a television in the days past. Dick Lee is especially well placed to provide insights into this cornerstone event since he has been both a performer and the Creative Director of National Day Parades.
Singapore has quite a rich music tradition and the SingaSong section presents artists that have shaped the nation’s soundscape over the decades. An interactive jukebox took use from 1960s with bands like The Quest to the present day with stars such as JJ Lin, Stefanie Sun and Shabir Sulthan.
Memorabilia from local artists are also on display. Look out for Rahima Rahim’s glittery glasses!
Capturing the role of the moving image in Singapore is the Screening Room. Relive memories of the past with landmark films and TV series like Eric Khoo’s Mee Pok Man (1995), Jack Neo’s Money No Enough (1998) and Under One Roof (1995).
There are interactive kiosks set up around the main pavilion where you can test your mastery of Singlish, one of the hallmarks of what it is to be Singaporean.
Then end the visit to the RojakLand zone at SingaMakan, a tribute how Singapore’s hawker culture has evolved since the 1800s and continues to unite Singaporeans today.
Don’t miss the interactive games at the satay stall and dessert stall.
SingaStories
The next zone is SingaStories. Here a six-minute immersive video that will take you on a vibey (and dare we say nostalgic) journey of the defining moments in music, fashion, art, design and social movements over the last six decades.
SingaVoices
The SingaPop! 60 years of Singapore Pop Culture exhibition concludes with a rendition of Dick Lee’s song Home from 2020 where 900 Singaporeans came together for the Singapore Virtual Choir in tribute to Singapore.
Many of the interactive activities at the exhibition are accessed through an RFID wristband, so be sure to pick yours up at the start of the exbibition.
Visiting the SingaPop! Exhibition at ArtScience Museum
SingaPop! 60 years of Singapore Pop Culture will be at ArtScience Museum from 2 August to 28 December 2025. Tickets are available from the ArtScience Museum website and all Marina Bay Sands box offices.
While at ArtScience Museum, you may also be interested in visiting the recently reopened and updated Future World exhibition.
