The Doraemon Exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore takes place from 5 November 2022 to 5 February 2023. The Doraemon Exhibition was first held in 2002 and restaged in 2017. It has since toured eight cities in Japan, most recently Okayama. This stop in Singapore is the first time is the exhibition is making its debut outside of Japan.
Doraemon Exhibition 2022 at National Museum of Singapore
Presented by LEYOUKI, The Doraemon Exhibition showcases a selection of contemporary artworks that features Doraemon against the backdrop of the changing world and its impact on contemporary history. These were created by contemporary artists and art groups in response to the theme “Create Your Own Original Doraemon”. The artworks are made from different media and capture the artists’ memories of the robot cat.
Here are some useful things to know about the Doraemon exhibition at National Museum of Singapore
5 Useful Things to Know about the Doraemon Exhibition 2022 at National Museum of Singapore
1. View Original MANGA DORAEMON Drawings
Even though most of us may be familiar with Doraemon from cartoons, did you know the character originally started off as a manga? A section of the Doraemon exhibition at the first floor Stamford Gallery offers a retrospective of Doraemon’s manga roots.
Most of the exhibits on display are reproductions, but there is a cabinet that features original drawings from Doraemon’s creator, Fujiko F Fujio. This is the first-ever public showcase in Asia of the Doraemon creator’s illustrations.
In additional, there is recreation of Fujiko Fujio’s desk where visitors can sit down and pose for a picture.
2. View Artists’ Interpretations of Doraemon
Artworks ranging from paintings, sculptures, graphics and photography are presented in two acts at the basement level of National Museum of Singapore.
The first act features the works of 18 Japanese artists and art groups. They were given the prompt to “Create Your Own Original Doraemon” and were left to interpret their own version of the iconic character.
In Act 2, 10 contemporary artistes created their own interpretations of Doraemon taking reference from their favourite Doraemon movies, such as Doraemon: Nobita’s Great Adventure into the Underworld and Doraemon: Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds.
One of the most striking works is the large scale Wouldn’t It Be Nice If We Could Do Such A Thing by Takashi Murakami.
Other highlights include the play of shadow and light from Akinori Goto’s Chrono-space, and Tomoko Konoike’s Shizuka’s cave, which is painted on animal hide.
Sebastian Masuda’s 2.6 metre tall Final Weapon represents the artist’s hope for an end to conflicts.
3. Singapore Represented
The Doraemon exhibition has also evolved to include different artists points of view over the years. For its Singapore showing, two Singaporean artists have been included as part of the exhibition.
Intergalactic Voyagers and Teleportation Art_ Series 1 & 2 by Jahan Loh depicts Doraemon as a time-travelling spaceman, off on an adventure.
Japan-based Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee’s work Imagine is a series of portraits, each tinged with slightly different shades of blue, that offers his take on skin tones and how Doraemon make him feel.
4. Doraemon-themed Pop-Up Cafe & Dorayaki
The snack Doraemon is most closely associated with is Dorayaki. So, its a bit of a stroke of genius that National Museum has decided to setup a Doraemon-themed pop-up cafe at the Basement Gallery Foyer. This cafe is created in collaboration with Toraya, a wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) maker with a history of close to 500 years.
Visitors can pick up a Singapore-exclusive Dorayaki inspired by the character’s favourite snack as well as other snacks imported from Japan. Each Doraemon-themed dorayaki costs $6.90.
5. Exclusive Doraemon Merchandise
If you wish to take something home from the Doraemon exhibition, be sure to head to the merchandise store on Level 1. There is an exclusive lineup of Doraemon merchandise from The Doraemon Exhibition and the Fujiko F Fujio Museum available at the store, as well as exclusive Doraemon collectibles. These include tote bags, mugs, stationery items, and more.
Create New Memories & Connections with Doraemon
Yuki Imamura, Director of LEYOUKI, said, “As the world slowly reopens following a two-year pandemic, we are excited for The Doraemon Exhibition to kick off with its first stop in Singapore. This partnership with the National Museum of Singapore has given us the opportunity to reintroduce this lovable character to Singapore while allowing the works of contemporary artists from both Japan and Singapore to interact with one another and showcase different sides of Doraemon. We hope that The Doraemon Exhibition Singapore 2022 will allow people of all ages and backgrounds to create new memories and connections with Doraemon and be inspired by the unlimited possibilities of the iconic character.”
Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore, said, “We are glad that our visitors enjoyed the installation campaign presented in 2020, which brought much cheer to the museum amid the pandemic. As Singapore and the rest of the world gradually reopens, we are thrilled to be the first global stop of The Doraemon Exhibition that will share even more stories about this well-loved icon familiar to many. We hope that this exhibition will inspire and uplift our visitors from all walks of life, and evoke many fond personal memories with Doraemon.”
Tickets to The Doraemon Exhibition 2022 in Singapore
Tickets to The Doraemon Exhibition 2022 are priced at $30 each and can be purchased here.
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