I was invited to the Opening of the Children’s Biennale at the National Gallery today. My anxious mind of course required a two-day preparation for this, but I had been looking forward to it since the invitation arrived in my email’s Inbox. The build up was, of course, a gradual crescendo at first, and then a rapid stretto build up as the event drew nigh. Anxiety + hypersenses + attention to detail all jumbled together. Creating order from chaos is part of the reason behind all the careful planning that precedes every single occasion.

The National Gallery has now become my favourite art space in Singapore. I love old historical buildings, and this one is a grand one. There are many small little quiet nooks dotted around the huge expanse that one can duck into for some respite, if things get too overwhelming. There are some inaccessible spaces that wheelchair users would be unable to reach, unfortunately, due to the nature of the building, but they’ve done their best to make the exhibits as accessible as possible. I am truly bowled over by the National Gallery’s efforts towards access and inclusion, something I’ve not experienced to this extent in Singapore before. Lucy is welcome in this space, and they treated us like royalty the first time we came (which was a tad over the top, but I deeply appreciate the care they took of us, a stark contrast to always being stopped at the door with many a gruff, “NO DOG ALLOWED!”), but I left Lucy at home today because she wasn’t feeling very well.

We were shown around by Alicia, who so kindly and patiently helped to navigate through the crowds and keep me focused on the exhibits, so I was distracted enough not to go into decline. I used their pilot version of their new Access and Family Guide to familiarise myself with the various installations. Despite some small adjustments and tweaks still needed for improvement, I really like that they included sensory warnings and indications, which are too often overlooked.

I’m still recovering from the sensorial weight of it all, but I absolutely enjoyed myself today. Here are the photographs I took, sans descriptions – I hope you will make a trip there to experience it all for yourself if you happen to be in Singapore any time in the next six months. It is incredibly exciting that Singapore has an art space of this calibre! Thank you, everyone at National Gallery!