Hailing from the creative mind of the iconic Dick Lee, this timely exhibition celebrates the people, stories and traditions that have shaped Singapore’s cultural story. Tickets go on sale from 7 July.
Growing from a small fishing village to a bustling metropolitan city, Singapore is now celebrating its 60th birthday. To commemorate this milestone, ArtScience Museum is presenting a vibrant multimedia exhibition as part of its new SG60 Season that serves as an ode to the nation’s evolving cultural landscape over the past six decades.
Making its global premiere on 2 August, SingaPop! 60 Years of Singapore Pop Culture charts key moments in Singapore’s cultural transformation, from its unique Singlish language and hawker culture to local music, film, fashion, and even annual National Day celebrations – inviting reflection on what makes this island home unique.
Presented in collaboration with mm2 Entertainment and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), this story is told through the eyes, heart and soul of national icon and Cultural Medallion recipient Dick Lee, who is marking his first foray into exhibition-making. With a career that has evolved in parallel with Singapore’s development, Lee has contributed greatly to the arts and is not just recognised for beloved songs such as ‘Home’, but also his significant role in shaping Singapore’s cultural identity.
SingaPop! offers a rare glimpse into the achievements of Lee and his close community of friends-all movers and shakers of Singapore culture – including vocal virtuoso Kit Chan, comedy star Kumar, legendary performer Rahimah Rahim and many more. Bringing together these defining figures across the local music, media, and entertainment scenes, the exhibition spotlights how these extraordinary performers have helped instil a sense of national pride, vibrancy and dynamism in the Singapore pop culture people know and love today.
As part of this journey, visitors can look forward to seeing, hearing and feeling the nation’s cultural heartbeat as they embark on an immersive and nostalgic trip through the eras, ranging from the youthful swinging 1960s to the digital dynamism of 2020s.
Additionally, the exhibition explores how Singapore’s multicultural, or ‘rojak’, society has developed into a cohesive national identity, capturing the everyday moments, creative breakthroughs and cultural touchstones that continue to bind generations together.
Individuals from all walks of life will be able to celebrate the integral part they play in weaving Singapore’s rich social fabric, as they consider their own place in the nation’s unfolding story and become active participants in the exhibition to form a collective narrative for the future.
“Having lived through and been a part of the evolution of our cultural identity in the last 60 years, I’m proud to present this exhibition that showcases who we are: idiosyncratic, colourful and uniquely Singaporean,” said Dick Lee, Creative Director of SingaPop!.
“As Singapore turns 60, ArtScience Museum is proud to be celebrating the country’s cultural imagination, past, present and future. SingaPop! is the first in an exciting season of exhibitions and events for SG60, and we’re honoured to begin that journey with Dick Lee, whose creative vision has defined so much of what makes Singapore, Singapore,” said Honor Harger, Vice President of ArtScience Museum.
“This is a show about how we sound, how we speak, how we dress and how we celebrate. It’s about the vivid, particular texture of daily life that binds our city-state together. Created with our friends at mm2, SingaPop! is a tribute to pop culture, the people who make it, and the audiences who live it. It’s our ode to the spirit of invention and expression that continues to shape Singapore’s identity. SingaPop! is the beginning of a season that celebrates where we’ve been, and dares to ask what comes next,” added Harger.
Unfolding six decades of Singapore pop culture across five chapters
SingaPop! will open with its first chapter, SingaWho?, where visitors are welcomed with a striking audiovisual experience of crashing waves paired with a multilingual soundscape that whispers ‘Welcome’ in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. As they journey further into the space, a video message from Dick Lee appears, offering a personal introduction to his creative journey and his search for what it means to be Singaporean.
This immersive introduction sets the stage for the next chapter of the exhibition, as the screen transitions to an animated map of Singapore. The map traces the early migratory paths of communities from China, India, the Malay Archipelago and Europe, laying the historical foundation for the cultural diversity that defines Singapore today.
Next, RojakLane is a vibrant visual showcase of Singapore’s rich cultural tapestry, celebrating the distinct traditions of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Peranakan and other communities. From traditional motifs, retro-fusion cut-outs to familiar Singlish expressions such as kaypoh and aiyoyo, this chapter invites visitors on a colourful journey through the multicultural heritage that shapes Singapore’s unique ‘rojak’ identity.
At the heart of the exhibition, RojakLand features six sections that illuminate the elements shaping 60 years of Singaporean pop culture. This chapter is designed for visitors to literally walk into a theatre set as well as leave their mark at the central botanical pavilion where they can rubber-stamp their favourite pop culture icons. The journey begins with IconSG, where visitors can pose with a photo wall featuring beloved figures like Kumar, Phua Chu Kang, Singa the Kindness Lion, the Merlion and other symbols that reflect the spirit and aspirations of the nation.
From icons to style, SingaStyle explores how fashion helped shape national identity in the 1950s. It features pageant wear from 2013 to 2022 designed by local designers Frederick Lee and Moe Kasim and includes a digital fashion scrapbook put together by Dick Lee that highlights some of his work in the now defunct fashion label, Ping Pong. Meanwhile, NDPop traces the evolution of the National Day Parade (NDP) from its solemn 1966 beginning to a lively celebration of unity and pride. This section also offers rare insights from Dick Lee, as both a performer and Creative Director of multiple NDPs, on how the event has evolved into a cultural cornerstone of Singapore today.
At SingaSong, visitors can discover the development of Singapore’s sonic landscape through an interactive jukebox that takes them from 1960s bands like The Quests and The Crescendos to today’s stars including JJ Lin, Stefanie Sun, Shabir Sulthan and Sezairi – reflecting the nation’s creative diversity across generations. Here, iconic memorabilia from local artistes such as Rahimah Rahim’s glittery glasses and a DIY guitar from rock-duo Mel and Jo Ferdinald, will be featured, among others.
Over 60 years, Singapore’s television and film industry has also evolved from the consumption of foreign media to the creation of its own multicultural stories. Screening Room explores how its media landscape has grown to include multiple languages and platforms since its first broadcast in 1963, with spotlights on iconic local films such as Mee Pok Man (1995) by Eric Khoo and Money No Enough (1998) by Jack Neo, as well as dramas such as Under One Roof (1995) and Phua Chu Kang (1997).
Language takes centre stage in Singlish, where visitors can delve into an interactive activity that explores how Singapore’s unofficial national tongue evolved into a cultural hallmark which is playful, expressive and unmistakably local. The journey in Rojak Land will then wrap up with SingaMakan, a tribute to hawker culture’s evolution from the street vendors of the 1800s to heritage icons, showcasing how food continues to unite Singaporeans across time.
Moving on to SingaStories, this chapter of the exhibition invites visitors on a captivating journey through the evolution of Singapore’s dynamic pop culture. Presented in a 6-minute immersive video experience, each decade’s defining moments in music, fashion, art, design and social movements will be highlighted, revealing the rich tapestry of Singapore’s identity as it developed over time.
Concluding the SingaPop! experience is SingaVoices, a powerful tribute to national unity and resilience. In 2020, more than 900 Singaporeans, including local artistes Shigga Shay and Yung Raja came together for the inaugural Singapore Virtual Choir – whether they were at home or overseas. This moving rendition of the beloved national song ‘Home’, composed by Dick Lee and arranged by Darius Lim, brought their voices and hearts together, capturing the enduring spirit of hope, strength and love that defines the nation.
Ticketing Details
Tickets to SingaPop! 60 Years of Singapore Pop Culture are available from 7 July. Sands LifeStyle Members can enjoy exclusive perks and discounts when purchasing tickets on the ArtScience Museum website or all Marina Bay Sands box offices, while non-Sands LifeStyle Members can buy their tickets via the Klook platform.
For more information on the exhibition, please refer here. It will run from 2 August to 28 December 2025.
🎉🇸🇬 SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY 2025 – SG60 🇸🇬🎉
Image: Pixabay
Singapore turns 60 this year, and it’s time to celebrate in style! From family-friendly activities to special SG60 events happening across the island, there’s something for everyone this National Day weekend. So, dress in red and white, gather your loved ones, and soak in the festive spirit!
Don’t miss out on these SG60 promotions specially curated for the occasion.
🎆 Didn’t manage to score NDP tickets at the Padang? No worries! You can still catch the action, rehearsals, and fireworks at various locations around Singapore. Check out the best viewing spots, dates, and timings here:
👉 National Day Rehearsal Dates & Where to Catch NDP Fireworks
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