National Gallery SingaporeCivic District

Lai Foong Moi: Crossings

Now showing14 August 2026 – 3 October 2027Ticketed, see website

A Dalam Singapore focus exhibition on Nanyang artist Lai Foong Moi (1931-1995), examining gender, labour and urban life in 1960s Singapore and Malaya through portraiture, still life and landscape.

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On now All of November 2026

Three strangers sit in a boat on still water. The woman on the left, in a red tunic-jacket cut in the newer style of sarong kebaya, is the only one facing you; across from her, a woman with a white flower behind her ear keeps her back turned. Lai Foong Moi painted Crossing (Home Coming) in 1964, then a second version in 1965, the year Singapore left Malaysia.

This is her first solo show since the 1960s, in the Dalam Singapore annexe at the end of DBS Singapore Gallery 3. Paintings of women, labourers and the city hang with photographs and old exhibition catalogues. Her Singapore is quiet: a trishaw puller playing a nose flute on his break, a samsui woman seen only from behind.

Some works show nudity; to skip them, enter by the door in front of the Learning Station. It is on Level 2 of the City Hall Wing until 3 October 2027, included in General Admission (free for Singapore citizens and PRs).

Editor's pick

Three strangers share a boat on still water, and only the woman in red looks back at you. Lai Foong Moi's first solo show since the 1960s paints Singapore quiet: a trishaw puller playing a nose flute on his break.

Look for

Crossing (Home Coming), 1964
Look for three passengers on still water: a woman in red and orange faces out with folded hands, another turns away, and a young boy looks outward between them.
Labourer (Lunch Break), 1965
A male labourer faces you with worn lines and a weathered expression, while the samsui woman beside him is painted only from the back.
Trishaw Rider, 1961
A trishaw puller on his break, playing a nose flute instead of pedalling.
Singapore Street Scene, 1958
A view looking along Victoria Street with the Convent Chapel in the corner, painted the year Lai came back from Paris.
The interactive trishaw
The learning station at the end of the show has an interactive trishaw, though it has no step-free access.

Good for

Locals Who've Seen It All
Nerding Out
Rainy Days

Skip if

You want 1960s Singapore bustling: Lai painted the city quiet, still and nearly empty.

With kids

Suitable for all ages per the Gallery, though some works show nudity and a separate door avoids them. Under-7s go free, ages 7 to 12 get $5 off, and the learning station has an interactive trishaw.