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National Library Exhibitions

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Find out about Geo|Graphic: Celebrating maps and their stories.

Last updated 16 July 2026
"Geo|Graphic: Celebrating maps and their stories," event at National Library Building, 16 Jan–19 Jul 2015, admission free.
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Dimly lit exhibition room with purple walls displaying various framed artworks on shelves and a central white display table.
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  • 16 January 2015 – 19 July 2015

  • 10:00am – 9:00pm

  • National Library Building

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Maps are fascinating objects; they not only tell us about the places they depict but also how their makers saw the world around them. For Singapore in particular, maps are a window to our early history – before the arrival of the British in 1819. The National Library is pleased to present Geo|Graphic, an offering of exhibitions and programmes that explore maps and mapping.

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Brochure

Download the brochure below:

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Geo|Graphic exhibitions

A vintage map of Singapore showing several islands, water bodies, and labeled regions, with Selat Pandan written across the water.

Sheet 14 showing islands like Pulau Bukom and Semakau off the west coast of mainland Singapore 1924
Source: Singapore Land Authority, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

Singapore’s First Topographical and City Map

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  • Level 1, Lobby, National Library Building

Topographic maps give a three-dimensional sense of the area being mapped, depicting the contours and relief of the terrain. On display are Singapore’s first complete set of topographical maps that were produced in 1924, and the six-sheet 1954 map of the city centre.

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Mind the Gap: Mapping the Other

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Mind the Gap presents the works of three Singapore-based contemporary artists who harness the strategies of data collection and mapping to investigate what lies beneath the surface of contemporary life.

A complex mind map with "not here, not there" at the center, connected to numerous nodes and sub-nodes.

Michael Lee
Work in progress for not here, not there (after Russell Lee) from the Bibliotopia series (2015)

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Bibliotopia | by Michael Lee

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  • Level 7, Promenade, National Library Building

In this work titled Bibliotopia, Michael Lee uses the device of the mind map to uncover the “secret bookscape” of Singapore’s book culture. Focusing on the genres of short fiction, horror and the teen novel through the literary output of Catherine Lim, Russell Lee and Adrian Tan – the artist draws out secrets that are hidden within, or exposed by, narratives on identity, adolescence, and the ghostly in Singapore.

Michael Lee is an artist, curator and publisher, whose works focus on urban memory and fiction, with an emphasis on their contexts and issues of loss.

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A large 3D printer carving a long, rectangular, white block surrounded by shaved-off material.

Jeremy Sharma
Work in Progress for the Outliers, 2014-2015

Outliers | by Jeremy Sharma

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  • Level 8, Promenade, National Library Building

In the installation Outliers by Jeremy Sharma, are four white polystyrene blocks with undulating surfaces that capture the signals of dying stars (pulsars) in material form. Sharma, with the help of a pulsar scientist, has been collecting and categorising the radiographic data of selected pulsars. His work contemplates the profound space-time distance the signals of dying stars travel to communicate their death throes.

Jeremy Sharma instigates investigative processes to inform the formal expressions of his painterly and sculptural practice.

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Collage with four scenes; two people on grass, man in beige shirt, person in red jersey in room, and person in orange shirt in kitchen.

Sherman Ong
Video stills from Fables of Nusantara (2015)

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Islands in Between… The seas will sing and the wind will carry us… (Fables of Nusantara) | by Sherman Ong

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  • Level 9, Promenade, National Library Building

In this video installation, Sherman Ong uses the documentary/ethnographic film genre to tell stories of migration, trans-border identities, myths and memories in the islands of Southeast Asia. The histories and contemporary stories of the region are explored through the nine individuals featured in the video vignettes.

Sherman Ong is a filmmaker, photographer and visual artist whose practice centres on the relationship between place and the human condition.

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Map-themed poster reads "Land of Gold and Spices: Early Maps of Southeast Asia and Singapore, Gallery Level 10".

Land of Gold and Spices: Early Maps of Southeast Asia and Singapore

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  • Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building

Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, had a strong hold over the imaginations of early Europeans as a source of gold, spices and all things exotic. Land of Gold and Spices presents a fascinating look at how Southeast Asia was perceived, conceived of and mapped by the Europeans from the 15th to the early 19th centuries.

The maps featured in this exhibition are from the National Library, Singapore’s rare maps collection and tell stories of the European presence in the region. The exhibition features printed and hand-drawn maps as well as sailing instructions that point to Singapore’s early history before the arrival of the British in 1819. On special loan from European libraries are rare maps, such as indigenous Southeast Asian maps, on display for the very first time in Singapore.

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Blue display board with the title "Island of Stories: Singapore Maps" in a large, bright room with shelves and screens.

Island of Stories: Singapore Maps

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  • Level 11, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, National Library Building

Island of Stories, showcasing the collection of the National Archives of Singapore, draws on an eclectic mix of Singapore maps that captures intriguing moments from our country’s history. Featuring maps of forgotten mileage points to the island’s farmland and soil composition, as well as stories of the former detached mole at Marina Bay, the Orchard Road “circus” and the election fever of 1955 – these maps weave a quirky, multifaceted story of Singapore’s past.

Among other various audiovisual elements, visitors can overlay 19th-century maps over a contemporary map of the island in an interactive display developed with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, to see how the island has changed over the years.

Jointly organised by the National Archives of Singapore and the National Library, Singapore.

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A fragmented nautical chart displays waterways, islands, and navigation routes, with a large blank area in the center.

Charles Lim
Sea Safe (2014)

SEA STATE 8 SEABOOK | An Art Project by Charles Lim

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  • Level 11, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, National Library Building

Part of the SEA STATE series, SEABOOK follows Charles Lim’s solo-exhibition, “In Search of Raffles’ Light” (2013) held at the NUS Museum. SEABOOK is conceived by the artist, as a site for the accumulation of archival materials, anecdotes and memories that unravels Singapore’s relationship with the sea. Developed with the librarians from the National Library, the project attempts to highlight the range of primary resources available on the sea from the colonial and post-colonial periods. In effect, SEABOOK aspires to be the most extensive cultural study of Singapore’s troubled relationship with the sea.

Charles Lim will represent Singapore in the 2015 Venice Biennale. He has a close relationship with the sea, being a former national sailor and having represented Singapore in the 1996 Olympics.

Jointly organised by the National Library, Singapore and NUS Museum.

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MAPS! At the Public Libraries

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  • 21 January 2015 – 29 July 2015

  • Jurong Regional Library, Level 1 | 21 January 2015 – 26 February 2015

  • Bishan Public Library, Level 1, Foyer | 28 February 2015 – 5 April 2015

  • Central Public Library, Basement 1 | 7 April 2015 – 14 June 2015

  • Woodlands Regional Library, Level 3 | 15 June 2015 – 29 July 2015

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Check out our interactive exhibition MAPS! which explores maps and navigation through history at the following libraries near you!

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School Self-guided Tour

Gallery, Level 10 and 11

Schools are able to organise a self-guided tour facilitated by their teachers. A handy educator’s guide/teaching aid for teachers as well as activity sheets for students are available. Interested schools can email visitnls@nlb.gov.sg for more details.

Programme has ended, registration is closed.

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Book Display: Maps that Shaped Singapore

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  • 12 Dec 2014 – 28 Feb 2015

  • 10:00am – 9:00pm

  • Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, Level 8

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Singapore’s urban landscape has been shaped by its various Concept Plans – the country’s strategic land use and transportation plans. By showcasing these Concept Plans and publications related to land use in Singapore, this book display examines the background and impact of Concept Plans in shaping the country’s urban environment.

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The Past is a Foreign Country: A special presentation by the Singapore Memory Project

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  • April to August 2015

  • 10:00am – 9:00pm

  • Promenade, Level 10, National Library Building

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The Past is a Foreign Country is a selection of projects funded by the irememberSG fund that explore issues of territoriality, space and environment through the trope of memory in Singapore. For more information of the specific exhibitions and programmes, please visit iremember.sg

Projects showcase include:

  • Points of Departureby Juria Toramae & Jerome Lim

  • Island Nation by Captured (Edwin Koo, Zakaria Zainal & Juliana Tan)

  • Memories of Pulau Brani by Muhammad Nadjad Abdul Rahim

  • The Memories of Trees by Robert Zhao Renhui

  • Singapore’s Orchid History by Hedrick Kwan

  • BuiltInSG by Meka Studios

  • Architecture & Architects by DO NOT DESIGN

  • irememberParks by Singapore Furniture Industries Council

  • Building Memories by Achates 360 & Koh Hong Teng

Supported by the Singapore Memory Project.

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