Past Exhibitions
Find out about National Library's past exhibitions.
Last updated 13 August 2026
2021-2025
Untold Stories: Four Singapore Artists’ Quest for Inspiration in Bali 1952
Special Exhibition: 14 February - 3 August 2025
Open daily, 10am - 9pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Discover the remarkable journey of four Singapore artists—Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, and Cheong Soo Pieng—to Java and Bali in 1952 in search of new artistic perspectives.
National Library Donors' Gallery
2 May 2018 - 16 April 2025
10:00am - 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Donations of library materials to the National Library play a significant role in adding diversity and depth to our collection and are instrumental in assisting the library to obtain notable National Collection items. This Donors’ Gallery was set up to acknowledge our donors and showcase their donations. On display is a small selection of materials which provides a glimpse of the variety of materials that have been gifted to the National Library over the years.
Singapore Architecture Collection Exhibitions
28 November 2023 - 15 June 2024 (URA), 16 June 2024 (NLB)
9:00am - 5:00pm (URA), 10:00am - 9:00pm (NLB)
URA Centre Atrium, National Library Building Level 1 Lobby
The Singapore Architecture Collection documents and preserves archival materials about our modern and contemporary architecture. This inaugural showcase of the collection presents two exhibitions, To Draw an Idea: Retracing the Designs of William Lim Associates – W Architects and Dare to Design: Singapore Architecture 1960s-2000s.
From Books to Bytes: The Story of the National Library
12 November 2005 - 27 February 2024
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 5, Promenade, National Library Building
Throughout our history, the library has been an integral part of Singapore's cultural and social fabric as well as its residents. The exhibition traces the founding, development and growth of the National Library, Singapore from 1823 till present.
Libraries Transforming: Our Journey from Past to Future
10 April 2021 – 5 March 2023
10:00am – 9:00pm
Queenstown Public Library
Since the opening of the first branch library in Queenstown in 1970, public libraries in Singapore have gone through a dramatic transformation. Journey with us from the past to present in this exciting exhibition. Discover how much our public libraries have evolved and will continue to grow in the future!
Mapping the World: Perspectives from Asian Cartography
11 December 2021 – 8 May 2022
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Showcasing rare historical maps, Mapping the World: Perspectives from Asian Cartography brings together different mapping traditions and worldviews, political and cultural spheres of influence, and the exchange of cartographic knowledge between civilisations across the world.
Human x Nature: Environmental Histories of Singapore
9 April – 26 September 2021
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Singapore’s natural environment, as we know and experience today, is the result of a long history of knowledge gathering, plantation agriculture and attempts at rehabilitation. This exhibition explores our relationships with the natural world from cultural understandings and scientific study to commercial and urban land use, as well as conservation and restoration.
2016-2020
On Paper: Singapore Before 1867
28 September 2019 – 22 March 2020
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
On Paper: Singapore Before 1867 features over 150 paper-based artefacts that tell the story of Singapore’s early history – from a 17th-century Portuguese navigational chart that points to the existence of a Shahbandar (harbour master) on Singapore island to the key document that established the Straits Settlements as a Crown Colony of Britain on 1 April 1867.
1919: The Singapore Centenary and its Celebration
12 November 2019 – 12 March 2020
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 11, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, National Library Building
Centenary Day took place on 6 February 1919 and marked Singapore’s hundredth year as a colonial port-settlement. It was celebrated as a public holiday filled with official festivities and fanfare. This display features photographs and publications produced for the occasion.
The First Print: Stories and Legends of Early Singapore
23 January – 1 April 2019
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 11, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, National Library Building
With many tales such as the strong man Badang and the attack of the garfish, Sejarah Melayu continues to enchant writers and readers everywhere. Discover these timeless stories and how one man managed to bring this ancient manuscript to the masses, thereby ensuring that its legacy live on through the ages.
Singapore Literary Pioneers
Till 24 November 2019 (Closed)
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 11, Promenade, National Library Building
The gallery displays the books, letters, calligraphic works, manuscripts, photographs and portraits of Singapore’s literary pioneers. Some prominent writers have also donated their pens, typewriters and literary awards. In addition, visitors can appreciate audio and video recordings of the writers in two multimedia screens.
Selling Dreams: Early Advertising in Singapore
20 July 2018 – 24 February 2019
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Advertisements are fascinating cultural documents that both shape and reflect people’s desires and ideals. This exhibition features advertising materials from the 1830s to 1960s in the National Library collection, and explores the hopes, dreams, aspirations and insecurities of society over the years.
Tales of the Malay World: Manuscripts and Early Books
18 August 2017 – 25 February 2018
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
For centuries, Malay was the language of trade, diplomacy, religious discourse, and literature for maritime Southeast Asia. This exhibition explores traditional Malay literature captured in ink on paper – from handwritten manuscripts to early lithographed books.
Shakespeare in Print: The First Folio
11 March 2017 – 23 April 2017
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Join us at the National Library as we showcase Shakespeare’s First Folio, first printed in 1623, on special loan from The University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries for six weeks only. Shakespeare’s plays are among the most significant pieces of literature in the English language and have influenced art and media all over the world for centuries.
Anatomy of a Free Mind: Tan Swie Hian’s Notebooks and Creations
22 November 2016 – 23 April 2017
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
1973 was a milestone year in Tan Swie Hian’s life during which he experienced a breakthrough in his spirituality and creative capacity. Now, more than 40 years later, Tan’s works are presented again at the National Library in this exhibition featuring over 100 creations in a wide range of media.
Script & Stage: Theatre in Singapore from the 50s to 80s
28 October 2016 – 26 March 2017
10:00am – 9:00pm
Levels 7 & 8, Promenade, National Library Building
Script & Stage explores the fascinating roots of local playwriting and theatre production, highlighting significant performances, playwrights and prominent theatre companies that have shaped the foundation of contemporary theatre in Singapore.
From The Stacks: Highlights of the National Library
30 January 2016 – 25 September 2016 (Closed)
10:00am – 9:00pm
Level 10, Gallery, National Library Building
Documents, publications and photographs from Singapore’s early days reveal fascinating insights into our history and culture. Discover early Singapore from a fresh perspective through over 100 highlights from the National Library’s collection of rare publications, manuscripts, documents, maps, photographs and more.
2015 and earlier
Poetry on Platforms: Poems on Singapore
16 July 2015 – 13 August 2015 (Closed)
City Hall MRT Platforms
Immerse yourself in 82 Singapore poems written beautifully by poets on the City Hall MRT platforms. Commuters and passer-by can look forward to humorous, moving and thought-provoking poems on life, people, and places in Singapore that will strike a chord with them.
Geo|Graphic: Celebrating maps and their stories
16 January 2015 – 19 July 2015 (Closed)
10:00am – 9:00pm
National Library Building
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.