In addition to the colorful gardens and many unique building designs, Singapore also includes many displays of public art through park sculptures, interesting memorials, beautiful murals, and very entertaining water light shows. Each time we walked through the city we found new artwork and creativity to appreciate.

Fountain of Wealth – We saw this large bronze fountain and the surrounding Suntec City Shopping Mall on our long walk to the marina and downtown. We explored the very large mall and walked around the fountain, which are both above and below the street level. The water reportedly symbolizes wealth and life and its inward flow represents wealth staying within the vicinity of the mall. As occasional skeptics, we wondered if the explanation of the fountain’s meaning was created after the fountain and shopping mall were established. 

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Haji Lane– The colorful street was just two blocks from our hotel and in the Muslim quarter. It features all kinds of fun little shops and eateries plus we saw many tourists (including us!) taking photos of the colorful murals.

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Digital Light Canvas– This interactive light feature immediately caught our attention when we walked into the upper level of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. As the children (and sometimes parents) walked across the lighted circle, they could see how their contact with the surface changed the shapes and colors of the floral and sea life images.  It was so fun to watch the children’s reactions and the constantly changing colors. And the strands of overhead crystal lights were incredibly beautiful. 

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WWII Civilian Memorial – During the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945 about 50,000 people were killed and buried in mass graves. This 70 meter high memorial with four identical pillars was built in memory of the Chinese, Eurasian, Indian and Malay residents who lost their lives. 

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The Octopus– This quirky little sculpture was a surprise and almost seemed out of place among the other art pieces and monuments described below that we saw during our walk through Esplanade Park in downtown. And we couldn’t stroll by without taking a picture of this pink sea creature.

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Tan Kim Seng Fountain– The first artistic creation we saw in Esplanade Park was this delicate blue and white fountain commissioned by the British Colonial Government in the late 1800’s. It commemorates Tan Kim Seng’s contributions towards the country’s first reservoir and waterworks. The generous Chinese man wanted to ensure a better freshwater supply for the residents of Singapore.

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The Cenotaph– The 18 meter tall granite memorial honors servicemen who died during World War I and World War II. One side of the monument highlights the first war and the other side focuses on the later war.

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Lim Bo Seng Memorial– This pagoda made of bronze, marble, and concrete was a very different style from the other memorials we saw in Esplanade Park along the Singapore River. Built in the 1950’s, the structure honors Lim Bo Seng, a prominent Chinese businessman who actively led anti-Japanese activities during World War II and is revered as a local war hero. 

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Struggle Against Communist Party Marker – Just five years ago this granite and steel marker was added to the Queen Elizabeth Walk in Esplanade Park. It is dedicated to the 8,000 people who were killed or wounded in Malaysia and Singapore and those who fought for a democratic, non-communist Singapore. After spending two months in Vietnam and one month in Cambodia, both communist countries, it was interesting to visit this country which worked deliberately and diligently to become a democracy. 

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Dalhousie Obelisk– In February 1850 the Singapore government invited Lord James Andrew, Marquis of Dalouise and Governor-General of India, for a three-day visit in order to impress him with Singapore’s economics potential and establish a free trade agreement. The local people were so excited immediately after Andrew’s trip that they sold $5 subscriptions to raise money for a monument honoring the official’s visit. The resulting Dalhousie Obelisk was built the same month and became the island’s first public statue. Unfortunately no specific economic plans and trade resulted from Andrew’s visit. However, we noticed during our visit that since the monument was built 169 years ago, Singapore seems to have developed a strong economy. The country exports many products and is considered a prime shopping destination in Asia. A person could spend weeks visiting its 100+ shopping malls. We went to a multi-story shopping mall where quite a few floors were dedicated to just electronics stores. It was rather overwhelming! 

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Sir Stamford Raffles Statue– Created in 1887, the bronze statue of Singapore’s founder is impressive! We discovered it when we walked to the Empress Place Building at Esplanade Park. It was first located near the Padang, a large sports field in the downtown area. This wasn’t the best location since the statue was often hit by flying footballs and spectators liked to sit on its base for a good view of the games. During the Japanese occupation the statue was moved to a museum and Singapore residents were concerned that the Japanese were going to melt down the statue. Fortunately that did not happen. In 1946 the statue was moved to its current spot. 

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24 Hours in Singapore– The 2015 sculpture with large stainless steel balls was a bit of a mystery to us. The accompanying sign referred an interactive audio aspect to go along with the spheres, but we never understood how or when to hear the audio recordings of suburban traffic, metro trains, market hawkers, and customers in coffee shops. But we enjoyed photographing the spheres and watching children look at their reflections in the art pieces. 

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First Generation– Across the river from Esplanade Park and next to Cavenagh Bridge we saw this delightful life-size bronze sculpture of 5 boys playing along the walled river bank and jumping into the water. Local artist Chong Fah Cheong wanted the river area to be remembered as place where children used to play and create their adventures, so in 2000 he sculpted First Generation. He certainly captured the spirit of excitement on the faces of the 5 boys. 

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Singapura Cats– Before exploring much of Singapore, Jerry had read about cat sculptures along the river near Esplanade Park. So we made sure to look for them as we walked through the artwork and memorials in the area. They are easy to miss since the cat and two kittens are life-size and just off the end of the Cavenagh Bridge. Fortunately we found the sculptures. Originally there were 15 cat sculptures in the area, but sadly 12 of them were vandalized or stolen.

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River Merchants– A few meters away from the Singapore Cats we saw another artistic depiction of Singapore’s past. In 2002 Aw Tee Hong, a local sculptor, created this group of statues. The sculpture features well-known European trader and Scotsman Alexander Laurie Johnston (seated) negotiating with a Chinese merchant and a Malay elder, both wearing traditional clothing. Next to them are coolies loading goods onto a bullock cart, a common sight during the earlier days of Singapore. We found the sculpture in front of the 32-story Maybank Tower, which we later learned was the same site as Johnston’s former warehouse. 

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Bird– During our walk along the Singapore River we immediately recognized this sculpture as identical to the one we saw in Medellin, Columbia last year. Artist Fernando Botero made several copies of this bronze bird, which he explains represents peace, serenity, and joy.

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Homage to Newton– We stumbled across this distinctive, tall sculpture when we looking for the metro station near the United Overseas Bank Limited building. Spanish artist Salvador Dali included important symbolism in this 1985 artistic piece. The ball falling from the right side of the bronze figure represents Sir Isaac Newton’s law of gravity discovery with the falling apple. And Dali depicts two qualities attributed to Newton: open-heartedness (statue’s suspended heart) and open-mindedness (open head at the top of the sculpture.)

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Spectra Light & Water Show – Each night the hotel and shopping center at Marina Bay put on a free, 15 minute water and light show. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful dancing fountains and colorful laser lights coordinated to music, plus the visual projections in the special lava and mist effects.

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