Visitors to the National Museum of Singapore can now step into the immersive world of Skullpanda Cage-Uncage, a showcase that explores identity, choice, and conflict through the lens of the popular Skullpanda character, created by Chinese artist Xiong Miao.
The experience, presented by Pop Mart, is divided into six thematic zones, each offering interactive and sensory elements that encourage reflection on everyday decisions and the layers of personal identity:
- Emotion: A floating sphere with opposing locks and keys explores the tension between perception and truth.
- Direction: Transparent, interactive pages illustrate boundaries and the different paths one can take.
- Fortune: Mirrors and crystals highlight the dual nature of wealth—its allure and limitations.
- Rules: A spinning top and balancing scale explore time, discipline, and gravity through motion.
- Life: Flowing sand and glass globes invite visitors to meditate on existence and change.
- Exploration: Interactive blocks transform familiar symbols into new meanings, encouraging fresh perspectives.
At the center of the exhibition, The Room features two Skullpanda sculptures holding keys within mirrored walls, creating an infinite maze that symbolizes the tension between constraint and freedom.
Exclusive to Singapore, the exhibition includes a bird-singing-inspired installation, celebrating a local pastime.
Suspended birdcages display original Skullpanda prototypes, accompanied by a video artwork of Xiong Miao’s butterfly motif moving through recognizable Singapore locales. Outside the gallery, visitors can also enjoy large Skullpanda sculptures on the museum’s front lawn and Rotunda, providing additional immersive and photo-friendly moments.
Visitors are encouraged to interact physically with the installations, drawing from their own experiences while navigating the visual and sensory design. The exhibition is a space for contemplation, allowing audiences to reflect on the choices, contradictions, and conflicts that shape their stories and identities.
The showcase, which opened on December 12, will run until Feb. 22, 2026.
Tickets, including timed entry slots, are available online through Trip.com. Admission also includes access to the museum’s other exhibitions, such as Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City and Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time.
—With Rosette Adel
