A Romantic Art Date in Singapore: ATLAS and a Camera

An art date in Singapore seemed a good way to surprise Ian: architecture to photograph, a bar with plenty of gin to consider, and galleries to keep us looking beyond our glasses. After the romantic Singapore date he had planned for me, it was my turn. Finding something personal can take a little thought, especially when you have been together long enough to know each other’s habits. I wanted an outing we would both enjoy, with enough room for curiosity to do some of the work.

Planning an Art Date in Singapore

For Ian, art, photography and an interesting drinks menu were a promising combination. I chose Parkview Square for its architecture and ATLAS bar, with a visit to the museum upstairs and another gallery still to come. These surprise dates we plan for each other matter to me because they are a chance to show that we have been paying attention. Ian often remembers something I have mentioned long after I assume he has stopped listening. I wanted to return that attention with a day built around the things he enjoys.

Parkview Square: A Building for Ian and His Camera

Parkview Square was the first part of my plan. Its Art Deco-inspired architecture made me think of Ian’s enthusiasm for The Great Gatsby, and I could picture him enjoying the building before we even reached the bar. The resemblance to an older skyscraper is deliberate: this is a modern building inspired by the Art Deco towers of Europe and New York. Looking up from the grounds, it was easy to understand why I had wanted to bring him here.

The grounds also gave us a quieter moment. We sat in the shade near the fountains, surrounded by bronze figures and the building above us. I had been interested in the feng shui ideas associated with Parkview Square, although what I could appreciate directly was much simpler: the water, the sculptures and somewhere to sit together. There was already enough to look at before we went inside.

Entering the lobby changed the scale of things. At first I was too busy looking around to notice Ian’s reaction. When I did, he was taking it all in with the expression I had hoped for. The ceiling and the height of the room had his attention before the drinks menu even arrived. It was a reassuring start for someone responsible for organizing the surprise.

ATLAS: Gin for Ian, Coffee Tonic for Me

ATLAS was our drinks stop, and its gin selection gave Ian plenty to read. The staff welcomed us and handed over a menu that occupied him for quite a while. He chose a gin; I had a coffee tonic mocktail. Champagne and wine were also part of the selection, though it was clear which pages interested him most. I had enough to study around the room that his lengthy deliberation did not trouble me.

The tower of bottles drew our eyes upward again and again. Between that and the decorated ceiling, my neck had almost as much exercise as my imagination. For a closer look at the bar itself, including more photographs and our impressions of the drinks, read our ATLAS review at Parkview Square. Here, what mattered most to me was watching Ian enjoy a place I had chosen for him.

The Artist’s Voice at Parkview Museum

After our drinks, we took the elevator to Parkview Museum Singapore for The Artist’s Voice. The exhibition brought together 34 contemporary artists from different countries and generations. The works raised questions about human life, ethics and history, with a much more unsettling mood than the grand lobby downstairs. Going from one to the other gave the outing a welcome change of direction. There was beauty to admire and then work that asked a little more of us.

The neon pieces by Maurizio Nannucci stayed with me, especially the relationship between new ideas and the times in which we are prepared to accept them. My captions record my own responses to the works. Someone else could stand in the same place and leave with a different interpretation, which is part of the pleasure of looking at art together. Parkview Museum has since closed permanently, so this exhibition is a part of our story that visitors cannot repeat.

National Gallery Singapore and a Light Show

National Gallery Singapore was my next surprise. Housed in the former Supreme Court and City Hall, it gave us another combination of art and architecture. I particularly liked seeing the former courtrooms within a building now used for a very different purpose. The rooms and staircases deserved some of the attention we had come to give the exhibitions.

By then, Ian had already decided that he wanted to return to ATLAS and bring a Slovenian gin with him. I took his enthusiasm as a good sign. We often leave places with plans to come back, and this date had added another to the list. There was still a bonus: we caught a light show, giving him one more reason to reach for his camera.

Watching the projected patterns change the facade added another kind of image to the day. For Ian, whose interest in photography follows us through our travels, it was a fitting extra. A light show depends on the event calendar, so I would treat it as a possible addition to a date here, not something to expect every evening.

Would I Plan This Kind of Date Again?

I would happily plan another date around a gallery and a bar for someone who enjoys art, architecture and time with a camera. The part I remember most is Ian looking around the lobby before he had even seen the gin menu. I had chosen something that interested him, and we both had room to enjoy it in our own way. Today, I would build the outing around National Gallery Singapore and ATLAS, leaving the closed museum out of the plan and choosing an exhibition that appealed to us both.

Planning a Similar Singapore Date Today

Visit National Gallery before an evening table at ATLAS so you have time for the exhibitions before the Gallery closes. This is a suggested order for a new outing; our story above follows the date I arranged for Ian. Check which galleries are open, reserve the bar and leave any outdoor projections as an optional extra.

FAQ: An Art Date in Singapore

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