In collaboration with The Straits Times, the National Museum of Singapore presents Home, Truly: Growing Up with Singapore, 1950s to the Present, in conjunction with the newspaper’s 175th anniversary. Featuring photographs and artefacts, including those contributed by members of the public, as well as audio-visual footage, sounds, scents and special digital features, Home, Truly explores the moments and experiences in Singapore’s past and present that express our identity and collective memory as a people.

In conceptualising the exhibition, the museum sought feedback from, and worked closely with, different audience groups such as youths and seniors to bring to light rich personal stories of living and growing up in Singapore. Input from seven in-depth engagement sessions with over 100 unique participants was considered for different aspects of the exhibition – from surfacing memories and stories for display within Home, Truly, to how the exhibition itself was presented. Selected photographs and stories contributed by members of the public through the Home, Truly open call held earlier this year are also featured in the exhibition and the exhibition’s catalogue of the same title.

Through five key themes and using the metaphor of a home, Home, Truly is presented in an intimate way that invites visitors to see themselves in the stories presented. It also adopts a personal and contemplative tone to encourage visitors to reflect on what Singapore means to them as their home, and their hopes for the home we aspire to be.

On display at Home, Truly are over 80 objects from the National Collection that showcase the lived experiences of our people, over 200 photographs on physical and digital platforms, of which a quarter came from community contributions.

Home, Truly will also offer pilot experience for visually impaired visitors, through the use of scents, sounds, and a smart cane prototype – the first of its kind to feature in a National Heritage Board institution.

Venue: National Gallery Singapore

When: 19 Dec 2020 - 29 Aug 2021,

By: National Gallery Singapore