VERSE 2026 Kicks Off the Year With Bold New Encounters in Singapore Literature and Art

The Arts House at the Old Parliament will once again transform into a vibrant literary playground as VERSE 2026 returns from 9 to 31 January 2026, ushering in the new year with a bold, multi-sensory celebration of Singapore literature.

Organised by Arts House Group, VERSE 2026 presents more than 15 programmes, including two original commissions, and brings together over 18 partners across fully accessible venues. Designed as a platform for independent producers, community groups and emerging voices, the festival continues to reimagine how literature can be experienced: through text, sound, movement and visual art.

Held in conjunction with Light to Night 2026 by National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Week 2026, VERSE extends its reach across the Civic District, setting the tone for the year’s literary arts calendar with immersive and cross-disciplinary encounters.

A Festival Rooted in Collective Power

Responding to Light to Night’s theme, “The Power in Us,” VERSE 2026 highlights the strength that emerges when individuals, communities and artists come together. Audiences can expect interactive installations, performances and participatory experiences that encourage dialogue, reflection and connection.

Stories Projected Across the City

The façade of The Arts House becomes a storytelling canvas with two large-scale projections. Larut’s Tears by Gerimis Art Project and Youngsook Choi reflects on ecological grief through the eyes of Larut the elephant, contrasting ancestral harmony with modern exploitation of nature. Meanwhile, Start Here: From Every Vantage Point by Fei Yue Community Services amplifies the voices of NEET youth, transforming their often-unseen struggles into vibrant visual patterns and animated forms.

VERSE 2026 Commissions

Among this year’s highlights is brumblings, a luminous outdoor installation that transforms The Arts House lawn into a tactile playground of language. Inspired by poet Wahidah Tambee’s Eke (2025), the interactive work invites audiences to assemble, dismantle and play with reimagined alphabet forms, celebrating expression in its messy, in-between states.

Another major commission, Pass the Mic by publishing collective Books&, pairs emerging writers and musicians in intimate conversations and performances. Across six sessions, artists share their creative influences, exchange ideas and reflect on what it means to be inspired by the city they call home. Featuring names such as Jean Seizure, Wen-yi Lee, Stephanie Dogfoot and Cayes Hong, the free programme blends text and sound, live snippets and audience interaction. The series also extends online, exploring the intersections of writing, rhythm and songwriting through digital storytelling.

Ticketed Highlights

VERSE 2026 also presents a slate of ticketed programmes redeemable with Culture Pass credits. The much-anticipated fifth edition of Cherita Hantu: Quwwa by Hafidz Rahman returns with three haunting, multi-sensory stories inspired by Southeast Asian folklore and contemporary life, exploring the theme of “Quwwa”, power, through immersive storytelling.

Meanwhile, Neural Echoes: Enter the Sleep Lab by Tusitala and Artwave Studio invites audiences into a near-future interactive theatre experience adapted from Book of Red Shadows. Combining technology, puzzles and sound-driven storytelling, the work explores consciousness, choice and control in a world shaped by experimental science.

Exhibitions and Installations Across VERSE

Throughout the festival, a rich line-up of exhibitions and installations invites audiences to explore literature beyond the page. Highlights include:

• Read on the Go, presented with the National Library Board, featuring 16 short stories hidden in everyday spaces across four languages.
• A View of Things to Come, a cross-disciplinary exhibition combining poetry and visual art by ex-offender artists and seniors, exploring transformation and future possibilities.
• Turning Points 3 by ART:DIS, spotlighting emerging neurodiverse artists and their creative journeys.
• The Looking Glass of Language, an interactive installation using anagrams and motion to reveal the fluidity of words and meaning.
• AfterForms: Metaverse amid Climate Grief & Memory, a powerful exploration of ecological loss and digital acceleration, anchored by Cultural Medallion recipient Han Sai Por’s Land Erosion.
• Behind the Pages: Evolution of Publishing in Singapore, commissioned under SG60 Homage, tracing the nation’s publishing history from the 1800s to post-independence growth.

Adding to the festival atmosphere, visitors can browse The Corner Bookshop pop-up by Chio Books every Friday and Saturday evening, alongside a screening of winning works from the Golden Point Award 2025.