Singapore's ArtScience Museum has unveiled Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy, marking its 15th anniversary with an exploration of how the human body has been understood across cultures and history.
Running until Aug 16, the exhibition features more than 160 artifacts and artworks, spanning early anatomical drawings to contemporary immersive installations.
For Chinese travelers increasingly seeking destinations that offer both stunning visual spectacles and deep cultural resonance, the museum serves as a vital bridge between Eastern and Western perspectives.
"We are a museum that was established to explore the intersection of art, science, culture, and technology," said Honor Harger, vice-president of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. "While museums are usually custodians of the past, we are just as interested in where we might be going. We are a future-oriented museum."
"By juxtaposing historical masterpieces by the likes of Antonio Cattani with mesmerizing site-specific installations by contemporary artists such as Chiharu Shiota, Flesh and Bones truly is a combination of East and West, past and present," Harger added.
The exhibition also foregrounds Asian perspectives. A dedicated gallery on traditional Chinese medicine presents more than 40 artifacts, illustrating a fundamentally different understanding of the body — not merely as a physical structure, but as a dynamic system of energy, balance and interconnection.
This is complemented by the "Silent Mentor" program, which honors body donors as medical students' first teachers, highlighting the ethical and humanistic dimensions of anatomical study.
Recognizing the evolving tastes of international travelers, Harger hopes the museum acts as a must-visit touchpoint. "I hope that our visitors will understand that this unique juxtaposition of immersive experiences and bleeding-edge, futuristic ideas is something that they'll enjoy," Harger said, adding that the exhibition is deliberately designed to offer tourists "a combination of the spectacular and the thoughtful".
The exhibition reflects broader efforts by Marina Bay Sands to position itself as a cultural destination through exhibitions and cross-cultural programming.
"Marina Bay Sands views entertainment, dining and live performance as powerful, contemporary forms of cultural expression," said Qian Peilai, senior vice-president of marketing and global events at Marina Bay Sands.
"These formats are social, immersive and participatory, allowing cultural exchange to take place through shared experiences rather than formal settings," she said.
To bring this vision to life, MBS actively hosts high-profile, cross-cultural initiatives — from the Yuewen Global IP Awards and Singapore-China Culinary and Cultural Summits to its inaugural Sands Comedy Season featuring Mandarin stand-up comedians.
