Discover the beauty of insects through large-scale, high-magnification portraits and cutting-edge scientific research at Insects: Microsculptures Magnified.
Visitors can soon experience the natural world like never before, seeing it from striking new perspectives as they walk among insects with images towering up to 7 feet high at ArtScience Museum’s first exhibition of the year —Insects :Microsculptures Magnified.
Making its Southeast Asian debut on 17 January 2026, the exhibition illuminate s the larger-than-life realm of insects, revealing the beauty and intricacy of their forms far beyond what the naked eye can perceive. Through the masterful lens of award-winning British photographer Levon Biss, microscopic details of each insect are transformed into captivating visual encounters.
Created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, the exhibition features 37 monumental, high-magnification portraits of insects from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History’s collection . Microscopic forms are spotlighted in breathtaking detail and clarity, allowing visitors to examine colours, textures and anatomical structures that often remain invisible , even to close observers.
The exhibition also features cutting-edge scientific research from Singapore, revealing how discoveries made here, from urban insect ecology to bio-inspired materials science, are shaping global understanding of biodiversity and design.
“Insects: Microsculptures Magnified is ArtScience Museum’s first exhibition on insects. It invites audiences to reconsider these often -overlooked creatures as complex, beautifully structured, and essential to life on Earth. Created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History and enriched by scientific research from Singapore institutions including Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore, and A*STAR, the exhibition brings global perspectives into dialogue with local discovery. The exhibition reveals how in Singapore’s forests and laboratories, scientists are making discoveries that sound almost unbelievable—beetles that clean ecosystems, cicadas that inspire futuristic materials, and bugs never before seen by science. The exhibition speaks directly to Singapore’s active nature and wildlife photography communities, inviting them to look more closely at the insect world,” said Honor Harger, Vice President of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.
At the heart of Insects: Microsculptures Magnified are the extraordinary large-scale photographs by Levon Biss, widely regarded as one of the leading macro photographers of his generation. Known for his meticulous images of insects, seeds, fruits and botanical forms, Biss reveals the hidden architecture of nature in breathtaking detail. By magnifying insect life to monumental scale, he invites a renewed sense of attention to the intricacy of natural systems one often overlooks. His pioneering photographic technique captures what entomologists refer to as an insect’s “microsculpture”—from the iridescent armour, velvet-like textures and saw-toothed mandibles, to the finely pigmented scales that define the astonishing diversity of the insect world.
“The opportunity to display Microsculpture at ArtScience Museum is without doubt a highlight for the project and one that I could never have imagined when photographing the first insect. It is hugely satisfying to see the images enjoyed by different audiences around the world and it is clear evidence of a public appreciation and curiosity for these incredible creatures,” said Levon Biss.
“Each photograph is created from over 8,000 individual images using a bespoke photo rig and microscope lenses. This achieves extreme levels of detail, allowing visitors to experience and appreciate microscopic textures and adaptations that would otherwise be lost to the naked eye. It’s both a technical challenge and an opportunity to celebrate the ingenuity of life at a tiny scale, a mixture of entertainment and education. By bringing these minute forms to monumental size, the exhibition invites viewers to look closely, to wonder, and care about the beauty and significance of these ingenious creatures we share this planet with,” he added.
First presented at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in 2016, ArtScience Museum has expanded upon the original exhibition to incorporate specimens from local institutions, including Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’s Zoological Reference Collection, Nanyang Technology University Asian School of the Environment’s Tropical Ecology and Entomology Lab and Blackcrow Taxidermy & Art. Visitors will be able to view a variety of these insects up close and study specimen samples through microscopes .
Insects: Microsculptures Magnified also showcases exciting new research from Singapore’s scientific community, revealing how insect discoveries here are shaping fields from ecology to engineering. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University’s Tropical Ecology and
Entomology Lab are pioneering fieldwork on native dung beetles, uncovering the hidden diversity and ecological roles of these insects and building foundational knowledge for conservation in tropical urban landscapes.
Meanwhile, researchers at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Bioimaging are translating the remarkable nanoscale textures of cicada wings into cutting-edge self‑cleaning, antimicrobial surfaces, pointing to how nature’s designs can inspire next‑generation materials. The show also showcases the discovery of a new species of plant bug, Campylomma singapura, documented by researchers at the National University of Singapore, giving visitors the chance to see and learn about a species previously unknown to science.
Alongside the striking imagery and scientific discoveries, the exhibition includes a range of hands-on interactive experiences designed for visitors of all ages. A short film offers a behind-the-scenes look at Levon Biss’ photographic process, while touchscreen displays let audiences zoom in on insect features in extraordinary detail—set to make the experience especially rewarding for curious children, budding naturalists, and lifelong insect lovers.
Running till 19 April 2026, Insects: Microsculptures Magnified invites visitors to look closer, uncovering the hidden lives of insects and their vital role in sustaining Singapore’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
Tickets to Insects: Microsculptures Magnified are now available for purchase at all Marina Bay Sands box offices and online. For more information on the exhibition, please refer to https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/exhibitions/insects.html.
Insects: Microsculptures Magnified is part of a constellation of new experiences at ArtScience Museum in 2026 that explore the more-than-human world. This includes immersive exhibition for Singapore Art Week about artificial intelligence. NOX: Confessions of a Machine is a solo exhibition by Lawrence Lek, one of the world’s leading contemporary artists working at the intersection of art, science and emerging technology.
PHOTO: NOX, 2023. © Lawrence Lek. Courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London. Originally commissioned by LAS Art Foundation, Berlin.
Premiering on 23 January 2026, NOX: Confessions of a Machine is Lek’s first solo exhibition in Southeast Asia. NOX, short for “Nonhuman Excellence”, transports visitors into the world of Farsight Corporation, a manufacturer of self-driving cars. There, audiences will encounter an imagined future shaped by sentient machines and smart systems, prompting reflection on the psychological and ethical consequences of life alongside artificial intelligence.
NOX: Confessions of a Machine will run in tandem with Marina Bay Sands’ fourth edition of Where Art Takes Shape , a festival of creativity and artistic expression that brings together the worlds of art, food and culture alongside Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary art fair ART SG.
Tickets to NOX: Confessions of a Machine are now available for purchase at all Marina Bay Sands box offices and online. Please visit https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/exhibitions/nox.html for more details on the exhibition.
