Insects: Microsculptures Magnified

Discover the concealed beauty of insects, transformed into mesmerizing art that reveals intricate details, complex forms, and surprising worlds up close. Curated by the ArtScience Museum in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History and enhanced by research from Singapore, Insects: Microsculptures Magnified merges global perspectives with local discoveries.

The exhibition showcases 37 large-scale, high-magnification portraits of insects from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, captured by the award-winning British photographer Levon Biss. It also highlights the rich diversity of insect life in Singapore, emphasizing how scientists in the country's forests and labs are making significant discoveries that propel fields from ecology and conservation to biomimetic engineering.

With contributions from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Nanyang Technological University, A*STAR, and Singapore Geographic, the exhibition demonstrates how research conducted here is influencing global understandings of insect diversity and inspiring new scientific and technological applications.

"Insects: Microsculptures Magnified is the ArtScience Museum's first exhibition on insects. It encourages audiences to view 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. It shows how in Singapore's forests and laboratories, scientists are making discoveries that seem almost incredible—beetles that clean ecosystems, cicadas inspiring futuristic materials, and bugs never before seen by science. The exhibition directly engages Singapore's active nature and wildlife photography communities, inviting them to explore the insect world more closely," said Honor Harger, Vice President of ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

At the core of Insects: Microsculptures Magnified are the extraordinary large-scale photographs by Levon Biss, considered one of the leading macro photographers of his generation. Known for his detailed images of insects, seeds, fruits, and botanical forms, Biss unveils the hidden architecture of nature in stunning detail. By enlarging insect life to monumental scale, he encourages a renewed focus on the intricacy of natural systems often overlooked. His innovative photographic technique captures what entomologists call an insect's "microsculpture"—from iridescent armor, velvet-like textures, and saw-toothed mandibles, to the finely pigmented scales that define the astonishing diversity of the insect world.

First presented at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in 2016, the ArtScience Museum has expanded the original exhibition to include specimens from local institutions, such as the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum's Zoological Reference Collection, Nanyang Technological University's Asian School of the Environment's Tropical Ecology and Entomology Lab, and Blackcrow Taxidermy & Art. Visitors can view a variety of these insects up close and examine specimen samples through microscopes.

Insects: Microsculptures Magnified also highlights exciting new research from Singapore's scientific community, showing how insect discoveries here are influencing fields from ecology to engineering. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University's Tropical Ecology and Entomology Lab are pioneering fieldwork on native dung beetles, revealing 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 advanced self-cleaning, antimicrobial surfaces, demonstrating how nature's designs can inspire next-generation materials. The exhibition also showcases the discovery of a new species of plant bug, Campylomma singapura, documented by researchers at the National University of Singapore, offering visitors the opportunity to see and learn about a previously unknown species.

Running until 19 April 2026, Insects: Microsculptures Magnified invites visitors to look closer, uncovering the hidden lives of insects and their crucial 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 visit https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/exhibitions/insects.html.