The world's first immersive exhibition on Fernando Botero is running at the IMBA Theatre inside Gardens by the Bay, and it closes on Monday 31 August 2026. Jointly presented by IMBA and the Fernando Botero Foundation, the show is the largest and most ambitious Botero presentation ever staged worldwide, and Singapore is its only stop in Southeast Asia. If you have been waiting, the window is the next six weeks; after 31 August the immersive room and the outdoor bronzes both come down.
Three layers make up the exhibition: a 40-minute immersive audiovisual portrait inside the IMBA Theatre, a gallery of 118 paintings, drawings, and indoor sculptures from the Botero family collection, and ten monumental bronze sculptures installed across the Silver Garden. The official Gardens by the Bay listing frames the immersive as a "deeply personal visual biography" narrated by Botero's eldest son, Fernando Botero Zea, tracing the artist's journey from his Colombian roots to global acclaim.
The immersive show, narrated by his son
The 40-minute experience runs on the IMBA Theatre's large-scale projection system, with soundscapes and animated interpretations of Botero's iconic works layered over archival footage. The narrative is built around Fernando Botero Zea's voice, which means the show leans into the personal rather than the art-historical: family memories, moments of joy and loss, and the defining influences behind the rounded "Boterismo" forms the artist is known for. It is closer to a filmed biography than a standard immersive-art loop, and the 40-minute runtime is longer than the 20-to-30-minute norm for the IMBA format, so plan to stay seated.
The show runs daily with the IMBA Theatre's standard hours: Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm with last admission at 6pm, and Friday to Sunday plus public holidays 10am to 8pm with last admission at 7pm. There is no separate timed entry for Botero specifically; tickets are for the IMBA Theatre's current programme, of which Botero is the headline.
The 118 works in the gallery
Beyond the immersive room, the exhibition includes 118 paintings, drawings, and indoor sculptures from the Botero family collection, tracing over 70 years of artistic evolution. The Little Steps coverage notes this spans "from watercolours to masterworks," offering a rare, in-depth look at the discipline, colour, and form behind Botero's unmistakable style. For visitors who only know Botero from the bronzes, the gallery is the corrective: it shows the paintings that preceded the sculpture, and the consistency of his volumetric language across both.
The ten bronzes in the Silver Garden
The outdoor component is the easiest part to miss if you head straight for the theatre. Ten monumental bronze sculptures are installed across the Silver Garden at Gardens by the Bay, with four positioned at the IMBA Theatre and six woven through the garden itself. They are designed for interaction, photography, and pause, and they turn the Silver Garden into an open-air extension of the indoor show. The bronzes are free to walk past at any time during Gardens hours, so even without an IMBA ticket you can see this layer, which makes them the most accessible entry point if you are short on time or visiting with children.
If you are coming from Marina Bay Sands, the walk across the Helix Bridge and through Bay South Garden puts you at the West Lawn entrance in roughly 15 minutes. Bayfront MRT (CE1/DT16) is the nearest station, and the Bayfront Carpark is the closest paid parking.
Tickets, and the resident discount
Admission is tiered. Per Little Steps' coverage of the official ticketing, residents pay S$24 on weekdays and S$28 on weekends, while non-residents pay S$30 on weekdays and S$35 on weekends. Bundled tickets combining the IMBA Theatre experience with the broader Gardens by the Bay conservatory access are available, and the official IMBA Global ticketing page lists the current combinations. The exhibition is all-ages and the IMBA Theatre is wheelchair accessible.
Because the run ends on 31 August, weekday mornings are the quietest slot and the best chance to get the immersive room close to empty. Avoid the final weekend if you can; the closing week is when the last-minute crowd tends to arrive.
Practical Details
- Dates: Sunday 26 April to Monday 31 August 2026 (closes 31 Aug)
- Time: Mon to Thu 10am to 7pm (last admission 6pm); Fri to Sun and public holidays 10am to 8pm (last admission 7pm)
- Venue: IMBA Theatre (West Lawn, beside Bayfront Plaza) & Silver Garden, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
- Nearest MRT: Bayfront (CE1/DT16), short walk through the Gardens
- Price: Residents S$24 (weekday) / S$28 (weekend); Non-residents S$30 (weekday) / S$35 (weekend). Silver Garden bronzes viewable during Gardens hours without an IMBA ticket.
- Website: gardensbythebay.com.sg (tickets via tickets.imbaglobal.com)
