Southeast Asian Art Market Proves Resilient
Singapore's Must-See Exhibitions: Art Gallery Weekend 2023
Ocula Member Galleries are selected by a committee of respected gallerists to present only the best of contemporary art on Ocula.
Read MoreWhether you want to discover contemporary art created by established artists or by emerging talents, below you will find some of the best galleries across Singapore's vibrant art scene presenting a range of both.
Many prominent galleries in Southeast Asia have grown their roots on Singapore's shores. Among them, Gajah Gallery has been pivotal in generating increased interest in art from the region. Established in 1996, the gallery has catapulted several Southeast Asian artists into worldwide recognition, staged multiple landmark travelling exhibitions, and platformed emerging Southeast Asian artists.
STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery was founded in 2002 as a non-profit space on the banks of the Singapore River. Divided into a workshop and a gallery, the cutting-edge venue holds creative workshops that support artistic experimentation with print and paper, while its gallery boasts an impressive line-up of local and international talent such as Rirkrit Tiravanija, Do Ho Suh, and Manuel Ocampo.
Worth a visit nearby is Sundaram Tagore Gallery. Established in 2000, with two more outposts in New York, the gallery represents photographers such as Karen Knorr and Steve McCurry.
Explore current and upcoming exhibitions across Singapore's best galleries, institutions, and non-profit art spaces.
Read MoreSingapore has become an exciting hub and destination for art in Southeast Asia, not only attracting contemporary artists and their galleries in recent years, but cementing the country as an important hub for global connections and platforms.
Beyond contemporary art, Singapore has amassed the largest collection of Southeast Asian art. At National Gallery Singapore, over 9,000 artworks from the region represent periods of coloniality and revolution, including works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Raden Saleh, Juan Luna, and Cheong Soo Pieng.
Singapore is home to one of the world's most dynamic and vibrant arts scenes. Browse our extended selection of galleries to visit around the city, as recommended by the Ocula team.
Singapore's museums and institutions offer an exceptional arts and culture experience. Explore our selection of the best spaces to visit.
Read MoreNational Gallery Singapore is located at the heart of Singapore's civic district and downtown core. Established in 2015, the museum is housed inside the former Supreme Court and City Hall and oversees the world's largest collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art. Beyond its permanent collections, the museum has shown internationally acclaimed artists such as Nam June Paik and Yayoi Kusama.
Further south of downtown is Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark by Keppel Harbour. The institution opened in 1996 as Singapore's first art museum. Today, it hosts the Singapore Biennale and strives to build an important public collection of contemporary art from Southeast Asia.
Singapore's art schools also hold exhibitions of local and international artists. These include LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, National University of Singapore, among others. Other major museums and cultural institutions worth visiting are Platform Projects, the Asian Civilisations Museum, Jendela (Visual Arts Space) at the Esplanade, and National Design Centre.
Ocula Magazine is an online platform dedicated to publishing the best in contemporary art internationally. Explore our in-depth conversations, insights, features, news stories, and photologs covering the Singapore arts scene here.
Read MoreSince its launch in 2010, Ocula Magazine has interviewed some of Singapore's most significant artists including Shubigi Rao, as well as important figures who have shaped Singapore's art scene, not limited to June Yap, Emi Eu and Eugene Tan. Ocula Magazine has also published features of artists such as Georgette Chen, Charles Lim, Heman Chong and Dawn Ng.
In any given week, some of the world's most exciting artists exhibit in Singapore. Here you will find a selection of artists whose works are currently on show.
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Singapore has propelled the careers of local and international artists, with its museums and galleries providing a global stage for seminal exhibitions. Notable artists who have shown in the city include Charles Lim Yi Yong, Melati Suryodarmo, and Nam June Paik.
Since its 1965 independence, Singapore has cultivated a vibrant arts scene spread across museums, institutions, galleries, and independent art spaces. Its strategic port location and bustling cultural hub feed into local practices, inciting explorations of regional issues and their connections to the broader, international space.
Read MoreIts core, National Gallery Singapore, is a government-funded institution that features historically significant art from Southeast Asia and exhibitions by internationally acclaimed artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Nam June Paik. Established in 2015, NGS oversees the world's largest collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art.
Nearby, Singapore Art Museum stands ground among Singapore's best contemporary art museums. From its new location at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, SAM organises the biannual exhibition Singapore Biennale and is striving to build an important collection of contemporary art from the region.
In recent years, Tanjong Pagar Distripark has grown as a bustling hub for galleries. Its industrial architecture and harbour-side location have provided ample space for artists to experiment with scale, highlighting Singapore's context as a city-state that prides itself on global connections and routes. Gajah Gallery, Artspace@Helutrans, and the S.E.A. Focus art fair are all sited here.
Gillman Barracks, the art precinct, continues to be an important venue for Singapore, located approximately ten kilometres west of downtown Singapore. The former military barrack, now a leafy enclave, is home to internationally acclaimed galleries such as Yavuz Gallery, FOST Gallery, Yeo Workshop, and ShanghART Singapore.
Beyond museums and commercial galleries, Singapore also hosts non-profit and independent art spaces. STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, established in 2002, holds workshops supporting practices on print and paper. Its track record includes exhibitions by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Do Ho Suh, Manuel Ocampo, and Takashi Murakami.
Other independent art spaces around the city include Grey Projects, Objectifs, and starch. Located amid Singapore's oldest public estates in the Tiong Bahru district, Grey Projects focuses on design, writing, and curatorial research, often conducting reading groups, talks, and residencies with other partners in Asia.
With a focus on film and photography, Objectifs hosts exhibitions, screenings, and residencies to foster public appreciation for the above mediums, housed inside the Bras Basah.Bugis arts and culture precinct.
The youngest of the group, starch, began in 2021. Located in a former industrial complex north of the city, the artist-run space is an exciting venue for younger and emerging artists to experiment and develop their practices. As a space, it aims to facilitate critical conversations within an atmosphere of care and support.
Image: Singapore Skyline: Marina Bay Garden, Marina Bay Sands, and Raffles Place. Photo: Nicolas Lannuzel (CC BY-SA 2.0).
