New Multi-Storey Singapore Art Museum Now Open At Tanjong Pagar With Free Entry & Cafe With Port Views
If you’ve recently walked past the grand colonial building that is the Singapore Art Museum, you’d have noticed some quirky hoarding with mahjong designs and colourful murals surrounding it. That’s because the site has closed its doors for extensive redevelopment works till 2026, but don’t worry, your artsy adventures won’t have to take a hit. SAM has since set up its new home at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, with its grand opening timed just right to coincide with Singapore Art Week 2022.
P.S.: For more artsy fun, check out our list of 12 most IG-worthy installations at Light To Night Festival 2022 - entry is free and a handful of exhibits are open till as late as 12AM!
Read on to find out more about Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark!
Current exhibits at Singapore Art Museum Tanjong Pagar
Photo from Singapore Art Museum
Tanjong Pagar Distripark is a grungy industrial building that’s about 20 minutes away from Outram Park MRT station on foot. It’s unassuming on the outside, blending in with the rest of the nondescript grey complexes along the row, but step in and you won’t be disappointed.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
The first and most obvious sign of this being an arts-related space? The colourful lift landing that’s wrapped in a vivid mural, 3D details, and neon lights.
Photo from Singapore Art Museum
SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark spans across a number of units across the first and third floor. Currently, one of the main exhibitions is REFUSE on Level 1, a curious exploration of decomposition and composition - both in the biological and musical sense.
Photo from @theobservatorysg via Instagram
Among the wooden dome structure and wooden pallets, expect to see a blend of music and art, as well as a couple of fungal specimens on show.
The third floor of SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark is where Singapore Art Museum’s office is, along with exhibits by resident artists.
Singapore Art Week 2022 exhibits at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Photo from @ctrl.unit via Instagram
While you're there, you might as well immerse yourself in the rest of the Singapore Art Week 2022 exhibits, including Compartment by local art collective CTRL UNIT on Level 5. Look for the big black box by a corner of the gallery - that’s where you want to be.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Many thought-provoking surprises await, and while we don’t want to give too much away, we’d like to draw your attention to this ethereal installation of projection art cast onto translucent drapes. The images here shift from dreamlike scenes of nature to abstract lines and bursts of light, creating an overall otherworldly effect.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Here’s a hint: As you go through the different nooks and rooms of Compartment, you’ll notice some words on the walls. Take a closer look, piece different parts together, and you’ll uncover a contrasting message from what’s seen on the surface.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Do also look out for abstract wall art within the sprawling gallery space!
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
For additional food for thought and an exploration of happiness, head on over to the Happy House exhibition on the same floor - a curation of artwork from both local and international artists.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Need to rest your feet? Check out the multisensory piece is Kaleidoscope of Emotions by Reza Hasni and Kin Leonn, where you’ll be lying on a cushioned mat to gaze up at a varicoloured audio visual installation with deconstructed motifs blending into one vibrant kaleidoscopic display.
Photo from @mama.magnet via Instagram
Spot magic symbols, geometric shapes, colours of the chakra, and even what looks like human muscles as the patterns ebb and flow along to the music.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Free photo booth prints at SAM Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Photo from Singapore Art Museum
Remember Dollop Automat? They’re back with another photo booth experience, in conjunction with the Flirting Point installation by Vertical Submarine. Time to get your best flirty face on and snap some cheeky photos with bae! Best part? The photo strip prints are free of charge!
Photo from Dollop Print Club
This photo booth is a limited-time pop-up, and its last run as part of the museum’s opening event will be on 22 and 23 January 2022.
P.S.: Check out our article on Dollop Print Club’s new neoprint machines in Singapore, which come with cute stickers, frames, and drawing function at an affordable $10 per sheet. These can be found at various permanent locations across the island, so that’s one alternative you can go for if you can’t make it to SAM this weekend.
Cafe at SAM Tanjong Pagar Distripark
If sipping on a cuppa with a good book in hand sounds like your kind of thing, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for the eventual opening of the coffee bookshop at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, a joint venture between Epigram Bookshop and Balestier Market Collective. It’s not ready yet, but we heard that it’ll be open by the middle of the year, with views of the adjacent port.
Other art galleries at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Photo from @the.itinerant.curator via Instagram
SAM isn’t the only arts organisation occupying Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Venture across the other floors and you’ll come across a couple of other galleries like Gajah Gallery and 39+ Art Space. The latter currently has an exhibition featuring paintings by Thai artist Mit Jai Inn, which depict landscapes at sunrise, sunset, and everything in between.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
Some of these paintings are connected to form a rainbow-hued walkway that’ll have you literally finding light at the end of the tunnel, while a connected room features more of these beautiful multicoloured works lining the walls.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
This Mit Jai Inn exhibition will be running till 12 March 2022.
Photo from GirlStyle Singapore
All the exhibits and installations listed above are correct at time of writing, but as with most museums, these are subject to change to provide visitors with a fresh experience every so often. As such, you can expect them to rotate in a couple of weeks or months, depending on their individual run periods. If you like what you've seen so far, plan a visit ASAP so you don't miss out!
Entry to Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark is free of charge for all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Else, standard tickets for Adults cost $10 - but these fees are presently being waived from now till 14 February 2022 as part of the museum’s opening celebrations.
Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Address: 39 Keppel Road, Singapore 089065
Opening hours: 10am - 7pm daily
Telephone: 6697 9730
Website
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
