Visitors to Singapore Art Museum (SAM) are promised upgraded facilities and expanded learning spaces in a S$90 million (US$65m) facelift.
The upgrade also aims to meet future curatorial needs of the museum. These would include creating double volume spaces for technologically demanding works or large- scale installations. These include works such as Suzann Victor’s Rainbow Circle – as pictured above.
“SAM’s role has expanded,” notes Jane Ittogi, chair of the Singapore Art Museum. “The complete revamp of SAM’s two buildings will be a major boost to our efforts to enable Singaporeans to experience contemporary art, and to showcase our important Singaporean artists and those from the region”
“In our art scene’s next phase of development, we need to enlarge the space for engaging content to emerge,” adds Singapore Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Grace Fu. “With this revamp, SAM will be able to showcase a wider range of contemporary art works, including multimedia works.”
The Singapore government is prepared to fund up to $80 million, with help from the Cultural Matching Fund. The remaining sum will be raised through sponsorship and donations. The main SAM building will be closed for development after the ongoing de-installation of the 2016 Singapore Biennale artworks. Active museum programming, however, will continue at SAM throughout 2017. There will also be displays in other museums, institutions and community spaces from 2018 onwards. The project is targeted for completion in 2021.
The Singapore Art Museum opened in 1996 in a converted space that once housed the former Saint Joseph’s Institution. In 2008, it celebrated the opening of the four-storey extension SAM at 8Q. The museum is dedicated to the presentation, collection and research of Southeast Asian and Singaporean contemporary art. Its important collection is complemented by a growing international contemporary art component.
