5 Best Singapore Art Galleries For Exhibiting Singapore Artwork

The Singapore Art Museum (abbreviation: SAM), also known as the Singapore Art Gallery is an innovative art museum found in the heart of the downtown core of Singapore. formerly a Catholic Church, it is now one of the world s leading modern visual arts museums with one of the largest collections of local, Southeast and East Asian contemporary artists. Established in 1965, it was created to support the growing community in Singapore of artists of the country. Today the museum is world famous for its diverse and lively collection of over 800 works of art, many of which excellently illustrate the history and tradition of Singapore, the diverse landscape of the country and the art and craftsmanship of its people.

SAM’s present incarnation is a result of the combined efforts of numerous government, private and non-profit organizations in order to bring together all the strands of the country’s contemporary art history into a single location. While the government sector of the museum was initially responsible for the construction of the complex, the private sector took over in the late sixties when the then prime minister, Mr. Johnissan, had the idea of turning the then-scrapped Damai Village into a thriving commercial center. Aided by the then newly-established MRT line and the erection of the current Orchard Road station, the entire area has been revitalized, with new buildings springing up all around the old village sites.

The transformation of Orchard Road was accompanied by a boom in real estate and development in other areas in Singapore including the country’s Chinatown. With the success of these endeavors, there emerged a new group of entrepreneurs with the vision to start a business that would help revive the cultural aspects of Malay and Chinese communities in Singapore – a group that came to be known as the Malay or Chinese Connection. These entrepreneurs started to purchase old structures along the Malay and Chinese heritage areas and turn them into mini-museums of Singapore culture, with an aim to revive and preserve the distinctiveness of their heritage. Over the years, these new businesses have grown into large conglomerates and today there are some seven such firms operating in total, with more opening their doors every day. Today, you can find a number of buildings with their distinctive characteristic lines that have been turned into Singapore art centers.

These modern establishments are mostly made of bricks, tiles, marble, and concrete and feature intricate carvings on the facades and in the walls, using mostly local materials that have been locally produced. These buildings include villas, condominiums, shops, and public spaces, all dedicated to showcasing the unique features of the town of Singapore. The projects range from the highly stylized and highly furnished Mandarin Chinese villas, to the handcrafted hawker centers and end of life bungalows of the district. There are also Singapore art museums within the premises of these buildings, where visitors can indulge in the wonderful and delightful world of paintings, sculptures, photography and other forms of contemporary arts.

Another group of establishments that display the finest of Singapore’s visual arts are the colonial-styled churches. These beautiful edifices were originally constructed as the place of worship for the local population many centuries ago, and they remain the same today. These elegant structures are made primarily of wood, and attractive feature gazebos, steeples, nave windows, and lanterns that are intricately carved and exquisitely painted. The presence of paintings of animals, birds, flowers, and marine life along the walls and ceilings of these buildings provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Singaporeans hundreds of years ago.

Last, but not least is the Singapore Art Museum. This long and narrow structure located at the corner of the popular Serangoon Road caters to the tastes of both the contemporary artists and the enthusiasts of local art scene. Here one can find a great number of paintings, sculptures, pottery and other works that are uniquely Singaporean. Besides, there are also exhibits of works by renowned international artists. The Singapore Art Museum showcases the works of several national and local artists, while preserving the local art scene in this multicultural city.