An exciting line-up of exhibitions and art experiences by local artists including experimental band The Observatory, art collective vertical submarine and SAM’s pilot Residents, alongside international artists like Korakrit Arunanondchai and Gan Siong King await visitors as SAM opens its new space in Tanjong Pagar Distripark from 14 January 2022 onwards.
The exhibitions and art experiences will be complemented by free and ticketed on-site activities for a wide range of audiences. Spanning two floors with over 3,000 square metres, SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark was first announced alongside SAM’s new strategic direction in 2021, signalling its shift away from the four walls of a museum as part of its plans to diffuse art into various parts of Singapore.
“The opening of SAM’s new space in Tanjong Pagar Distripark marks a key milestone for us as SAM brings the experience of art to unexpected and everyday spaces,” says Dr Eugene Tan, Director of SAM. “This expansive space allows us to showcase large-scale works and installations – from experimental, multidisciplinary art, to multi-sensorial family-friendly exhibitions. The space is purposefully designed to spark collaborations between our partners, artists and audiences, and will be a key site for talks, workshops and programmes. With its unique location in a historic port and near heritage neighbourhoods, we hope that SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark will be a new art destination for people of all ages and backgrounds to discover contemporary art, create new memories and connections, and be inspired by different perspectives about our world today as well as our possible futures.”
SAM’s new space on Level 1 in Tanjong Pagar Distripark features two climate-controlled galleries that will host large-scale exhibitions by Singapore-based band The Observatory, and Thai-born and US-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai respectively.
Korakrit Arunanondchai’s A Machine Boosting Energy into the Universe pictured above transforms Gallery 2 into a post-apocalyptic environment with used electronics, auto parts, and clothing that have been refashioned into cyborgian figures. A site-specific manifestation of the artist’s 2015-16 video installation, Painting with history in a room filled with people with funny names 3, will unfold in the space.
As the inaugural presentation of SAM’s long-term curatorial agenda titled Material Intelligence, this exhibition explores the coming together of craft and industrial modes of production, advanced technologies, and spiritual beliefs, inviting visitors to be in communion not just with each other, but also with machines and ghosts.
More information on SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark and its opening programmes may be found here
