If you think Singapore's art scene is confined to its major institutions and typical hotspots, it’s time to think again. Look closer, and you'll discover a treasure trove of lesser-known art galleries, each bursting with creativity and rich history.
Discover Singapore’s hidden gems: Top 10 must-visit local art galleries
LISTICLES
19 September 2024
By Rytasha Passion Raj
This Singapore Gallery Month (Sept 1 - 29), Catch is shining a spotlight on 10 hidden gems under the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS), the leading national body representing the interests of gallery owners and operators in Singapore.
These lesser-known galleries are the heartbeat of Singapore’s contemporary art scene, showcasing both local talents and renowned international artists and offering a fresh perspective on our vibrant art landscape.
So grab your camera and explore upcoming or ongoing exhibitions at these must-visit spots, each offering a unique and inspiring experience:
1. “Every Day I Pray For Love” at Ota Fine Arts (Sept 7 – Oct 19, 2024)
Founded in Tokyo in 1994, Ota Fine Arts has established itself as a trailblazer in Japanese contemporary art, featuring notable artists like the internationally acclaimed Yayoi Kusama.
The gallery is currently showcasing "Every Day I Pray for Love", an exhibition of recent works by Kusama, featuring 48 paintings and two new drawings from her latest series. This will be Kusama's first exhibition at Ota Fine Arts in three years, incorporating her iconic polkadot motifs and personal messages through a fun blend of marker pen and acrylic paints.
Kusama's work, influenced by her pandemic-era studio environment, reflects her ongoing quest to transcend personal boundaries and encapsulates the essence of her life and artistic journey. If you’d like to take a peek into Kusuma’s creative mind, this exhibition is the perfect opportunity.
2. “The Man Who Eventually Moved” at Cuturi Gallery (Sept 14 – Oct 19, 2024)
If you’re looking to support our local artists, this gallery has something in store for you. Cuturi Gallery is a contemporary art space in Singapore dedicated to making art empowering and meaningful. It highlights a new generation of Singaporean artists through residencies and exhibitions locally and internationally, while collaborating with both emerging and established global artists.
The gallery is excited to present “The Man Who Eventually Moved”, a new series by Singaporean artist Faris Heizer. This collection explores themes of stillness, routine, and the comfort of the mundane through introspective and personal works.
Heizer’s paintings, characterised by their fuzzy, dream-like quality created with thin glazes of acrylic and dry brushwork, evoke a sense of quiet endurance. His creative process is introspective and deeply personal, and often takes inspiration from depictions of everyday life. So, there’s definitely something you can resonate with when you visit this exhibition.
3. “Wei Leng Tay: Staring into Voids and Blues” at Yeo Workshop (Sept 14 – Oct 20, 2024)
Located in Singapore’s Gillman Barracks, Yeo Workshop is a contemporary art gallery that highlights cutting-edge Southeast Asian artists across traditional and innovative mediums, including computer-generated imagery (CGI) and artificial intelligence (AI). The gallery is dedicated to fostering dialogue and critical discourse through its diverse roster of artists, who engage deeply with contemporary socio-cultural issues.
This Singapore Gallery Month, Yeo Workshop presents “Staring into Voids and Blues”, a solo exhibition by Wei Leng Tay. Featuring photographic prints and installations, Tay's work reimagines archival images through digital and physical manipulation to explore memory and historical perception.
When you visit the exhibition, you can experience Tay's innovative approach to photography, which challenges traditional views and allows for diverse interpretations through visual abstraction and geometric forms.
4. “Solivagant: An Exhibition of Photographs” at ARTitude Galería (Sept 7 – 27, 2024)
As Tay has proven, contemporary art isn’t just about paintings. Photography is a huge aspect of the scene as well, and it takes the limelight in “Solivagant: An Exhibition of Photographs”, an exhibition showcased by ARTitude Galería.
ARTitude Galería, focused on Colombian and Latin-American art, repositions these visuals within Asian contexts. The gallery encourages artists to deepen their techniques and concepts, fostering their development as industry leaders.
Their photographic exhibition “Solivagant: An Exhibition of Photographs” by Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Rinpoche offers a visually striking exploration of solitude through evocative images. The exhibition highlights the beauty of nature and the experience of wandering alone in quiet reflection. Each photograph captures a delicate interplay of light and shadow, inviting you to pause and meditate – the perfect way to escape the banalities of daily life.
5. “Eruption” at Sundaram Tagore Gallery (Sept 13 – Nov 9, 2024)
Founded in 2000 in New York City, Sundaram Tagore Gallery aims to redefine the art landscape by spotlighting artists engaged in cross-cultural explorations. By challenging the dominant narrative that Western artists were at the forefront of collectible art, the gallery showcases a diverse roster of artists who merged Western visual language with elements from Asia, the Subcontinent, and the Middle East.
This global approach has led to the gallery's expansion to Hong Kong in 2008 and Singapore in 2012, with the same goal of providing artists with a space to showcase their diverse works.
Today, the gallery presents U.S.-based artist Kenny Nguyen’s debut solo exhibition in Singapore, "Eruption". Inspired by his recent travels in Vietnam, Nguyen’s new paintings explore the themes of cultural identity, displacement, and integration. His unique technique –using silk, a material of cultural significance – reflects his personal journey of deconstruction and reconstruction, a recurring theme in this exhibition.
6. “From Passion to Mission” at Prestige Art Gallery (Aug 17 – Sept 29, 2024)
Prestige Art Gallery is located in Singapore's Central Business District at the Bank of Singapore Centre, in partnership with OCBC Private Banking. The gallery focuses on bridging East and West art and culture, enhancing art appreciation, and integrating art into everyday life. It also aims to connect art with capital and philanthropy, support artists' social impact, and provide expert advice on art investment.
In its inaugural exhibition, "From Passion to Mission", the gallery features prominent Southeast Asian artists like Singapore’s Cheong Soo Pieng, Indonesian icons Affandi and Fadjar Sidik, Modern Art Society’s co-founder Ho Ho Ying, and multimedia artist Tang Da Wu.
This exhibition highlights works from the 1980s, a transformative period marked by significant economic and cultural shifts in Southeast Asia. It explores themes of Abstractionism and Expressionism, reflecting the era's dynamic growth and cross-cultural dialogue. Some featured pieces were previously displayed at the 60th Venice Biennale, demonstrating how these artists not only advanced the regional art scene but also fostered a global appreciation for Southeast Asian creativity.
7. “Timeless Masterpieces: Contemporary Chinese Art Through the Ages” at New Art Museum Singapore (Whitestone Gallery) (Jun 22 – Nov 10, 2024)
Founded in Tokyo in 1967, Whitestone Gallery has played a key role in promoting Japanese post-war and contemporary art, particularly through its focus on Gutai (the first radical, post-war artistic group in Japan).
The gallery has expanded its international presence with the establishment of the New Art Museum in Karuizawa, Japan, in 2012, then extending its presence in Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Seoul and Singapore. Its diverse roster includes artists from Japan as well as China, South Korea, the Philippines, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and beyond.
Their current exhibition "Timeless Masterpieces: Contemporary Chinese Art Through the Age" features eight Chinese artists across generations and media, blending traditional and modern approaches. It features a myriad of art mediums, including digital artwork, narrative film, an innovative fusion of printmaking and oil painting, abstract forms, and interrelated calligraphy, painting, and sculpture.
The modern approach of the exhibition highlights a seamless integration of new media and contemporary techniques with traditional art forms, creating a dialogue between past and present that aims to transcend time.
8. “Kemalezedine; Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting” at Mizuma Gallery (Sept 7 – Oct 13, 2024)
Another Tokyo-born gallery is the Mizuma Art Gallery, which has expanded its reach with spaces in Beijing, Singapore, and New York. Since opening in Singapore's Gillman Barracks in 2012, the gallery has focused on promoting East Asian artists and introducing Southeast Asian artists to the global stage. It features notable figures like Ai Weiwei and actively participates in international art fairs as part of elevating Asian artists worldwide.
One such artist is Indonesian Kemalezedine, whose solo exhibition "Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting" is being showcased at the gallery. Having relocated to Bali in 2011, Kemalezedine delved deeply into Balinese art techniques, particularly drawing with bamboo pens and using traditional colours, which inspired the distinct style prominent in this exhibition.
9. “Poetry in Motion” at Confluence Art Space (Sept 3 – Oct 6, 2024)
Confluence Art Space is a Singapore-based art gallery that aspires to become a key hub for art enthusiasts and notable artworks. Through its exhibitions and curatorial projects, the gallery seeks to deepen public interest and understanding of visual arts. Its roster features esteemed Nanyang pioneers such as Chen Wen Hsi and Liu Kang, alongside second-generation Cultural Medallion recipients like Chua Ek Kay and Lim Tze Peng.
The gallery is proud to present "Poetry in Motion”, a major exhibition featuring 45 masterpieces by 2009 Cultural Medallion recipient Ang Ah Tee. Spanning over five decades of the artist's career, this is the most comprehensive review of Ang's work to date.
The exhibition includes rare oils from the 1970s and 1980s, early mixed media pieces, acclaimed acrylics, and recent ink paintings. "Poetry in Motion" highlights Ang's signature gestural strokes and diverse styles, culminating in his distinctive lyrical compositions.
10. “Graffiti Alchemist: Journey of Knowledge and Chromatic Craft” at The Columns Gallery Singapore (July 25 – Sept 29, 2024)
Established in New York in 1994 and rebranded in Seoul in 2005, The Columns Gallery Singapore has become a leading contemporary art venue in Asia. It connects Korean artists with the global market and, since opening in Singapore in 2019, has also promoted Southeast Asian artists. The gallery leverages its presence in Korea and Singapore to enhance cross-cultural exchange between East and Southeast Asia.
Today it presents "Graffiti Alchemist: Journey of Knowledge and Chromatic Craft”, a solo exhibition by French-Vietnamese artist Cyril Kongo. This vibrant showcase highlights Kongo’s mastery of graffiti, blending energetic colours, shapes, and symbols to explore his diverse heritage and spiritual journey.
His work, infused with themes of love, warmth, and empathy, transcends cultural barriers, inviting viewers to connect with their shared humanity. Kongo’s art celebrates the craft of graffiti as both a form of artistic expression and a reflection of his commitment to knowledge and creativity.
These are just a handful of the art experiences available in Singapore.With over 30 member galleries under the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS) and prominent events such as the Affordable Art Fair and ART SG, there’s always something new and exciting to explore.
This Singapore Gallery Month, you can also look forward to free guided tours of galleries in Gillman Barracks and Tanjong Pagar Distripark, art education programmes, family-friendly programmes in collaboration with non-profit organisations Mama on Palette and Peace of Art, wellness and art sessions.
Just for this month, you can explore beyond these galleries with free guided tours at Gillman Barracks and Tanjong Pagar Distripark, family-friendly programmes in collaboration with Mama on Palette and Peace of Art, as well as wellness and art education sessions.
Image Credits: Yeo Workshop, designboom, Faris Heizer, Wei Leng Tay, ARTitude Galería, Kenny Nguyen, Prestige Art Gallery, New Art Museum Singapore, Kemalezedine, Ang Ah Tee, The Columns Gallery Singapore
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