Exploring The Singapore Art Museum

I was walking along Queen Street, exploring Singapore on foot, and I saw that Singapore Art Museum was having an OPEN HOUSE in honor of Singapore Biennale 2011, an international art festival, so I thought, why not take advantage of the free admission? A little art appreciation wouldn't hurt, right? And boy, was I glad I did, because I actually really enjoyed the experience.

Singapore Art Museum is a state-of-the-art-museum that houses a large collection of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian artworks. The museum isn't that big, so you can actually cover the whole place in just about 2 hours. I took a lot of pictures (my digital camera was running low on batteries that I had to go buy some more at a nearby 7-Eleven) and listed below are just some of my favorite pieces.

Committing Suicide Culture: The Only Way Thai Farmers Escape Debt

Heritage Tunnel by Briccio Santos (Filipino) is an endless tunnel of books created with mirrors.

The slippers that make up these larger-than-life "WINGS" were worn by inmates of the Singapore Prisons. By forming these slippers into shapes of wings, this works speaks of freedom, redemption and hope for the previous owners of these slippers.

Lang Kacang - this warrior is a corroding assemblage of industrial metal,
cheap mass-produced parts, and unwanted discards.

Bayang-bayang Maha Kecil (Shadows of the Tiniest Kind) - the Arabic inscriptions are a mixture of prayers and invocations, mostly for protection against undesirable spirits, a typical practice in traditional Javanese culture.

Room or portrait?

There was also this room which houses a bizarre exhibit entitled “My We” by Louie Cordero. Another Filipino, his figures are inspired by the spate of murders motivated by people’s renditions of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ in Filipino karaoke bars. There was this karaoke machine which spouts out the song "My Way" in a loop. 

The whole room was painted neon pink, which is a really pretty color by the way, but the highlight of this room are the 4 grotesque sculptures scattered across the room in various positions. Check them out, not all people can appreciate this exhibit, and it's certainly not for the squeamish.

There were many art pieces that I loved in the museum that it wouldn't be practical to list them all here. Anyway, it was a joy to spend a leisurely afternoon having my fill of both art and culture. You should definitely check out the museum if you have a couple of hours to spare. I recommend going on a Friday night between 6 and 9 pm, when admission is free, or visit during an open house (like I did).

Official Website

Opening hours
    Mon to Sun 10.00am - 7.00pm (Last admission is at 6.15pm)
    Fri 10.00am - 9.00pm

General Admission Charges
    Adult - $10
    Student - $5
    Senior citizen aged 60 and above - $5
    Groups of 20 or more - 20% discount

    Admission is free for visitors aged 6 years and below, Singaporean or Permanent Resident senior citizens, full-time NSFs, and students and teachers from local schools.*

    Free admission to SAM every Fri from 6.00pm - 9.00pm and on Open House days.

Address/Contact
    SAM - 71 Bras Basah Road S(189555)
    SAM at 8Q - 8 Queen Street S(188535)Singapore 189555
    Phone (65) 6332 3222

 How to get to SAM
    By Bus
    SBS - 7, 14, 16, 36, 111, 131, 162, 175, 508, 518
    SMRT - 77, 167, 171, 700

    By MRT
    2-minute walk from Bras Basah MRT Station
    10-minute walk from Dhoby Ghaut, City Hall or Bugis MRT stations

    By Car
    Carparks available at Waterloo Street, Queen Street, NTUC Income Centre and Plaza by the Park