Artists worry as Goodman Arts Centre hikes short-term rentals by 60 per cent

SINGAPORE – Artists renting project studios at Goodman Arts Centre have been informed of a 60 per cent rent hike by venue manager Arts House Group (AHG), a move that self-employed arts practitioners at the subsidised arts housing enclave say puts them in a tighter financial spot amid rising costs.

In a reply to The Straits Times’ queries on March 10, AHG said 24 hirers are affected and the hike will be implemented in three phases from December 2026 till December 2027. It justified the hike as rents “have remained unchanged and at a very low rate for 14 years”, adding that the venue operator had absorbed rising operating and maintenance costs through the Covid-19 period.

“An adjustment is needed to reflect current operating realities and ensure these spaces can be properly maintained,” the statement said.

While AHG said the hike rates vary depending on the space, tenants who spoke to ST said they have been informed of a 60 per cent hike in the past week.

Artist Ye Ruoshi, who currently rents for $1,016 monthly, was told in March that her studio would cost about $1,800 monthly by July 2027, although she was told that the first hike was planned for July 2026.

According to the AHG website, Goodman houses 24 project studio units for short-term use, with leases ranging between one and 12 months. It lists rental costs ranging from $390 a month for a 37 sq m unit to $780 a month for a 78 sq m unit, although artists report a higher monthly bill with utilities and other costs not included.

Ye, a self-employed full-time artist, said the news comes at a time when other costs like rental of exhibition spaces have gone up, and collectors are spending more cautiously with the global unrest.

The mother of four, who was also recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, said she has no choice but to accept the reality of the hike. “When it rains, it pours. We have to do multiple jobs in order to cover the rent now – in a way, it hinders our creativity. A lot of people think being an artist is glamorous, but we are suffering.”

In response to ST’s queries, AHG said it has no plans to increase rent for the other two project studios it manages at Stamford Arts Centre, which is currently listed for $1,162 and $1,193.50 a month on AHG’s website. It also said it has no plans to increase the rent for longer-term tenants of the three arts centres it manages, which include Aliwal Arts Centre.

Artist Christine R. Bay, who has been sharing a 66 sq m unit with the mural collective DPLMT since 2023, said it would be “a headache to restructure funds” and that the hike comes at a time when she has felt the impact of US tariffs and increasing material costs.

Still, as an artist working with large-scale paintings and sculptures, Bay will likely bear the cost and stay. “It is a significant jump, but I wouldn’t be able to find a space that big (at that price).”

Bay has applied for longer-term subsidised arts housing, but has been put on a waitlist. For comparison, indie arts enclave Pearl’s Hill Terrace’s master tenant Jerry Tan told ST a 7.5 sq m unit at his building is going for $500 monthly and a 67.3 sq m unit rents for $2,700.

StoryFest Singapore’s founder Kamini Ramachandran, who has been hiring a project studio at Goodman since 2017, said the impact will be felt keenly by emerging artists she supports. She is considering converting into a co-tenancy agreement, but is concerned about having to bear the full lease cost as lead tenant and having to navigate the possibility of incompatible art practices sharing a single space.

In the face of rising rents and the need for artists to co-tenant to make economic sense, she suggested that AHG could create a framework and legal structure for co-tenancy that it currently lacks.

As at 2025, AHG – a public company limited by guarantee under the National Arts Council (NAC) – houses some 200 artists in the three centres it manages.

Launched in 2011 as subsidised arts housing, Goodman is home to individual artists, major arts companies – including Checkpoint Theatre and T.H.E. Dance Company – as well as the NAC. Under NAC’s Framework for Arts Spaces, 80 per cent of rental is subsidised to ensure affordable arts housing options for artists.

The last major rent hike at Goodman reported was in 2017, when the NAC also cut subsidies on service charges. AHG’s move comes after major theatre company Pangdemonium announced its closure, citing increased cost as one of the reasons, and as sky-high commercial rental has axed bookstores, indie cinemas and restaurants in recent years.

In 2025, the NAC announced it was commissioning a study into future arts spaces that will inform cultural policy over the next decade.