SINGAPORE – Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film is staying put at 155 and 161 Middle Road. The National Arts Council (NAC) has renewed the centre’s lease for three years from March 2024 to Feb 2027 under the Arts Centre Scheme.
The visual arts space, located in two buildings spanning 598 sq m at No. 155, is taking back the 149 sq m space at No. 161. The latter building is currently occupied by Artichoke. The restaurant was set up by chef-owner Bjorn Shen in 2010, when the arts tenant was Sculpture Square.
The lease renewal is good news for Objectifs, which will mark its 20th anniversary with a slew of programmes in November and December.
Programme director Chelsea Chua says: “We are really excited about the prospect of expanding the physical space.”
Objectifs co-founder and director Emmeline Yong adds that the centre is planning to build a dark room, which was previously not possible as the buildings at 155 had no running water.
There are also plans to expand the programming, such as an art accelerator programme to encourage artist collaborations, as well as cross-industry partnerships beyond the arts to areas such as technology, finance, design and food.
“We’re looking to break down the silos in which we are working. Although our key art form is photography and film, it’s very much in our DNA to see the ways we can work in the wider arts ecosystem,” says Ms Yong.
The team is also thinking of a Youth Lab programme to teach children and teenagers visual literacy as well as expanding its residencies for artists. Another possibility is creating a maker space where families and children can tinker and learn.
The centre will be looking to raise $600,000 over the next three years to fund renovation work in 2024, as well as to cover operational costs.
Objectifs moved into the Middle Road premises in 2015 under the NAC’s arts housing scheme. The centre derived rental income from Artichoke, which defrays operational costs.
This revenue model came under scrutiny in 2021, when the NAC said that The Substation’s rental income from Timbre constituted indirect funding. This idea of indirect funding became a hot topic in the arts community, which worried about the introduction of a new indicator of financial sustainability.
An NAC spokesman says that under the Arts Centre Scheme, leases are offered on a three-year term with a maximum of three terms. After the nine years, arts groups can reapply for another three-year term.
The spokesman adds: “Objectifs will have more space at the premises to dedicate for arts programmes and use in its new lease. To further defray operating costs, arts groups are encouraged to diversify its income sources from its practice, consider other grant schemes and/or fund-raise.”
