Singapore Art Museum to reopen 2 years later than planned

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM), currently closed for a $90 million revamp, will reopen in 2023 instead of 2021 as originally planned.

Ms Chong Siak Ching, deputy chair of SAM's executive committee of the board and head of the Visual Arts Cluster, said the delay was due to conservation issues: "As we went into the detailed investigation of the building, we discovered, as a very old heritage building that was last renovated 20 over years ago when SAM first opened, there were a lot more areas that we had to address than we originally anticipated.

"We wanted to make sure that the work we now have the opportunity to do, in terms of conserving these features, is very carefully done."

She was speaking yesterday at a press conference at the Practice Space in Waterloo Street, home of theatre group The Theatre Practice, to unveil the new architectural design by SCDA Architects.

There will be a new "floating" sky gallery with a column-free space where large contemporary works of art can be displayed.

A spacious new double-volume entryway will be introduced along Queen Street to welcome visitors exiting the Bras Basah MRT station.

And a gallery-cum-bridge will offer a seamless connection between the old St Joseph's Institution and former Catholic High School buildings.

Mr Chan Soo Khian, SCDA's founding principal and design director, said: "We have taken great pains to make sure the new additions don't overwhelm the existing buildings."

The new galleries will add 30 per cent more space to the institution and relieve the heritage buildings of the stresses of exhibiting contemporary art.

The sky gallery, in particular, which adds 1,200 sq m to the exhib

ition capacity, will improve the quality of the exhibition space with temperature and humidity controls as well as a voluminous space that can accommodate large-scale installations. This will enable SAM to host multiple exhibitions.

Dr Eugene Tan, director of SAM and the National Gallery Singapore, said that heading both institutions will allow better collaboration going forward: "It's easier for us to coordinate in terms of programming and collections, and look at how our museums serve the public."

Although SAM may be closed, he pointed out that the museum is still organising exhibitions in the community as well as in the region. It currently has an exhibit in Kuala Lumpur, and another is planned for Hong Kong. It is also the organiser of the ongoing Singapore Biennale, which ends on March 22.

The biennale, currently spread across 11 venues, could also move back to the revamped SAM, although Dr Tan said this is still being discussed.