Singapore Art Museum

What if the most mundane moments of your day held the potential for artistic revelation? Everyday Practices, the inaugural exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum’s new gallery in Tanjong Pagar Distripark, takes this concept and runs with it. With 21 thought-provoking artworks from 19 artists and 1 collective spanning 10 Asian countries, the exhibition delves into the rhythms of daily life, asking what happens when ordinary actions are pushed to their limits. Inspired by Hsieh Tehching’s legendary One Year Performance 1978-1979, the show offers an engaging look at how routine can be transformed into art, tapping into resilience and endurance. Complementing the exhibition are a series of public programmes designed to spark conversation and fresh perspectives on the contemporary world.

Seeing Forest will soon be at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, marking its Singapore debut. After its run in Venice, Robert Zhao Renhui’s exhibition invites you to explore the lesser-known world of Singapore’s secondary forests – areas that have regrown after human-caused deforestation. Drawing on nearly a decade of research, Zhao encourages us to look past the city’s familiar skyline and dive into the complex ecosystems of these often-overlooked spaces. The exhibition will feature a mix of videos and sculptures, originally shown in Venice, transforming SAM’s gallery into an immersive forest-like environment filled with sights, sounds, and stories. Zhao’s work brings these spaces to life, showing everything from sambar deer that escaped a zoo in the ‘70s to Japanese sparrowhawks stopping for a drink, and even a wild boar giving birth just outside Zhao’s apartment. Seeing Forest was first presented at the Singapore Pavilion during the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte 2024). When it opens in Singapore, it’s a great chance to discover a side of the city you might not know and think about how we fit into these wild, untamed places.