As a multicultural country, Singapore offers interesting experiences for tourists who visit. For art and culture lovers, Singapore is the right destination to dive deeper into Visual Art. Various art media in Singapore have a distinctive Singapore identity.
From sculpture, painting, calligraphy, ceramics, paper and cloth art, performing arts, film, and music, art reflects the long history of Singapore from its colonial days until now as an independent country.Streets, shopping centres, hotels, and museums in Singapore celebrate art that reflect its multiculturalism.
You can experience different and unimaginable art in Singapore on your next vacation.Starting from visiting art galleries and museums, annual grand art exhibitions, participating in art activities, and becoming a collector of art items in Singapore.Some of the arts you can find in Singapore now can be purchased online through a special marketplace such as www.art.rtistiq.com
But you can also jot down these arts-related activities for your next holiday in Singapore. Let’s explore the visual arts in Singapore for an eye-opening and Instagrammable holiday experience.
Art Galleries in Singapore
Visiting from one gallery to another is a fun activity for the art lovers. No exception, for those of you who are just starting to like art, the galleries are the right place to observe the work and, sometime, talk directly with the artists.
Check out the following recommendations for art galleries in Singapore.
Art Porters Gallery
This art gallery is located in a Peranakan style shophouse. The art collection focuses on contemporary art from local Singaporean artists and international artists.
You can find various art media here, ranging from paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and digital animation. Art Porters Gallery also regularly organizes special exhibitions for artists.
- Address: 64 Spottiswoode Park Road Singapore 088652
- Phone: +65 6909 0468
- WhatsApp: +65 9144 7468
- Website: https://www.artporters.com/
Gajah Gallery
Over the years, Gajah Gallery has been committed to supporting leading artists and emerging Southeast Asian artists to introduce their talents to the international arena.
The gallery also collaborates with the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and the National University of Singapore Museum to host a minimum of five art exhibitions every year. Gajah Gallery has another branch in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
- Address: 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark #03-04, Singapore 089065
- Phone: +65 6737 4202
- Website: https://gajahgallery.com/
Cuturi Gallery
This contemporary art gallery has a collection of various works of painting and sculpture in various art styles.
Gallery founder Kevin Troyano Cuturi presents an inclusive and democratic art ecosystem to encourage collaboration between artists, collectors, and the art industry.
He also encourages artists’ entrepreneurial spirit to ensure that artists can continue to be free to work but remain prosperous. One of them is by way of price transparency. You can even buy this gallery art directly through the site with the price listed.
- Address: 61 Aliwal Street, 199937
- Phone: (+65) 8182 0214
- Email: singapore@cuturigallery.com
- Website: https://www.cuturigallery.com/
Gillman Barracks
Gillman Barracks is a large art gallery that occupies a former military barracks from 1936. It is a home for famous and emerging artists from Asia.
Over the time, Gillman Barracks became a great community for artists, art lovers, collectors, and anyone interested in art.
The location of Gillman Barracks is surrounded by beautiful green gardens, complete with restaurants available that make visitors feel more at home.
- Address: 9 Lock Road, Singapura 108937
- Email: gillmanbarracks@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.gillmanbarracks.com/
Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2022
The biggest annual arts event in Singapore, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) will be held on May 20 to June 5 bring The Anatomy of Performance – Ritual theme. This year’s SIFA features new works commissioned by a mix of local and international artists.
By being a platform for local and international artists from various disciplines and perspectives to collaborate and exchange ideas, SIFA 2022 is a catalyst for bold creative crossroads and artistic innovation. Prior to its opening later in May, you can also embark on the journey of SIFA 2022 through the new virtual venue, Life Profusion.
Early bird tickets for SIFA 2022, which offer audiences savings of 20%, go on sale from 22 February 2022 08:00am to 31 March 2022 11.59 PM at http://www.sifa.sg/.
Museums VisitSingapore is home to many museums. You can comfortably view the art collections in these museums and take part in special activities for visitors.
National Gallery Singapore
National Gallery Singapore is the perfect place for art, culture and history lovers. The gallery is home to the most comprehensive collection of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
National Gallery Singapore also has a variety of interesting programs for visitors and collaborative programs with artists that you can watch. During the pandemic, they regularly hold virtual events that air on Facebook Live.
You and your children can also contribute by participating in creating works of art such as poetry. National Gallery Singapore regularly organizes the Gallery Children’s Biennale to instil empathy and confidence in children through imaginative and interactive art.
- Address: 1 St Andrew’s Road, #01 – 01, Singapura 178957
- Phone: +65 6271 7000
- Email: info@nationalgallery.sg
- Website: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/
ArtScience Museum
You can easily recognize the iconic ArtScience Museum building when you visit Singapore. The shape of a blooming flower inspired the building designed by world architect Mosh Safdie.
Not only beautiful building facades but at ArtScience Museum, you can also find a variety of beautiful and amazing works of art because the ArtScience Museum collection combines technology and art.
You can view and try interactive experiences with the artwork here—for example, the Human+ exhibition depicting the future of human augmentation, cyborgs, and clones.There is also a Disney: Magic of Animation exhibition with the technology and artistic feel of 3D animation that children will surely love.
During the pandemic, ArtScience Museum also invites visitors from various parts of the world to participate in virtual activities and invite talented artists and musicians.
- Address: 6 Bayfront Ave, Singapura 018974
- Phone: +65 6688 8888
- Email: museumenquiries@marinabaysands.com
- Website: https://id.marinabaysands.com/museum/artscience
Museum of Ice Cream
The museum, which opened in August 2021, features Instagramable installation art. At first glance, the Museum of
Ice Cream looks reminiscent of the imaginative film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
The colour of the installation in this museum is predominantly pink and other pastel colours. There are 14 interactive multi-sensory installations, allowing visitors to freely imagine.
This museum also provides a variety of ice cream with unique flavours, from black glutinous rice to Bandung lychee. Museum of Ice Cream can be the beginning to introduce art to children in a fun atmosphere.
- Address: 100 Loewen Road Singapore 248837
- Email: hello@museumoficecream.com.sg.
- Website: https://www.museumoficecream.com/
Street Arts
Beautiful murals represent street art in Singapore by local and international mural artists. Not infrequently, mural artists are invited by district managers in Singapore to beautify the environment.
For those of you who visit Singapore, seeing art can be started from the street, especially the murals in the corners of the building.
Kampong Gelam’s Gelam Gallery
The best place to enjoy murals in Singapore is Kampong Gelam’s Gelam Gallery because every corner of this street is filled with beautiful murals. Another name for Kampong Gelam’s Gelam Gallery is an outdoor art gallery.
The types of murals at Kampong Gelam’s Gelam Gallery are bold and vibrant colors, such as murals by Colombian artist Didier Jaba Mathieu at Bazuka Rooftop Bistro (122 Arab Street), at Blu Jaz Cafe (11 Bali Lane), and at Piedra Negra (241 Beach Road ).
Kampong Gelam’s Gelam Gallery is also full of interesting cafes for those of you who want to rest after taking pictures among the beautiful murals.
Singapore River
In the Singapore River underpass, there is a very beautiful Underpass Mural. The location is Instagramable with perfect lighting. The murals here include the Gala-Mother Earth mural, which shows the beauty of nature, The Dove, The Dragon, and The Clock, which shows the atmosphere of the 1970-1980s era playground, and The Early Days depicts Singapore in the past.
Puzzle mural Under The Same Sun
This Singapore Tourism Board-initiated mural is a two-part mural piece between Singaporean and Indonesian artists.Under the ‘SingapoReimagine’ initiative, this collaborative mural piece aims to capture Singapore’s tourism story in reimagining travel from a fresh perspective.
For those in Jakarta, the Indonesia side of the Under The Same Sun mural by artist Adi Dharma or Stereoflow is present at M Bloc Space Jakarta.
Meanwhile, you can travel to Singapore to find the second-piece of the mural with the same theme by Zulkarnaen Othman or ZERO in Kampong Gelam Singapore, spread across Bali Lande and Ophir Road.These two murals have deep meaning: distance is not a barrier for the global community to understand and establish connections, especially during the pandemic.
Although separated, disconnected and unable to travel for the moment, people are going through the situation together, united under the same sun.
Art Shopping
You may want to buy art after taking pictures on murals and visiting galleries and museums. There are many places to buy art in Singapore apart from going to the galleries directly.
The prices of these artworks also vary and many are affordable, perfect for starting your journey as an art collector.
LivingwithArt
LivingwithArt is an art shop that sells works of art ranging from paintings, sculptures, wall hangings, art wall clocks, and
wallpapers. The art collection here is suitable for home interiors and is famous for being complete, and is available in various styles, especially for paintings.You can also request artwork as needed through LivingwithArt.
The price range of paintings here also varies, so you can get affordable art prices. LivingwithArt also sells its artwork online through its official website.
- Address: 315 Outram Road, #02-05 Singapore 169074
- Phone: (65) 6917 6503
- Website: https://www.livingwithart.com.sg/
Knuckles & Notch
This is a great shop to find art related to pop culture. Posters and other print designs are made in bold neon colors and striking graphics. The artwork here is perfect for collections or room interiors.
You can find posters inspired by the famous 1980s Indonesian horror films, pictures inspired by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, to favorite Japanese animations such as iconic figures from the Ghibli films.
They also sell artwork through the official website at https://knucklesandnotch.com/
- Address: 261 Waterloo Street, #02-25, Singapore 180261
- Email: info@knucklesandnotch.com
- Website: https://knucklesandnotch.com/
Arto Gallery
This art gallery is a special gallery and different from the usual because it is a special online gallery available on your smartphone application.
The application uses a special algorithm to curate the artwork according to the user’s taste. The collection of artworks at Arto Gallery is fantastic because more than 20,000 works of art and 65,000 artists have joined. Arto Gallery is also a channel for artists to sell their work directly to
consumers.
https://arto.global/
Your vacation will be more exciting with various works of art in Singapore. You can still enjoy a variety of Singapore’s visual arts as long as the travel restrictions have not been opened.
Let’s take part in virtual activities or shop for art online. Save the list above for a vacation with a new experience and a different perspective.