Arouse curiosity. Rekindle wonder. The Singapore Art Museum’s new Learning Gallery invites visitors to explore contemporary art with the uninhibited spirit of a child and rediscover the joy of learning. Inspired by the carefree spirit of childhood, the new space for all ages encourages the playful curiosity of the young and young at heart as they learn and discover contemporary art.
Image above: Learning Gallery at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.
The Learning Gallery of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) opens at its headquarters in Tanjong Pagar Distripark. It transforms Gallery 2 on Level 1 into a space designed to engage visitors of all ages with contemporary art in a curious and authentic way. The Learning Gallery was established as part of SAM’s ongoing support for arts education and reflects SAM’s commitment to inspire an understanding of broader issues through contemporary art for visitors of all ages by harnessing the spirit of exploration, imagination and spontaneity.
The Learning Gallery, open to the public from July 20, harnesses the creative potential that lies in approaching contemporary art with a child’s perspective, creating opportunities for reflection and meaningful engagement with the artworks and themes explored. The Learning Gallery features five artworks by renowned local and regional artists, specially selected or commissioned from the National Collection to extend learning about contemporary art for all ages. Selected artworks in the Learning Gallery are updated annually to provide new perspectives and insights, making the space dynamic and contemporary.
June Yap, Director of Curatorial and Research at SAM, said, “SAM’s new Learning Gallery at Tanjong Pagar Distripark is a special space for visitors of all ages to engage deeply and personally with contemporary art through the uninhibited curiosity and openness of a child. We hope that the exhibition will allow visitors to gather and learn from each other as it looks at childhood as a shared experience that connects us all regardless of age. By promoting art education and facilitating dialog on pressing social issues, SAM remains committed to broadening perspectives and enriching lives through the power of art.”
Use the child’s spirit of discovery to create space for different perspectives
Outside the gallery, adult visitors are greeted by a letter to their inner child, inviting them to approach the exhibition with an open mind and draw on the formative experiences of their childhood. Upon entering the gallery, children are invited to experience the artworks in their own way. With this focus on a child’s inhibited perspective, this edition of Learning Gallery suggests that new dimensions of appreciation and learning about contemporary art can emerge when a spirit of curiosity, imaginative play and spontaneity is embraced.
The gallery is designed to provide an escape from the fast pace and complexity of modern life, with a low-stimulus and calm environment that is ideal for reflection and focused learning. As visual and auditory stimuli are intentionally kept to a minimum, visitors are given the space to make authentic and personal connections with the artworks, encouraging creative exploration and meaningful conversations with other visitors. In addition, each artwork is accompanied by separate wall texts tailored to children and adults, creating further opportunities for shared experiences and dialog across all age groups.
The Learning Gallery also includes various interactive elements that allow for deeper engagement with the artworks and create numerous opportunities for families to come together over art. For example, a library in the space allows visitors to browse through a selection of books on the artworks and the emotions they evoke. Furnished with beanbags, visitors can relax, read and enjoy a variety of books aimed at readers of all ages, from preschoolers to college-educated adults. In addition, the gallery features an interactive wall that encourages free play and boundless creativity as it transforms and responds to each visitor’s unique touch. Finally, near the exit of the gallery, visitors will also find a response wall where they are encouraged to write letters to themselves, expressing how they feel after viewing the artworks. In line with the overall aims of the Learning Gallery, the activity is designed to encourage interaction with the artworks by encouraging participants to engage with and reflect on themselves.
The artworks on display encompass various media and different forms of presentation, exploring themes such as home, nature and the environment, people, places, memory and time, and raise important and topical questions about what it means to live in today’s world. These include works such as Nguan’s Untitled from the Singapore series and the Black Forest by Han Sai Por, winner of the Cultural Medal. The former comprises a series of photographs in which Nguan captures quiet, everyday scenes in Singapore. The work conveys a palpable sense of alienation and nostalgia and encourages reflection on the realities of modern life in our homeland. Han’s impressive installation featuring a destroyed “forest” of charcoal logs reflects her interest in the impact of human activity on nature. It shows a vivid picture of the damaging effects of deforestation and at the same time illustrates nature’s resilience to disasters.
Also part of the program is Migrant Ecologies Project’s {if your bait can sing the wild ones will come} Like Shadows Through Leaves, which captures a distinct sense of place, particularly Tanglin Halt, one of Singapore’s oldest social housing estates that runs along a former railroad line. On repeated visits to the site, the film traces the lingering fragments of calls, echoes, shadows and memories that still animate the place as it undergoes a drastic urban transformation. Visitors will also see Tang Da Wu’s 深疤凰 SEMBAWANG, which was inspired by the “tok-tok” bird, or the large-tailed nightjar, that frequented the area near the artists’ village when it was still in Sembawang, making its presence known with its distinctive “tok-tok” call. With diamond-shaped mirrors representing its tears, the work depicts the bird as a triumphant creature rising from the ashes of its rebirth.
Finally, A Gesture by Julian Abraham “Togar” can be seen in the Learning Gallery, which expands on Togar’s exploration of the act of listening. The work is sonically conveyed through sounds that resemble a person clearing their throat or whispering “sssttt” sounds in different tones. The artist is interested in how differently people interpret these sounds depending on their cultural background, experiences and knowledge. Togar also tests how sensitively the audience reacts to an acoustic work in a room with other visually tangible works.
To celebrate the opening of the Learning Gallery at SAM, visitors are invited to attend the opening party on July 20, 2024 from 10 am to 4 pm. Visitors can enjoy traditional games, art activities and free children’s snacks for an unforgettable day of art experiences at SAM. As part of the Learning Gallery program, visitors can pick up a free activity guide for interacting with the artworks and a “Stick with SAM” sticker book with specially designed stickers inspired by the artworks in the Learning Gallery. In the coming months, visitors can also look forward to special programs run by artists and professionals such as art therapists throughout the year.
As part of its commitment to bringing the arts to the local community, SAM is extending the Learning Gallery experience beyond the museum by presenting ChildISH in the libraries. ChildISH features poems by five local poets Amanda Chong, Hamid Roslan, Pooja Nansi, Charlene Shepherdson and Daryl Qilin Yam, written in response to the works on display in SAM’s Learning Gallery. The poems are complemented by an artwork by local illustrator Tan Zi Xi, featuring drawings by students from Ang Mo Kio Primary School, creating a rich, multi-sensory showcase. The presentation is currently on display at the Punggol Regional Library until July 21, 2024 and will be on display at various regional libraries in Singapore until December 16, 2024.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: Saturday, July 20, 2024 – Sunday, June 29, 2025
Opening hours: Sunday – Saturday, 10 am – 7 pm
WHERE?
Gallery 2, Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
39 Keppel Rd
#01-02
Singapore 089065
COST?
Free admission
