Online Brochure - Singapore Art Museum

Building the National Contemporary
Art Collection
Since its inception in 1996, SAM has sought to collect and present art from Singapore as well as
Southeast Asia. In 2009, SAM shifted the focus of its activities towards contemporary art, as the
upcoming The National Art Gallery, Singapore, will be responsible for showing modern and
historical art.
Like the region itself, the contemporary art of Southeast Asia is diverse, dynamic and
multifaceted. Moreover, contemporary Southeast Asian art possesses its own distinctive
aesthetics and artistic traditions, as well as unique approaches to art-making and art practices.
With this in mind, SAM has embarked on an initiative to build a stellar collection of contemporary
Southeast Asian art. Consequently, 80% of SAM’s new acquisitions will be devoted towards
Southeast Asian art, and the remaining 20% will be geared towards the wider Asian region, like
China, India, Korea and Japan, to provide a broader cultural context for the core collection.
SAM is guided by a number of broad acquisitions philosophies and strategies.
The museum concentrates on collecting iconic works of art – works that represent a defining
moment in the artist’s practice, and/or the culmination of a major phase or period of artistic
experimentation. In addition, some of the museum’s acquisitions are done through artist
commissions, in order to spur artists to create major pieces of artwork.
Besides this, SAM adopts a ‘country representation’ approach for the Southeast Asian countries.
In this regard, artworks are assessed and chosen against the broader context of the respective
country’s artistic development, concerns and trends.
An artwork is thus acquired for its artistic merits and innovation, as well as what it may reveal or
reflect about wider developments in art and society. The artists represented in the SAM collection
fall into three broad groups: the ‘pioneering’ contemporary artists or ones associated with
avant-garde practices, mid-career artists, and emerging practitioners. The works by the latter
group are usually experimental and may draw on new media and technologies.
Through its acquisition policy and continued funding support from the government, individuals
and corporate donors, SAM hopes to showcase the best in contemporary art from the region, as
well as encourage artists to create important new pieces of artwork.
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