Gallery view of the DBS Singapore Gallery. Image Credit: National Gallery Singapore
National Gallery Singapore’s DBS Singapore Gallery will be undergoing a phased revamp of its inaugural exhibition, Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore since the 19th Century. This marks the Gallery’s first revamp of its long-term exhibitions since opening in 2015. The revamp of the three gallery spaces within the DBS Singapore Gallery will be conducted in phases, beginning from 8 April 2024 with Gallery 1, and expected to be completed in July 2025.
The revamped DBS Singapore Gallery will reopen fully in July 2025 as a new, bigger, and bolder exhibition. Alongside showcasing masterpieces, the upcoming exhibition will showcase a broader representation of artists and a more comprehensive look into various art forms. Visitors can look forward to a richer expansion into visual culture, with the intersection of art with other disciplines such as graphic design, literature, film, theatre and more. With a more inclusive narrative of Singapore’s art history, the revamp highlights lesser-known yet equally compelling stories of artists and their endeavours. These smaller, intimate stories, often overlooked or oft-forgotten, not only mark pivotal moments but raise critical questions about narratives of Singapore’s art history.
There will be an expanded exhibition footprint with new presentation spaces, including a flexible project space that has been designed to accommodate smaller-scale changing exhibitions for Singapore-related research and content. The revamp builds on the DBS Singapore Gallery’s long-term vision to enable more Singaporeans and visitors to learn and appreciate stories of Singapore through art. Art plays an essential role in shaping and galvanizing the nation’s collective imagination, and these new offerings exemplify the Gallery’s steadfast commitment to championing art, artists and the histories of Singapore.
The revamp will be staggered to minimise disruption to operations and visitor experience at the Gallery, with at least one of the three DBS Singapore Galleries available for members of the public to visit at all times. Accompanied by a series of compelling exhibitions spotlighting trailblazing Singapore artists this year, visitors will continue to enjoy an enriching museum experience that showcases the diversity and vibrancy of Singapore’s art history when they visit the Gallery, even during the revamp.
Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer will be welcoming visitors from 5 April at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium at the Spine Hall, Level B1, just a few days before DBS Singapore Gallery 1’s closure on 8 April 2024. The exhibition features interactive stations, x-ray images and microscopic analysis of over 30 artworks by one of Singapore’s leading Nanyang artists to uncover what lies beneath the surface of paintings. This includes Cheong’s iconic Drying Salted Fish (1978), featured on Singapore’s 50-dollar banknote, which will be presented alongside exciting new findings about Cheong’s artistic process. Later in the year, visitors can also look forward to exploring three more special solo exhibitions dedicated to seminal Singaporean artists Teo Eng Seng, Kim Lim and Lim Tze Peng during the closures of DBS Singapore Gallery 2 and 3. Exhibitions dedicated to multidisciplinary artists Teo Eng Seng and Kim Lim will open in September 2024, and the year’s series of exhibitions on local pioneer artists will round up with a solo show on centenarian artist Lim Tze Peng, opening in October 2024.
The DBS Singapore Gallery 1 will close on 8 April 2024.
