5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Inside Singapore Gallery Month: Private tours, studio visits and art perks
[SINGAPORE] Singapore Gallery Month (SGM) returns on Aug 15 with scale, sophistication and a dash of insider glamour. Now in its fifth edition, the annual celebration stretches until Sep 14, and brings together over 30 art galleries showcasing 120 artists – up from 99 last year.
But this edition marks a critical shift: For the first time, SGM is fully community-led, curated by the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS) and its member galleries, making it a love letter to the city's art ecosystem – by galleries, for galleries.
AGAS president Audrey Yeo said: 'We're celebrating what we can achieve when we come together – not just as gallerists, but as storytellers, connectors and advocates for the regional art community.'
Suzann Victor's gorgeous installations at Gajah Gallery probe the theme of colonialism in Singapore. PHOTO: GAJAH GALLERY
Marking Singapore's 60th year of independence, several shows take a reflective tone. At STPI, four Cultural Medallion recipients – Han Sai Por, Goh Beng Kwan, Ong Kim Seng and the late Chua Ek Kay – offer tactile works in print and paper.
At Gajah Gallery, Suzann Victor refracts Singapore's colonial memory with luminous installations.
For something grittier and younger, Haridas Contemporary brings together emerging and mid-career artists like Melissa Tan, Esmond Loh and Jeremy Sharma in a dynamic group show.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
Sign Up
Sign Up
But perhaps the most intriguing is JW Projects' The Other Singaporeans, a provocative display featuring naturalised citizens, expats and former Singaporeans pushing against the boundaries of belonging and national identity.
Esmond Loh's painting, Between Spaces (2024) at Haridas Contemporary. PHOTO: HARIDAS CONTEMPORARY
Golden ticket
However, the biggest attraction this year may be the newly upgraded Patron's Pass. For a cool S$1,000, it grants its holder artist studio visits, private previews, guided walkthroughs and intimate home tours with some of Singapore's most discerning collectors.
The artists involved include Wei Leng Tay, Yen Phang, Yanyun Chen, Tiffany Loy, Mike HJ Chang, Dylan Chan, Marion Abraham and Emi Avora. The home tours are conducted in spaces ranging from a 1930s Peranakan terrace house in East Coast and a black-and-white bungalow in Bukit Timah to a Bugis loft-turned-art sanctuary.
Pass holders also get S$500 in gallery credits to purchase artworks priced S$1,000 and above, an invitation to the swish SGM launch party on Aug 15 at Prestige Gallery, as well as VIP access to future events like the Affordable Art Fair (November 2025) and ART SG Vernissage (January 2026).
Desmond Mah's Still Living Rent-Free (2025) is part of JW Projects' exhibition on identity and belonging in Singapore. PHOTO: JW PROJECTS
Also on the menu: A sake-and-art pairing tour at Gillman Barracks, brunches with Cultural Medallion winners Han and Goh, a complimentary luxury facial from Cle de Peau Beaute, and a masterclass on art law and succession planning – because real collectors know it is not just about acquiring, it is also about protecting and passing it on.
For more information, visit
