Singapore Art Week 2026 returns at Singapore Art Museum (SAM) with an expanded programme of exhibitions, performances and public art initiatives that activate both the museum and the city. Spanning sound, performance, contemporary art and research-driven practices, SAM’s 2026 offerings bring together local and international artists across multiple sites, positioning listening, material inquiry and collective experience at the centre of this year’s edition.
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| Sonic Shaman 2024. Image courtesy of TheCube Project Space. |
Sonic Shaman 2026: Borderless — Singapore Debut
A key highlight of the first weekend of Singapore Art Week is the Singapore debut of Sonic Shaman 2026: Borderless, a large-scale international sound festival presented in collaboration with TheCube Project Space (Taipei). The festival brings together more than 20 artists, musicians and thinkers working across experimental sound, performance and contemporary art.
Drawing on Southeast Asia’s diverse sonic traditions and vernacular musical histories, Sonic Shaman foregrounds emerging experimental practices while creating a shared platform for cross-cultural exchange. Live performances, sound works and oral presentations unfold across the festival, inviting audiences to engage with sound as both artistic practice and collective experience.
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| Cheryl Ong, Louis Quek, DuckUnit and Yuen Chee Wai. Images courtesy of the artists |
Co-curated by Singapore Art Museum and TheCube Project Space, Sonic Shaman 2026: Borderless is presented as part of Singapore Art Week and features commissions from Singapore Biennale 2025: pure intention. This edition is jointly initiated by the National Arts Council, Singapore Art Museum and Mapletree Investments, with support from the Singapore Tourism Board.
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| ‘Memory Market’ as part of SAW at SAM. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
Memory Market
Developed alongside Sonic Shaman 2026: Borderless, the Memory Market extends the festival’s focus beyond sound into other sensory registers. Through creative booths, workshops and culinary collaborations by Singapore-based creatives and designers, the programme engages taste, scent and touch as pathways to memory, encounter and collective participation.
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| (Left) Elia Nurvista, Long Hanging Fruits, 2024. Image courtesy of Mikael Lundgren. (Right) Bagus Pandega. Detail of L.O.O.P. (Loss Overgrown Organic Pulse), 2025. Image courtesy of Philipp Hänger and Kunsthalle |
Material Intelligence Series: Nafasan Bumi ~ An Endless Harvest
Ahead of Singapore Art Week, SAM opens Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega: Nafasan Bumi ~ An Endless Harvest, the third presentation in the museum’s Material Intelligence series. The exhibition features kinetic, multimedia and sculptural works that examine Indonesia’s extractive economies and the material flows associated with plantations, mining and emerging electric futures.
Through their practices, the artists trace the intersections of resource extraction, colonial legacies and the climate crisis, situating material inquiry within broader environmental and socio-political contexts.
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| Momentary Pulses: Art in the Central Business District. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
Momentary Pulses: Art in the Central Business District
Beyond the museum, SAM launches Momentary Pulses: Art in the Central Business District, a new two-year public art trail under The Everyday Museum initiative. Featuring newly commissioned, site-specific works by local artists, the trail unfolds across building facades, passageways and pedestrian routes within Singapore’s CBD.
Responding to the rhythms, sounds and logics of the commercial district, these works introduce moments of listening, reflection and engagement within everyday urban movement.
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| Singapore Biennale 2025 Curator Tour, Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
Singapore Biennale 2025: pure intention — Citywide Activation
During Singapore Art Week, visitors can also experience Singapore Biennale 2025: pure intention, which continues across multiple citywide venues, including SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Featuring over 100 artworks and 30 new commissions by more than 80 artists, the Biennale presents contemporary art across heritage sites, commercial spaces and neighbourhood environments.
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| Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) Tour of Singapore Biennale 2025 (Tanglin Halt). Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
An expanded programme of tours, including curator-led walkthroughs, Singapore Sign Language tours and special bus tours, further activates the Biennale during SAW, offering additional entry points into its themes and sites.
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| Exhibition view of ‘Talking Objects’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
Collection Exhibitions at SAM
Within SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, exhibitions such as Talking Objects and The Living Room present works from the museum’s collection alongside international loans.
Talking Objects explores the emotional and experiential dimensions of everyday objects, examining how ordinary materials carry layered histories and memories. Running in parallel, The Living Room reflects on the afterlives of performance through participatory works, archival materials and ephemeral gestures.
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| Exhibition view of ‘The Living Room’ at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
These exhibitions are supported by artist talks, performances, workshops and drop-in activities throughout Singapore Art Week.
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| Exhibition view of the Learning Gallery at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
Learning and Research Programmes
SAM’s broader programme includes the Learning Gallery, which invites younger audiences and families to engage with contemporary art through experimentation and material exploration across themes of identity, home, nature, memory and place.
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| Exhibition view of the Learning Gallery at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum |
In Conversation with SAM Residencies presents a multi-modal overview of the research-driven practices of artists, curators and creative practitioners in residence, offering insights into ongoing artistic processes and collaborative methodologies.
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| Subodh Gupta. Image courtesy of Le Bon Marche |
Public Access During Singapore Art Week
With free admission to all exhibitions and Singapore Biennale 2025: pure intention presentations from 22 to 31 January 2026, SAM’s Singapore Art Week programme offers wide public access to a diverse range of contemporary art experiences across the museum and the city.
More information on Singapore Art Museum’s Singapore Art Week 2026 programmes is available on the museum’s official website.
Singapore Art Week 📍 SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark and various locations in Singapore 📅 22 to 31 January 2026 ⏰ 10am to 7pm Extended Hours: 10am to 9pm on 23, 24, 30 and 31 January 2026 🎫Free throughout SAW 2026
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