Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum holds the national collection of Southeast Asian contemporary art, and while its original home in the old St Joseph's Institution building on Bras Basah is under long redevelopment, it has been operating from warehouse floors at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, a working port logistics complex. The raw industrial spaces suit the work better than the colonial building did, and the museum also commissions across other venues. The museum has held the national collection of Southeast Asian contemporary art since 1996 and its remit is regional rather than purely Singaporean, which distinguishes it from the National Gallery down the road.

What you actually see

• The Southeast Asian collection - contemporary work from across the region.
• The warehouse galleries - raw port logistics floors converted for exhibitions.
• The commissioned works - large installations made for the spaces.
• The Distripark setting - a museum inside a working port complex.

When to go

Year round; the museum closes on some weekdays and hours vary by exhibition. Checking what is on before travelling matters. Weekends are busier.

Honest expectations

The Bras Basah building is closed for redevelopment and has been for years. The Distripark location is awkward to reach and industrial. What is showing varies enormously.

Nearby

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is nearby, and Chinatown is northeast.