Singapore Art Museum (SAM) unveils its new collection gallery at Tanjong Pagar Distripark with the inaugural exhibition Everyday Practices, reaffirming its commitment to showcasing and curating contemporary art from the National Collection that inspires profound reflections on our world today.

Opening to the public on 30 August, Everyday Practices features works from 19 artists and one artist collective from 10 Asian countries, and is housed at the new Gallery 4 on Level 3 — SAM’s first space at Tanjong Pagar Distripark dedicated to highlighting varied critical artworks in the museum’s collection

Everyday Practices draws inspiration from Tehching Hsieh’s seminal work, One Year Performance 1978–1979, where Hsieh confined himself to a self-constructed holding cell in his studio and remained in solitude for a year, abstaining from activities such as conversation, reading, writing, listening to the radio, or watching TV. This became the first of Hsieh’s five-year-long durational performances which turned the banality of life and the passage of time into both medium and subject for his art. 

Building on Hsieh’s philosophy, Everyday Practices brings together diverse artworks by artists from different generations and geographies across Asia, focusing on the themes of “everyday,” “repetition,” and “endurance.” These artworks showcase the inventive ways artists have appropriated daily routines and lived experiences to express powerful statements of resilience and endurance in navigating adversity.   

Everyday Practices runs from 30 August 2024 to 20 July 2025 at SAM at Tanjong Distripark. Alongside the exhibition, audiences can participate in various public programmes, including guided tours and artist talks. Admission to the exhibition is free until 3 December 2024, after which general admission fees will apply. More information about the exhibition and programmes can be accessed via SAM’s website at bit.ly/SAM-EverydayPractices.