Room for more ambitious works

WHILE some foreign and local galleries have pulled out of Singapore or scaled down their space, Hong Kong's Pearl Lam Galleries opened a second gallery space on the island, this time at Dempsey Hill.

With her first gallery unveiled in Shanghai in 2005, owner Pearl Lam went on to open in Hong Kong in 2012. The first Singapore gallery was started at Gillman Barracks in 2014, after it participated at Art Stage Singapore the same year. But the founder of the China Art Foundation, that facilitates art exchange between China and the West, has showcased contemporary Chinese art in London for over 20 years.

The new 358 sqm gallery at Dempsey isn't so much an expansion as it is an opportunity to allow for more ambitious programming, explains Ms Lam, noted for her pouf and flamboyant style as much as her contemporary art sense. "We are excited to be in two spaces in the city and are sure that this will allow us to further engage with the audience in Singapore and the region. While they may each feature unique concepts and ideas, they are programmed to respond to each other. Furthermore, we like to show artists of different disciplines who can fully utilise both spaces."

Ms Lam reveals that the gallery is thinking, for instance, of large-scale installations and immersive video projections. "We're open to proposals from multi-disciplinary artists who can work with two spatially separate spaces," she adds.

The most immediate plan is to start social and community projects in Singapore, such as promoting local street art and reaching out to youths through art.