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Surrounded by popular nature spots such as Labrador Park and the Southern Ridges, Gillman Barracks was launched 10 years ago as Singapore’s go-to contemporary art cluster by the National Arts Council (NAC), the Economic Development Board and JTC Corporation.
The 14-building complex, which opened with outposts of renowned galleries such as Tokyo’s Ota Fine Arts, Manila’s Silverlens, New York’s Sundaram Tagore Gallery and Singapore’s FOST Gallery, was designed to draw the attention of international collectors, in the hopes of making the city state an integral cog in the global art market.
Gillman Barracks has been an arts centre for 10 years, but has failed to attract enough customers, and a number of art galleries have left in recent years - even more after Covid-19’s disruption.
The National Arts Council (NAC)’s COVID-19 Arts Consumption Study, which examined people’s online engagement with the arts, revealed that 88% of Singaporeans engaged with the arts online to seek novel experiences for comfort and mental well-being.
How might Gillman Barracks consider to move past this inflexion point by renewing business models and artistic visions for the age of blended arts experiences?
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