It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public collections by local and Southeast artists.

SAM presents art across multiple spaces such as Tanjong Pagar Distripark, its heritage buildings and other partner venues across Singapore.

Sabapathy, Sarkasi Said, Sum Yoke Kit, Wee Chwee Heng, Singapore Polytechnic alumni, and Yap-Whang Whee Yong formed the rest of the museum board.

[6] The museum was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong on 20 January 1996.

Spread across two floors, SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark houses two galleries, an F&B space and residency[9] studios.

It is of walking proximity to Chinatown, Duxton and Everton Park and accessible by public buses, MRT and cab services.

SAM's approach is to present works curated from the National Collection alongside changing exhibitions, to offer a well-rounded aesthetic experience of Asian contemporary art.

More recently, the museum presented Time Passes in 2020, an exhibition which showcased the works of 13 emerging Singaporean artists, and The Gift in 2021, an exhibition which featured artists from the region such as Dolorosa Sinaga, Ho Tzu Nyen, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Salleh Japar and Tang Da Wu, among others.

[19] In late 2011, following a private preview, SAM removed Japanese-British artist Simon Fujiwara’s work, Welcome to the Hotel Munber.

Despite advisory notices put up by the museum and the Singapore Biennale, the work was taken down without any consultation with or notification of the artist after pressure by conservative groups.