Synopsis

The Strange Archive presents speculative artworks that reimagine the archive as a living, contested space rather than a static repository. To make strange is to see again: here, the archive signals a site of care, continuity, and labour that remains porous and reflexive, shaped by omission and desire. This first iteration, developed for ArtWeek 2026 at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, lays the groundwork for a long-term curatorial and research platform exploring how forgotten stories, unrealised projects, and obscured memories may be reactivated through exhibition making.

Public Programmes

The public programmes accompanying The Strange Archive invite audiences to engage directly with the exhibition’s central questions about memory, erasure, speculation, and the politics and art of archiving.

Exhibition Opening
17 January 2026 · 6:00 PM
Celebrate the launch of The Strange Archive, where archives are reimagined as living, evolving spaces shaped by memory, omission, and speculation.

Drawing Dialogues: Stories of Decay
18 January 2026 · 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM · Labrador Park · Meeting Point: Labrador Park MRT Exit A
Free Admission · Registration Required · Registration: tinyurl.com/storiesofdecay

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Gather at Labrador Park for a guided walk led by Superlative Futures (Dr. Wong Zi Hao and Liu Dian Cong) through Berlayer Creek, an ecosystem where decay, decomposition, and regeneration take place in quiet cycles. Participants will return by bus to Tanjong Pagar Distripark to create drawings and short written reflections inspired by their observations. Open to participants of all experience levels.

Curator’s Tour: Making The Archive Strange

18 & 25 January 2026 · 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Join curator Adrian Tan and artists to uncover stories, omissions, and speculative reimaginings behind the works.

Panel Discussion: Art, Archives & Speculative Futures
24 January 2026 · 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Artists, historians, and archivists discuss how reimagining archives opens new ways of understanding the past and imagining the future.

Artist Dialogue: Singapore Art Archive Project
25 January 2026 · 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Artist-archivist Koh Nguang How shares insights into Chua Mia Tee’s National Language Class and Lee Boon Wan’s Portrait of a Lady, reflecting on his archival practice and the process of identifying the central figure that connects both paintings.
Exhibition

Singapore Teachers' Academy for the aRts (STAR), Ministry of Education

31 Jan 2026 to 8 Feb 2026

Free admission

▶EDGE 2026 is STAR's 13th biennial exhibition showcasing 22 teacher-artists from 20 schools. Themed "▶EDGE Playground," this process-focused experience embraces play and authentic inquiry.
Exhibition

Richard Koh Fine Art

17 Jan 2026 to 14 Feb 2026

Free admission

A solo exhibition by Malaysian artist Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Bintang Hijau is a forest reserve located in Selama, Perak. Hasanul has his studio here, and from this landscape the works in this exhibition emerge.

Groundup Movement: Art and Grow Collective SG x May Koh Arts Unite

21 Jan 2026 to 31 Jan 2026

Free admission

Emerging artist Amos Vincent Wong, NAC Arts Scholarship recipient 2025, presents an exhibition marking his journey before pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art at RMIT University in Australia.

IMBA Global Pte Ltd

13 Feb 2026 to 30 Jun 2026

Ticketed

A Lightroom production created in collaboration with David Hockney, this vibrant immersive show at IMBA, Gardens by the Bay takes you on a personal journey through sixty years of art.