Ambitions, dreams and imaginings rarely go according to plan–some deviations along the way are inevitable. For example, Singapore’s desire for self-governance led to full independence. This unexpected turn gave the young nation the chance to craft its own fate and enact a bold vision for its future. Singapore’s urban planners began drawing up their design for the city, but like architects of any plan, they had to adapt and constantly revise their designs to move with the times.

In this artwork, The Dream from the Other Side, Singaporean artist Melissa Tan explores the continual evolution of Singapore’s cityscape. According to the artist, “the island’s constant upgrading makes it feel as if we live in a self-regenerative city. Only upon closer inspection do we see hints of what was there before, such as a patchwork of cement on the sidewalk or a darker shade of tarmac on the road. With so much change, there is a strange sense that the same ground we tread on might have been grafted from elsewhere, making the pathway familiar and yet not so.”

The Dream from the Other Side is the latest edition of the SAM Mini Mobile Museum, a travelling art exhibition held in partnership with the National Library Board. The Mini Mobile Museum introduces the multifaceted nature of contemporary art through a selection of artworks from SAM’s collection, adapted for non-museum spaces and created by Southeast Asian artists.

Melissa Tan, The Dream from the Other Side (In progress), 2020. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.