5 Art Galleries @ Tanjong Pagar Distripark

 

It unbelieveable that there are art galleries in there, right? Due to the media blast on the art galleries in The Straits Times, I decided to check out the place.

Erm... not much of a gallery look.... The Tanjong Pagar Distripark is afterall a warehouse. When i first arrived, i couldn't make head or tail where the entrance to the building was and where i could find the passengers lifts. all i could see was the loading and unloading bay for trucks and huge cargo lifts. when i got up to the 2nd level where the galleries are located, i saw these weird small doors that were opaque and looked like entrances to offices, not art galleries.

But........... ta-dah!

It's kinda magical when you open the doors and see the vast white spaces behind the door that is filled with all those colours and images. i like it. amazing contrast! the art pieces that are showcased are also quite different from the usual galleries and the art museum. They showcase emerging artists instead of established ones. One of the galleries displays Australian indigenous art and they're quite intriguing... the aboriginal Dreaming sort of thing... overall, the galleries feel friendly to visitors.

Yup, so go check out the 5 galleries in the Tanjong Pagar Distripark. I think they change their exhibits quite often so it's a place you can revisit. Here are their details:

• Fortune Cookie Projects
  #02-04, ARTSPACE@Helutrans Block 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road Singapore. Exhibitions are stages on an ad-hoc basis, check their website for schedules. http://www.fortunecookieprojects.com/
  
• ReDot Fine Art Gallery
  #02-06, ARTSPACE@Helutrans Block 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road Singapore. Tel: +65 6222 1039. Opens Tuesday to Saturday, from noon to 7pm. www.redotgallery.com
  
• L2 Space
  02-02, Block 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road Singapore. Tel: +65 6226 3367 / +65 8223 7667. Open on Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 7pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm. l2space.com.sg
  
• Valentine Willie Fine Art
  #02-04, ARTSPACE@Helutrans Block 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road Singapore. Tel: +65 8133 1760.Opens Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday from 11am to 3pm. Closed on Monday and public holiday. http://www.vwfa.net/
• Galerie Waterton
  #02-01, Block 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road Singapore. Tel: +65 9783 2144. Opens Thu-Fri 1pm - 7pm, Sat-Sun 10am - 7pm or by appointment. www.galeriewaterton.com

And here's an article with more background on the galleries.

All the galleries are on the second level.

If you're working Mon to Fri, Sat should be a good day to visit. I advise against Sun as the pedestrian gate between Block 1 and 2 of the distripark is not opened. You probably have to access the distripark through the Keppel workshop entrance which is at the far end of the compound nearer to block 2. you will have to cut through its motorcycle carpark gate which... i'm not sure if it's gonna be opened or not. Call the galleries for more info if you really need to go on Sun.


How to get there?

Refer to this map.

Public Transport

The Tanjong Pagar Distripark is not next to any MRT station and you can only access by bus 10, 30, 57, 80, 97, 100, 131, 145.

If you don't have a direct bus to the place, you can take the MRT to either Tanjong Pagar (East-west line) or Harbourfront (North-east line) and transfer to a bus.

If arriving via Tanjong Pagar MRT, find the bus stop in front of Amara Hotel. There's bus 80 or 145 which will bring you right in front of the distripark.

If you're arriving via Harbourfront MRT, all buses stated above are available. Alight at the railway station and cross the road. Practise road safety as the traffic can be quite heavy since this is downtown.

Motorists

Motorists can consider parking at the railway station.



Cheers!