The Substation

The Substation A Gathering Ground to imagine and create the arts (est. 1990)

Expanding 'A Home for the Arts'

The Substation nurtures independent creative practitioners in collaborative community through the multi-disciplinary curation of contemporary arts practices from theatre and dance to film, music, literary arts, performance art, visual arts, and related fields. As one of Singapore’s first independent arts organisations, The Substation's educational workshops, incuba

tion & residency programmes, and September anniversary events including ‘SeptFest’, have served as platforms for the development and showcase of a diverse range of artists, performers, curators, producers, writers and intellectuals— many of whom continue to shape our creative landscape. Today, The Substation embraces boundless possibilities in the discovery of new talent, the value of diversity, and the development of creative practices with a vision to expand ‘A Home for the Arts’ in a regional community through art-making and dialogue in Southeast Asia and beyond. It remains an independent, non-profit organisation, fuelled by the dedication of like-minded practitioners and generous supporters from donors and foundations to government, sponsors and volunteers. Founded in 1990 by dramatist & Cultural Medallion recipient, the late Kuo Pao Kun, The Substation was formerly housed in the conservation site of a disused power substation on Armenian Street until the building’s much-needed renovations in 2021. The Substation continues to operate from Singapore with a lean team of arts managers and arts practitioners, supported by collaborative partners based locally and regionally.

13/04/2026

We're off to today! Some pre-departure musings and discoveries with Euginia and Val.

// MEET OUR ARTISTS // Delighted to welcome the second of two artists for the Sub+ Residencies programme in Malaysia wit...
10/04/2026

// MEET OUR ARTISTS // Delighted to welcome the second of two artists for the Sub+ Residencies programme in Malaysia with our residency partner, Rimbun Dahan.

A seasoned painter of over 30 years, Valerie Ng is an award-winning Malaysian artist based in Singapore whose works have shown at the Singapore Art Museum and Malaysia’s National Art Gallery; as well as in various galleries and auction houses in Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, and the UK. Her numerous exhibitions include a solo show at The Substation on Armenian Street in 2009; and group exhibitions at 39+ Art Space, One East Asia, instinc, Esplanade's Jendela Gallery, and at The Sub's Redaction exhibition (curated by Bridget Tay) in collaboration with Visual Arts Centre in 2022.

Glad to have Valerie back for some quiet time away, to immerse in the very source of her practice—trees and the natural world.

This edition of Sub+ Residencies is supported by Chu Lik Ren.

// MEET OUR ARTISTS // Introducing the first of our two resident artists going up to Selangor, Malaysia for the Sub+ Res...
09/04/2026

// MEET OUR ARTISTS // Introducing the first of our two resident artists going up to Selangor, Malaysia for the Sub+ Residencies programme with our residency partner, Rimbun Dahan.

“In Singapore, I have not had time to carve a creative sanctuary to explore poetry again intensively. I wish to heed the call to my writing roots; to embark on a manuscript of poems entitled Solarium.”

Euginia Tan is a multidisciplinary writer born and based in Singapore, experienced in various creative forms including poetry, prose and theatre. She has been involved in a range of theatre development and creative projects with some of the most notable organisations and theatre artists in Singapore, including a mentorship under Wild Rice’s resident playwright Alfian Sa’at.

Euginia enters Sub+ Residencies at Rimbun Dahan to pause and return to where everything began for her—poetry.

This edition of Sub+ Residencies is supported by Chu Lik Ren.

"To step away from one’s usual surroundings is not to escape, but to listen differently." – Jason Lim reflects on his 20...
27/03/2026

"To step away from one’s usual surroundings is not to escape, but to listen differently." – Jason Lim reflects on his 2011 summer residency at Fondation la Roche Jacquelin, including two performances in these recently recovered archives.

A series of photo prints from the residency, 'Study with landscape', was exhibited at Between Lands: Migration as Transformation, co-presented by The Substation and Asia-Europe Foundation - ASEF in October 2025.

Applications for the 2026 Sub+ Residencies x Fondation la Roche Jacquelin close at 11.59pm SGT on Fri 27 March 2026.

Learn more and apply at www.substation.org/sub-residencies-x-fondation-la-roche
(link in bio)

📷:

“Its generosity opened space for reflection and thought, not just production.”A youthful Justin Loke looks on as today's...
24/03/2026

“Its generosity opened space for reflection and thought, not just production.”

A youthful Justin Loke looks on as today's recalls Vertical Submarine’s summer residency with Fiona Koh and Joshua Yang over a decade ago at Fondation la Roche Jacquelin. A publication of texts and photographs, Condemned Milk (2015), emerged from the residency, now out of print but shared in selected extracts here.

Applications are open for the 2026 Sub+ Residencies x Fondation la Roche Jacquelin until 27 March 2026, calling for Singapore/Permanent Resident artists based in Singapore, aged 35 and below.

Learn more & apply at www.substation.org/sub-residencies-x-fondation-la-roche
Final deadline: Fri 27 Mar 2026, 11.59pm SGT (GMT+8)

Images: Justin Loke

24/03/2026

Sub+ Youth Curators take us back to last year's Between Lands: Migration as Transformation in October 2025, which featured past residents of Fondation la Roche Jacquelin of Southeast Asian Contemporary Art: Jason Lim and Justin Loke (Vertical Submarine) from Singapore; Aung Ko, Nge Lay, and Yadanar Win from Myanmar; Bui Cong Khanh from Vietnam; and Jakkai Siributr from Thailand.

With thanks to our exhibition co-presenter Asia-Europe Foundation - ASEF for the support from ASEF Culture360's Asia-Europe Cultural Festival 2025, and our venue partner Goethe-Institut Singapore.

🎤🎥: Paradise Creative Media Group

Warm wishes for this Hari Raya season from all of us at The Sub! Here's a photo from our first Board & Team Meeting of t...
21/03/2026

Warm wishes for this Hari Raya season from all of us at The Sub! Here's a photo from our first Board & Team Meeting of the year.

~ Denise, Pok, Yuni, Jean-Louis, Kim, Audrey, Joe, Amir

We hear you! The Open Call is extended, following your clarifications and queries on the Sub+ Residencies at Fondation ...
20/03/2026

We hear you! The Open Call is extended, following your clarifications and queries on the Sub+ Residencies at Fondation la Roche Jacquelin.

This is our partnership’s first Open Call to search for a young Singaporean/PR artist (35 and below) who can benefit from the cross-cultural dialogue and inter-generational exchange on Southeast Asian contemporary art with the community we plan to gather at the Fondation this summer.

Learn more and apply by Fri 27 March 2026, 11.59pm SGT (GMT+8):
www.substation.org/sub-residencies-x-fondation-la-roche (link in bio)

20/03/2026

Hoping to defy all odds and stay around for more years to come! To make a donation from Singapore and beyond, visit www.substation.org/beyond (link in bio).

With thanks to our donors, guests, and featured artist Sope, and our Co-chairperson Jean-Louis Morisot for hosting the intimate and meaningful evening.

🎵:

"The exhibition... approached the experience of migration in just such a fluid and open-ended spirit... the show brought...
19/03/2026

"The exhibition... approached the experience of migration in just such a fluid and open-ended spirit... the show brought together three young curators from [Singapore]... and seven contemporary artists from Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, probing what it means to leave a place behind and call somewhere new home." ~ Plural Art Mag*

Since its open call week for the summer residency in France, here's a throwback to Plural Art Mag's throwback article (written by art historian Syakirah Aqilah) to our co-presentation of 'Between Lands: Migration as Transformation' — an exhibition of works by Jason Lim, Justin Loke, Bui Cong Khanh, Jakkai Siributr, Aung Ko, Nge Lay, and Yadanar Win, who are all alumni of the Fondation la Roche Jacquelin of Southeast Asian Contemporary Art summer residencies; curated by Goh Cheng Hao, Foo Wee San, and Phyllis Chan from the Sub+ Youth Curators Programme.

The exhibition was part of The Substation's Gathering Ground and the Asia-Europe Foundation - ASEF's Asia Europe Culture Festival in 2025.

The 2026 Open Call for Sub+ Residencies x Fondation la Roche Jacquelin is accepting applications from young artists aged 35 and below for the Aug - Sep residency in France. Details and application form at www.substation.org/sub-residencies-x-fondation-la-roche.

* Plural Art Mag, 14 Jan 2026, Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pluralartmag/posts/1509491774510572
---
Image Source: Aqilah, Syakirah (2026) 'Holding Space Between Lands', Plural Art Mag, 13 Jan. Available here: pluralartmag.com/holding-space-between-lands/

// OPEN CALL // **Extended Deadline: 27 March 2026, 11.59pm SGT** Calling Singapore Citizens/Permanent Residents ≤ 35 ye...
07/03/2026

// OPEN CALL // **Extended Deadline: 27 March 2026, 11.59pm SGT** Calling Singapore Citizens/Permanent Residents ≤ 35 years old!

SUB+ RESIDENCIES x FONDATION LA ROCHE JACQUELIN
Residency Period: 15 Aug - 15 Sep 2026
Duration: 1 month

The Substation, in our third year of partnership with Fondation la Roche Jacquelin of Southeast Asian Contemporary Art (France), invites applications from emerging artists for a 30-day arts residency in Anjou, France. This summer residency is conceived as a space for immersion — into landscape, history, and cross-cultural dialogue — to support emerging artists in their early practices and research that can benefit from distance, reflection, and site-responsiveness. Within an increasingly accelerated arts ecology, this partnership affirms the value of research, risk, and sustained inquiry across contexts.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONTEMPORARY ART DISCOURSE AMONG LANDSCAPE, HISTORY & CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUE

Established in 2007 by Singapore-based Iola Lenzi and Jean-Louis Morisot, the Fondation de la Roche Jacquelin (www.instagram.com/fondationlarochejacquelin) is a music and visual-art-based philanthropic initiative for promoting cultural and artistic exchange between Southeast Asia and Europe. Situated in the Loire Valley in western France, the Fondation offers the opportunity to live and work without production pressure within a historic estate while engaging with Southeast Asian art discourse in a European setting.

Over the last 20 years, the Fondation has welcomed artists at various stages of their respective careers, including Jason Lim, Vertical Submarine (Justin Loke; Fiona Koh; Joshua Yang), Abhisek Lahiri, Arahmaiani, Bui Cong Khanh, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Jakkai Siributr, Josephine Turalba, Michael Shaowanasai, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, Pinaree Sanpitak, Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, and Sub+ residents Aung Ko, Nge Lay, and Yadanar Win.

TO APPLY
Read more on what the programme offers, eligibility, and application requirements at www.substation.org/sub-residencies-x-fondation-la-roche

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