SAM Late Nights SAM Late Nights

SAM Late Nights

  • Sat, 5 Jul 2025

  • SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark

  • 6.30PM – 10PM

  • Free, general admission fees apply (Only fringe activities are free for all)

    Registration Link
  • More free programmes available from 10AM!

 

How often have you been asked “What did you do last weekend?” and drew a blank? Or had trouble recounting the story of a book you loved? Can you recall your best friend’s phone number without checking?

SAM Late Nights: A Night to Remember will be an evening full of fun, tongue-in-cheek activities that will have you realising how much you forget, while also giving you the chance to come together to put your collective memories to the test.

In response to the themes of the exhibition Heman Chong: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness, online bookstore Wormhole explores the concept of memory and narrative, as well as the role that print plays in the making of history.

Come early and make a full day of it:
From 10am, enjoy a vibrant line-up of activities, such as joining a Docent or Curator Tour, exploring the intersections of art and literature in an Artist Talk with Heman Chong and writer Daryl Qilin Yam, and watching a film screening of PERFECT DAYS that finds quiet beauty in the everyday.

About Wormhole
Wormhole is a small online bookstore that believes stories are for everyone. They offer a range of genres including literary fiction, non-fiction, children's books, and poetry. In addition to bookselling, Wormhole also holds community events, book clubs, and pop-up events.

Sam

Scroll down to find out more about the line-up below.

*Programmes may be subject to change without prior notice. Information accurate at time of publishing.

Drink sponsor
Sam

ticketing details

Random-Access Memory Test Ticketholders
• Time: 6.30pm – 10pm
•Admission: $10 (inclusive of exhibition admission fees)
Register here

Public (Non-ticketholders)
• Time: 8pm – 10pm
• Admission: Free (general admission fees to exhibitions apply)

Note:
• Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information on this programme. However, changes are sometimes unavoidable and the organiser reserves the right to make modifications to programmes without prior notice.
• Please note that there may be photography and/or video recording (audio and/or video) at the programme. By attending, you consent to your photograph and/or recording (video/audio) being used for future communications both online and offline by the organiser for archival, museum-related publicity, and publications only.

line-up

Click on the '+' below to find out more!
Random-Access Memory (RAM) Test Sam

Random-Access Memory (RAM) Test

Time: 7PM – 8PM

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

$10 per pax

Register here

 

Are you good at remembering brand taglines, recalling someone’s exact words 5 minutes ago, and memorising minute details in pictures?

 

It’s the ultimate test of your memory in this special twist on quiz night with memory challenges and a Heman Chong-themed segment. Battle for bragging rights and a $60 Wormhole gift card against friends and rival teams.

 

Form a team of two to four people and sign up now!

 

Each ticket comes with free entry to the exhibition, Heman Chong: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.

[Fringe Activity] Bookworm Memory Test Sam

[Fringe Activity] Bookworm Memory Test

Time: 6.30PM – 10PM

Venue: Level 1, Ticketing Reception

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Calling all book lovers to test your memory in this fast-paced game!

 

Move fast to match cards featuring famous books to their characters based on memory.

[Fringe Activity] Broken Telephone Sam

[Fringe Activity] Broken Telephone

Time: 6.30PM – 7PM (RAM-Test ticketholders only)
8PM – 10PM (public and RAM-Test ticketholders)

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (General admission fees to the exhibition apply)

 

Take a trip down memory lane with Broken Telephone! Join us for this classic game where messages get hilariously disjointed as they’re passed down the line, putting everyone’s communication skills to the test.

[Fringe Activity] Woogle Image Search Sam

[Fringe Activity] Woogle Image Search

Time: 6.30PM – 7PM (RAM-Test ticketholders only)
8PM – 10PM (public and RAM-Test ticketholders)

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (General admission fees to the exhibition apply)

 

What is our visual memory like without Google Images? The Woogle Image Search will challenge participants to draw a variety of things purely from memory: from product logos we see in our everyday lives, to beloved cartoon characters, familiar buildings and many more.

[Fringe Activity] Caveman Taboo Sam

[Fringe Activity] Caveman Taboo

Time: 6.30PM – 7PM (RAM-Test ticketholders only)
8PM – 10PM (public and RAM-Test ticketholders)

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Push the limits of language and communication with your friends, as you race against the clock to describe big things with one-syllable words only! Get your competitive streak on to claw your way to the top of our leaderboard.

[Fringe Activity] Say Nothing Sam

[Fringe Activity] Say Nothing

Time: 6.30PM – 7PM (RAM-Test ticketholders only)
8PM – 10PM (public and RAM-Test ticketholders)

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Think you and your friends have amazing chemistry?

 

Put your friendship to the test in this fun game, where you have to stay mentally in sync — with no discussion allowed. Work together to be on the same page and clear all five difficulty levels of the game!

[Pop-Up] Pop-Up Booth by Wormhole Sam

[Pop-Up] Pop-Up Booth by Wormhole

Time: 6.30PM – 7PM (RAM-Test ticketholders only)
8PM – 10PM (public and RAM-Test ticketholders)

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Shop goods from local and overseas artists and creators including Byjolyn, Sara Street, Sherchle, Somethingstokeep and more. Plus, browse a selection of books by Wormhole, an online bookstore that believes stories are essential for readers and non-readers alike. Wormhole stocks a range of genres including literary fiction, non-fiction, children's books, and poetry.

[DINE] Late Café Nights Sam

[DINE] Late Café Nights

Time: 6PM – 10PM

Venue: Level 1, SIP at SAM

 

Grab a bite and drink after hours at SAM's new café, SIP at SAM.

 

Find out more about the menu here.

line-up (10AM–5PM)

Click on the '+' below to find out more!
[Drop-in Activity] Fragmented Narratives Sam

[Drop-in Activity] Fragmented Narratives

Time: 10AM – 5PM

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (General admission fees to the exhibition apply.)

 

Inspired by Heman Chong’s The Straits Times series, Fragmented Narratives is a hands-on newspaper collage activity that encourages participants to critically explore how images and text shape meaning in the news.

 

As we experiment with newspaper clippings, challenging perspectives and crafting entirely new fictional realities, you may also add your creation to form part of a larger collective work!

[Drop-in Activity] This Little Red Dot… Sam

[Drop-in Activity] This Little Red Dot…

Time: 1PM – 5PM

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

The sixth edition of This Little Red Dot… embraces the theme “My Everyday in Singapore” to celebrate the nation’s 60th birthday. Organised by SAM, Singaporeans are invited to reflect on what Singapore means to them and share unique experiences in their everyday lives.

 

Get your hands on the This Little Red Dot… artwork template this weekend at SAM, and create an artwork that reflects what you cherish about our city!

[Curator Tour] Heman Chong's exhibition Sam

[Curator Tour] Heman Chong: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness

Time: 2PM – 3PM

Venue: Level 1, Gallery 1 (Gather outside the gallery)

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Join us for this special curator-led tour of the exhibition, Heman Chong: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.

 

Through the curators’ lens, explore the thematic threads that frame the exhibition: Chance, Fictions, and Infrastructure, and discover how Chong’s artistic practice has evolved in response to an increasingly data-driven, media-saturated and networked world.

[Tour] Docent Tour Sam

[Tour] Docent Tour 

Time:2PM – 3PM

Venue: Level 1, gather outside Gallery 1

Free (General admission fees to the exhibition apply)

 

Let our docents take you on guided tour of SAM's latest exhibitions!

[Artist Talk] Ways Around Writing and other Assorted Images Sam

[Artist Talk] Ways Around Writing and other Assorted Images

Time: 4PM – 5PM

Venue: Level 1, The Engine Room

Free (general admission fees apply)

Register here

 

Join artist Heman Chong and writer Daryl Qilin Yam as they delve into the intersections of visual art and literature, exploring themes such as the artist's dual role as writer and reader, the tactile presence of printed matter, and the intriguing process behind titling a work. Discover how literary undercurrents shape and enrich Heman and Daryl’s creative practices and what it means to work and live in Singapore.

 

This talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition, This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy any particular standard for completeness.

 

Speakers’ Bio:
Heman Chong is an artist whose work is located at the intersection between image, performance, situations and writing. Characterised by acerbic wit, Chong’s art address contemporary geopolitics and the infrastructural ironies of our data-driven and networked society. His practice can be read as an imagining, interrogation and sometimes intervention into infrastructure as an everyday medium of politics. His work has been the subject of institutional solo exhibitions at Singapore Art Museum, UCCA Dune, STPI, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Weserburg Museum, Jameel Arts Center, Swiss Institute New York, Art in General, Artsonje Center, Rockbund Art Museum, South London Gallery, NUS Museum, amongst many others. Chong is the co-director and founder (with Renée Staal) of The Library of Unread Books, a library made up of donated books previously unread by their owners. It was recently installed in the Serpentine Pavilion 2024, designed by Minsuk Cho and in 2025, installed for the summer at MOT, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

 

Daryl Qilin Yam is a writer, editor and arts organiser from Singapore. The author of two novels, a novella and the bestselling short story collection Be Your Own Bae (2024), he has been nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, and shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize and the SBPA’s Singapore Book Awards. He co-founded the literary charity Sing Lit Station, where he presently serves as the managing editor of its publishing arm AFTERIMAGE.

[Performance] The Library of Unread Books Sam

[Performance] The Library of Unread Books

Time: 10AM – 7PM

Venue: Level 1

Free

 

The Library of Unread Books (2016-Present)
By Heman Chong in collaboration with Renée Staal


We are surrounded by books we have purchased or been given, but have not read. We feel it is such a waste that these books go on unread. This is the starting point for @TheLibraryOfUnreadBooks.

The Library of Unread Books is a reference library made up of books that are unread by their previous owner. It is also a simple way to transform an object that was once private property, to one existing in the commons and shared by all.


The price for a lifetime membership to the library is the donation of a single unread book. Each book is stamped with a small description of the project, with your name and date of donation recorded.
You may wish to write within its pages the reason for your donation or for not having read the book.


The library will grow over time. Come and visit the library and give us a book. Someone else will read it for you.


Banner Image: Heman Chong, The Library of Unread Books (2016-Present). Installation view: Singapore Biennale 2022, Singapore Art Museum

[Performance] A Short Story About Geometry Sam

[Performance] A Short Story About Geometry

Time: 2PM

Venue: Level 1, Gallery 1

Free (general admission fees apply)

 

Durational performance involving an instructor, a participant and an approximately 500-word short story written by the artist.

A short story written by Chong is taught by an instructor to an audience participant who willingly commits it to memory, demonstrating this through an exact retelling within the session of instruction. This act is described by the artist as ‘publishing a text via a performance, an intense process that is full of repetition and failings, tears and laughter.’

The performance has no fixed duration. It will last as long as the participant requires to memorise the short story or until they decide to quit. The average time needed to memorise 500 words is approximately 3 hours, but there have been instances of accomplishing this in as short as 20 minutes, as well exceeding 5 hours.

Promised by the artist to never publish in print or online, the story exists only through oral transmission, requiring an immense amount of time and effort to experience the work.

To participate, please send email with name and contact information to [email protected].


Banner Image: Heman Chong, A Short Story About Geometry (2009), Durational performance involving an instructor, a participant and a short story Installation view : “The Part In The Story Where Our Accumulating Dust Becomes A Mountain”, Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA)

[Performance] Everything (Wikipedia) Sam

[Performance] Everything (Wikipedia)

Time: 2PM

Venue: Level 1, Gallery 1

Free (General admission fees to the exhibition apply.)

 

Durational performance featuring readings of Wikipedia via a mobile device

Commissioned by Rockbund Art Museum

Collection of Singapore Art Museum


Signifying the nature of knowledge production, validation and circulation in contemporary society, Wikipedia’s “free encyclopaedia” is presented in an ever-changing recitation of its crowd-sourced content. Beginning with the Wikipedia page of the day, a performer reads entries aloud while navigating the platform’s multitude of hyperlinks, leading to an apparently endless trove of information.


Banner Image:
Heman Chong, Everything (Wikipedia) (2016), Durational performance featuring readings of Wikipedia via a mobile device.
Installation view: This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness, Singapore Art Museum. Photo courtesy of the artist.

[Film Screening] PERFECT DAYS Sam

[Film Screening] PERFECT DAYS
Directed by Wim Wenders

Time: 2PM – 4.30PM

Venue: Level 3, The Main Deck

Free ,by registration (with $8 refundable deposit)
General admission fees to the exhibition apply

Japan / Germany | In Japanese with English subtitles | 2023 | 124 min | PG (Brief Nudity)

Register here

 

Experience Perfect Days, a deeply moving film following Hirayama, a Tokyo toilet cleaner content in his simple, structured life filled with music, books, and photography. Unexpected encounters slowly reveal his past, highlighting the beauty found in the everyday.

 

This screening complements the Everyday Practices exhibition, which explores artists' use of routine and repetition as acts of resilience and endurance. Hirayama's mindful approach to his daily tasks mirrors this theme, offering a poetic reflection on finding meaning and agency in the mundane, and addressing the question: "how do we go on going on?"

 

Following the film, join us for a post-screening dialogue to further explore these themes. More details on the conversation will be announced soon.

 

This screening is presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Everyday Practices.

[TOUR] Public Art Tour Sam

[TOUR] Public Art Tour: The Everyday Museum at Tanjong Pagar

Time: 11AM – 12PM

Venue: Spottiswoode Park (access path opposite Spottiswoode Residences)

$8 (includes a $5 SIP at SAM cafe voucher*)

Register here

 

Join a member of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) team on a guided tour to three of their favourite public artworks commissioned by The Everyday Museum, SAM’s public art initiative! Centered on artworks at and around Tanjong Pagar Distripark, colleagues from SAM will share their reflections and how they relate to each commission, revealing how art in public spaces can evoke memories, invite curoisity and shape how we encounter the everyday.

 

Through close encounters with the artworks and their environment, this intimate trail will consider how public art grounds itself in place—sometimes surfacing forgotten histories, at other times offering counter-narratives that challenge dominant social stories. In this experience, participants are encouraged to feed their curiosity, imagination and to observe their surroundings in detail.

 

This guided tour is suitable for ages 16 and above. The tour will conclude at Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

 

Tour Guidelines:
- Exact details of the tour, including tour route and list of artworks, will be shared with registered participants closer to each session via Peatix Messenger.
- Please be mindful of your surroundings throughout the tour.
- Dress comfortably and be prepared for inclement weather. You are advised to bring a water bottle, raincoat or umbrella.
- The tour will proceed even in light rain. Look out for live updates via Peatix Messenger and The Everyday Museum's Instagram. On the day of the event, please contact us through these channels for any enquiries.
- Registration begins 15 minutes before the start of the session. Please arrive early as latecomers may miss the tour.
- The tour requires a minimum of 5 participants to proceed. In case of cancellation, all participants will be notified via Peatix Messenger to sign up for another session.
- This tour is suitable for participants aged 16 and above. Please note that Singapore Art Museum reserves the right to turn away registrants who do not meet the requirements to participate in this programme, or are unable to produce an admission ticket.