Director of both the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) and the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Tan, the consummate diplomat as the city-state attempts to situate itself among the newer art hubs of Asia, doesn’t often ruffle feathers. This year he managed to lure Filipino curator Patrick Flores to the role of deputy director of the NGS. Yet questions were asked in parliament about the use of live chickens in Apinan Poshyananda’s How to Explain Art to a Bangkok Cock (1985), part of a large survey of video art at NGS. The cocks were well looked after, a minister assured the chamber. Less contentious were exhibitions at SAM’s new harbourfront warehouse premises, opened in January while the old museum buildings undergo a much-delayed revamp (currently scheduled for completion in 2026). Among those showing are Hito Steyerl and Singapore-based artist Jane Lee, with forthcoming shows looking at the relationships between Southeast Asia and Latin America. And when the old space does eventually reopen, there’ll be more art to house: Tan announced a new annual purchasing fund of US$25k to buy works at the city-state’s S.E.A. Focus fair.