Mrs Sushma Goh
Director, Projects, Exhibition Management and Operations

Please tell us more about the role of the Projects, Exhibition Management and Operations team in the National Art Gallery, Singapore.
In the years leading up to the completion and opening of the National Art Gallery, Singapore, the team’s main role is to ensure that the buildings and infrastructure are completed on time and provisions are sufficient to meet the needs of the institution upon our opening in 2015.

Besides the buildings and infrastructure, the team is also working closely with the curatorial department to ensure that the exhibition installations for the future Gallery are completed on time and in line with the curatorial vision of the institution.

In preparation for our opening, the team is in the process of planning and developing infrastructures to ensure that all the necessary resources are in place so that the Gallery will be all ready to welcome guests from all over the world when we open in 2015.

What can we expect of the design of the Gallery when it officially opens in 2015?
The future National Art Gallery, Singapore building will contribute significantly to the urbanscape of the Civic District, bringing life and activities back to the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings. The design integrates the two important buildings together, creating a unique blend between the old and the new, rejuvenating the old while maintaining a deep respect for the original architecture of the buildings.

It will be a space for the young and the old, the art enthusiast as well as the first time visitor. In short, there will be something for everyone. Visitors can also look forward to a combination of underground and surface pedestrian linkages in the future, connecting the National Art Gallery, Singapore to other key landmarks around the area.

On a wider perspective, we are also working towards creating a ‘green’ gallery – doing our part to build an environmentally friendly building to promote sustainability while providing an ideal indoor environment for all to learn about art.

Mrs Sushma Goh graduated from University of Newcastle with a degree in Architecture, and has extensive experience working in both Australia and Singapore, in both public and private practice.

She joined the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts in 2006 to lead the Art Gallery Project Unit (AGPU), the precursor of the current National Art Gallery, Singapore, setting the stage to build the largest visual arts institution in Singapore. At the AGPU, Sushma and her team built the foundations for the future Gallery, including organising the international Architectural Design Competition in 2007.

Sushma currently heads the Projects, Exhibition Management and Operations department.  Prior to joining the Gallery, Sushma was Deputy Director, Architecture with the Land Transport Authority, Singapore, where she worked on several major projects including the Circle Line stations for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.