WHO ARE WE? WHAT DO WE DO?
OH! Open House is an independent arts organisation that tells alternative stories of Singapore through art. Since 2009, we have provided more than 60,000 people with the unique experience of appreciating art and heritage outside of museums and galleries – from strangers’ homes to underutilised public spaces. We work with artists to present art in unconventional locations, or in surprising new ways. Through our diverse programmes, OH! creates opportunities to understand and connect with the everyday on a more meaningful level.
WHAT DO WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
Provide alternative ways to experience art, outside of museums and galleries.
Give Opportunities
Give local artists opportunities to experiment with site-specificity – to unlock or even create new meanings to our everyday spaces.
Challenge Audiences
Challenge audiences to think deeper about the immediate environment they inhabit, and the larger context of Singapore.
HOW DO WE TELL STORIES?
We offer programmes that combine art and heritage. We put artworks that respond to spaces they are housed within i.e. they are site specific – they tell stories of the spaces they are housed in and/or can only be best experienced within those spaces. We offer:
Art Walks
We are experience specialists. Nobody does tours like we do. In the format of guided tours, audiences get to step into private homes and spaces to see museum-worthy artworks. Art exhibitions can leave audiences feeling disconnected – art-speak can be intimidating; or else people use art as selfie backdrops. In this sense, heritage walking tours can connect visitors much better with the neighbourhoods, with our spaces. What differentiates us with heritage walks is that you don’t just learn, you experience through the art and the stories that lie within. Today, our art walks remain unique and popular despite that free heritage and art trails are dime in a dozen. Close to 5,000 ticketed guests visited our 2018 edition in Emerald Hill.
Art Experiences
We have turned terraced houses into museum and artworks. We have converted HDB staircases into galleries – you get to start from the highest floor, make your way down, with each floor encompassing a different work, a different story. Whilst transforming spaces with artworks, we give audiences a chance to explore Singapore and learn about her.
We are experience specialists. Nobody does tours like we do. In the format of guided tours, audiences get to step into private homes and spaces to see museum-worthy artworks. Art exhibitions can leave audiences feeling disconnected – art-speak can be intimidating; or else people use art as selfie backdrops. In this sense, heritage walking tours can connect visitors much better with the neighbourhoods, with our spaces. What differentiates us with heritage walks is that you don’t just learn, you experience through the art and the stories that lie within. Today, our art walks remain unique and popular despite that free heritage and art trails are dime in a dozen. Close to 5,000 ticketed guests visited our 2018 edition in Emerald Hill.
Art Experiences
We have turned terraced houses into museum and artworks. We have converted HDB staircases into galleries – you get to start from the highest floor, make your way down, with each floor encompassing a different work, a different story. Whilst transforming spaces with artworks, we give audiences a chance to explore Singapore and learn about her.
OUR ORIGIN STORY
“When I first moved to Singapore, I shifted with my few belongings into a shophouse. I wanted to use the space better, so I invited an artist, Xiao Yun, to do something. All I gave her was a house key. No guidance, no parameters. I enjoyed the process and final installation so much, I thought, “Why don’t my neighbours do the same thing?” Alan [co-founder] was the first person who not only loved the idea, but wanted to do it. For our first few art walkabouts, it was just Alan and me with a part-time team. Today, we have a full-time team, and we are an Institute of Public Character. We continue to bring art out of museums and galleries and into our everyday spaces, bringing art to the public. Most importantly, we give artists opportunities to lead national conversations – to question our way of life, to chart our way forward.”
— Oliver Bettin, Co-founder
WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US?
“I like seeing regular paraphernalia from the school classrooms and the residents’ own decor amongst the exhibits… Each OH! Open House event I’ve managed to attend has been memorable and different...”
–– @Pickleandpepper, Audience, OH! Emerald Hill
“I have always appreciated OH! for its courage to challenge Singapore. I would even use the word ‘radical’, for the fact that it made art walkabouts a thing in a tightly-regulated city, and introduced art into neighbourhoods where some people do not even have the slight interest to step into a museum to look at art. It forces artists to explain art to (sometimes illiterate) kopitiam uncles, and forces yuppies to listen to stories about back alleys and people whose voices are small and forgotten. It forces the exchange between the unlikely, ruffle some feathers, and get us thinking.”
–– Lim Qi Xuan, Designer and Sculptor, worked with OH! in 2015 – 2016
MAJOR GRANTS & AWARDS
2014 - 2017
2016 - present
2017 – present
2020 - 2021
2022
2016 - present
2017 – present
2020 - 2021
2022
Seed Grant | National Arts Council, Singapore
IPC status | Charity Council
Major Company | National Arts Council, Singapore
Experience Step-Up Fund | Singapore Tourism Board
Charity Transparency Awards | Charity Council
IPC status | Charity Council
Major Company | National Arts Council, Singapore
Experience Step-Up Fund | Singapore Tourism Board
Charity Transparency Awards | Charity Council
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL
The National Arts Council champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, we want to develop a distinctive global city for the arts. With a nod to tradition and an eye to the future, we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies. Our support for the arts is comprehensive – from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to and through the arts so that together we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives. For more information on the Council’s mission and plans, please visit www.nac.gov.sg.