SINGAPORE — Interdisciplinary arts practitioner Dr Susie Lingham has been appointed as the new director of the Singapore Art Museum.

Her appointment takes effect in August as outgoing director Tan Boon Hui moves on to his new post as the National Heritage Board’s Group Director of Programmes this month. Tan will still be involved in the coming Singapore Biennale, which opens in October and is organised by the museum, as one of its curators.

Lingham, who holds a doctorate in Literature, Religion and Philosophy from the University of Sussex, is an established figure in the local arts scene, as art critic, curator, academic and artist. She is a founding member of the Singapore branch of the International Association Of Art Critics and an assistant professor with the National Institute Of Education’s Visual and Performing Arts Academic Group.

Lingham has also been a pivotal figure in the Singapore performance art scene, as the co-founder-director of the art collective 5th Passage. Last year, she held a solo show, Turn, at The Substation.

“I am very pleased with the appointment of Susie Lingham. She has a strong academic background in the study of contemporary society and the visual arts and a keen understanding of the needs of this sector,” said Jane Ittogi, chairperson of the SAM board.

Of her appointment, Lingham said: “As an interdisciplinary practitioner myself, I understand and respect contemporary art as that meaningful, inclusive and exploratory ‘space’ that generates other spaces.

“I believe that the Singapore Art Museum is this necessary space for serious research-led, and ever-evolving, curatorial and art practice. It is also a space where critical engagement with social, cultural and philosophical issues is presented and expertly made accessible to the various segments of the public.” MAYO MARTIN