OUR STORY
Contact
Dawn Yeongdawn@deck.sg
Lim Su Fang
sufang@deck.sg
www.deck.sg
Location
120A Prinsep StreetSingapore 187937
2014-2021︎︎︎
First container art centre in SingaporeFrom the beginning, the team envisioned DECK to fill a space in the arts where growth can happen organically with the community at the centre of its efforts. It would also support artists through all stages of their careers.
To find a site for our building, our small team roamed the grounds, pitched to several agencies and looked for support in unlikely places. When we finally arrived at a small disused plot of land on Prinsep Street, we activated it and constructed a building designed by local architect firm LAUD Architects using 20 refurbished shipping containers. The containers that made the project possible were generously donated by Pacific International Lines.
As the first arts organisation to establish our own building since the 1980s, DECK was a landmark project. Most of our donors from 2014 had never donated to the arts before DECK showed us people do believe that passion can actualise untested, off-the-path ideas.
The container art centre also went on to win several prestigious design accolades, including the President*s Design Award in 2015.
2022-2025︎︎︎
Raising funds and awareness for DECK 2.0DECK’s first container-building has reached its end of its lifespan and was demolished in 2021 to chart a new horizon for photography and media arts.
Despite complications brought by COVID-19, the team behind DECK pressed on with its operations throughout the pandemic and even garnered record-breaking visitorship for our key programmes during this challenging phase. This goes to shows that arts not only reflects human tenacity in the face of adversity, it is also an indication of a society’s resilience and adaptability to changes.
As we navigate through the new normal in the post-pandemic world, the importance of physical presence has never been more obvious. It made us even more certain that a brick-and-mortar space is necessary to provide consistent support for artists, incubate ideas, create sustainable programmes and build relationships.
2026︎︎︎
Establishing Singapore as a nexus for photographyIn this new space, DECK carries its mission to provide a platform for all facets of contemporary arts and photography to the broadest possible audience. Home to the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) — Southeast Asia’s most established biennial photography festival since 2008, DECK continues to be an avenue where artists can connect with the larger community through ground-breaking ideas and diverse perspectives.
From showcasing works of local and international artists and retrospective highlights of photography masters, to promoting visual literacy in photography, DECK endeavours to create meaningful partnerships with institutions, schools and artists to provide photography education workshops and programmes.
In the future, the expanded space will house more showcases, incubate experimental ideas, nurture new talents and provide more opportunities for mid-career and ground-breaking artists. As DECK moves into its next phase, we hope you share our belief that an alternative is always possible and the community can appreciate the arts through a plurality of approaches.
Milestones︎︎︎
Since 2014, we have been on a journey.
Discovery through photography
Engagement in new ideas
Connection with global voices
Knowledge creation for the community
Exhibitions
4th Singapore International Photography Festival
Undescribed #2
Professional Development
Artist-In-Residence (A.i.R.)
International
participation in:
Temple Arles Books, at Les Rencontres d’Arles, UNFOLD (2019)
4th Singapore International Photography Festival
TYPES: After Becher
A Tree With Too Many Branches
A Dreamer’s Muse
Unseen/Unknown
Artist-in-Residence (A.i.R.) with Liana Yang
With Someone Like You
The Two of Them
TRACE 01: To Measure the Depth of the Ocean
Undescribed #1
Club Berlin: Electronic Music and Photography
STEIDL DECK: 1001 STEIDL BOOKS
Mountain and Expanse (Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography)
5th Singapore International Photography Festival
Daido Moriyama: Prints & Books from 1960s—1980s
TRACE 02: The Photograph as Atlas
Undescribed #2
A.i.R. with Abednego Trianto
The History of Boys: the MES56 and Beyond
OPEN DECK
Incidents in a Sensible World (Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography)
STATE OF CHANGE
From Darkness to Light (Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang)
TRACE 03: META-GRAPHY
3DPRK by Matjaž Tančič
TARGETS by Herlinde Koelbl
Theatre of Reality by Chou Ching-Hui
Undescribed #3
ABOVE, BELOW (Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography)
Professional DevelopmentArtist-In-Residence (A.i.R.)
STEIDL Book Review
STEIDL Asia Book Award Asia
SIPF Book Award
Asia Meet
DECK Associate Creative Programme
participation in:
Temple Arles Books, at Les Rencontres d’Arles, UNFOLD (2019)
Shanghai Art Book Fair (2019)
Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam (2019)
NOMAD Photobook Showcase at Busan International Photo Festival, THE REFERENCE in Seoul, and Taiwan (2021)
Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival (2021)
Hong Kong International Photography Festival (2021)
NOMAD: SIPF Travelling Photobook Showcase at the Hong Kong Photobook Festival (2023)
Daegu Photo Biennale (2023)
Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival (2023)
TRACE 04: AESTHETICITY
Of Frames and Passing Time — The Gift of a Year
6th Singapore International Photography Festival
Between Love and Death: Diary of Nobuyoshi Araki
A.i.R. with Tristan Cai
PRINT ROOM: COLLECT
新加坡特快 SINGAPORE EXPRESS
A State of Affairs (Or The Way Things Are)
Undescribed #4
The Aesthetics Of Disappearance
the tree is the leaf is the land (Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography)
A.i.R. with Hu Qiren
Dunman Higher
PRINT ROOM: In Every Change of Season
Reading Photographs: A Showcase For Seenthesis Publication
It’s Strange I Feel Like I’ve Seen This One Before
GAP: A Distinct to Reality
PRINT ROOM: Speak Softly. Speak Low.
Undescribed #5
MMCC—mediated/movement/choreographic/collaboration
A Self I Once Knew (Kwek Leng Joo Prize of Excellence in Photography)
7th Singapore International Photography Festival
Inside Out Singapore
Afterlife by Vasantha Yogananthan
Loose Relations by Sherman Ong
SGscenery2020 by George Wong
ThisConnect: Threading Worlds by Hunny & Lummy
Undescribed #6
A Studio of One’s Own
Time Present Time Past 台上•台下
Undescribed #7
TERRITO/REALITIES by Alfonse Chiu
8th Singapore International Photography Festival
Pictures in the Mind
Undescribed #8
A.i.R. with MM Yu and Poklong Anading
Currents Above Ground
Year-in-Review 2023: Online Portfolio Review
The Unstable Image by Clara Peh
Make Room by Steph Lee and Benjamin Tan
In Times To Come
Undescribed #9
queer life / drawing by Singmoolsung
Archives of One’s Own by Sean Cham
Publications
TRACE 01: To Measure the Depth of the Ocean
TRACE 02: The Photograph as Atlas
DECK Journal of Photography
Asia 8 with Steidl Publishing
Seenthesis: Visual Literacy through Singapore Photography
DECK-ing Good Times ︎︎︎ DECK-ing Good Times ︎︎︎ DECK-ing Good Times ︎︎︎ DECK-ing Good Times︎︎︎
Step Into 2026︎︎︎
DECK’s new building The new three-storey building will be three times bigger than the preceding container art centre. The new DECK will house three galleries, a blackbox theatre, a photobook library, a bookstore, and an F&B establishment. It will be anchored permanently at 120A Prinsep Street within an eclectic neighbourhood surrounded by art schools, co-working spaces, residential quarters, strata malls and places of worship.
Architect
LAUD Architects Pte Ltd
Gross Floor Area
1,127.67 sqm (12,138 sqf)
Gallery 1
DECK brings worlds of photography to Singapore through international showcases by renowned artists who have defined the contemporay medium from around the globe.
Gallery 2
At the vanguard of photography development, DECK leads Singapore and Southeast Asia’s arts scene with exhibitions by mid-career and established photographers.
Gallery 3
To support generations of emerging artists, DECK provides a platform for young art talents to explore and push the boundaries of the photographic medium in their new creations.
Blackbox Theatre
A flexible space to hold seminars, public talks, and screenings. The Blackbox will also spearhead the innovative development of media arts by new talents in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Photobook Library
DECK has an existing library collection of 7,823 photobooks and self-publications by artists from all over the world. It also comprises Southeast Asia’s most comprehensive repository of 1,600 Steidl-published art books.
Cafe & Bookshop
A sanctuary to nourish and fuel visitors between appointments, classes and gallery visits. The cafe and bookshop is a merriment of design and the lived experience.
Green Belt
A conduit between Prinsep Street and Bencoolen; connecting our neighbouring art schools Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts to foster creative exchange.
Bike Park
Envisioning a car-lite street in the future, DECK’s Bike Park along Prinsep Street accommodates 15 bicycle stands and two parking lots.
FAQ︎︎︎
What kind of organisation is DECK?
Discovering diverse contemporary values through photography.
Engaging all minds in new ideas and critical thinking in photography.
Connecting the global community through the exchange of visual cultures.
Knowledge-sharing through photography, public programmes and workshops.
Why crowdfund?
DECK is an independent non-profit entity dedicated to photography arts, created to fill a gap between critical art institutions in Singapore. It provides support and opportunities to artists in all stages of their careers while working closely with the community.
DECK embodies the following values in its mission to shape the arts in Singapore:
Discovering diverse contemporary values through photography.Engaging all minds in new ideas and critical thinking in photography.
Connecting the global community through the exchange of visual cultures.
Knowledge-sharing through photography, public programmes and workshops.
DECK is the founding organiser of the biennial Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF).
Founded in 2012, DECK Photography Art Centre Ltd (UEN: 201215478E) is a registered Charity and Institution of a Public Character (IPC) as of 20 Jan 2022.
DECK is a recipient of National Arts Council's Major Company Scheme since 2016.
Why crowdfund?
The government funding that DECK receives only covers part of the operating expenditure for our programmes and manpower. It does not cover land lease or infrastructural costs. This is true for DECK’s first building, which was made possible entirely through public donations.
So DECK’s space exists because of the goodwill shown towards a community that believes in an alternative space for the arts. With your continued support, DECK can take another leap of faith.
What is the impact of my contribution?
What will my money fund?
Three Galleries
Photobook Library
This exclusive library contains one of the widest photobook collections in Southeast Asia with more than 7,800 titles, out of which 1,600 titles are donated by the world-renowned Steidl Publishers. It will also incorporate an artist studio and a dedicated reading room for artists and arts researchers.
Blackbox Theatre
Accessibility Features
Can DECK carry on without a physical space?
With a new building, DECK can impact and nurture the next generation of artists and art audiences. DECK would enable the community to tap into curriculum, workshops and resources provided by the centre.
With a permanent building and an expanded space, DECK can offer more programmes for the community and opportunities
for our artists.
What will my money fund?
Three Galleries
This will house international showcases by global names, career-profiling showcases of talents in Singapore, and new creations by emerging young talents.
Photobook Library
This exclusive library contains one of the widest photobook collections in Southeast Asia with more than 7,800 titles, out of which 1,600 titles are donated by the world-renowned Steidl Publishers. It will also incorporate an artist studio and a dedicated reading room for artists and arts researchers.
Blackbox Theatre
The blackbox is a flexible space for seminars, film screenings, and public talks. It will house state-of-the-art equipment to showcase boundary-pushing new media arts such as Virtual Reality (VR), moving image installations and digital sound art.
Accessibility Features
Wheelchair accessible entrances, handicap friendly toilets, and lifts for access to all elements in the building.
Can DECK carry on without a physical space?
Often tagged to our exhibitions and workshops are months-long artist residencies that require space and physical resources. It is vital that we can provide our artists with the platform to test their ideas in an entire area and the means to focus on their art practice. Because continuity is integral to nurturing a powerful platform for growth and identity, it is also essential to keep our presence on our current site.
On a larger social scale, a physical space for the arts makes visible the connection between works of art, the artists and the community. It catalyses and transforms by gathering and engaging the community in discourse and providing an avenue where society can identify with multifaceted ideas and values.
Why does DECK need a new building?
Why is DECK not part of the NAC Arts Housing Scheme?
Is this the right time for a new arts building?
When DECK was conceptualised, it made sense for our first building to be a temporary structure made up of refurbished shipping containers. Nimble, cost-efficient and resource-smart, it also represented the universal spirit of DECK as a ground-up, independent space.
While this structure has done a lot for us, the containers have unfortunately reached the end of their lifespan. DECK’s container-building was demolished in April 2021, and the construction for the new building is slated to begin in April 2025.
We look forward to a new phase of growth for DECK. The permanence of DECK in the future marks a continuation of our support for the photography arts community of our arts community where smaller organisations can co-exist amongst more prominent institutions.
Why is DECK not part of the NAC Arts Housing Scheme?
The nature of the NAC Arts Housing scheme is on a short-term, for-hire basis. Facilities for sharing are temporal and mutable, such as office spaces, dance studios and seminar rooms. Because of the scarcity of arts housing spaces in Singapore, for-hire areas of the scheme are also available on a rotational basis to accommodate new arts organisations.
This may work for specific arts organisations, but not for all. The nature of DECK’s programmes falls into the latter because they require uninterrupted spatial/structural support and autonomy and flexibility over space usage.
Is this the right time for a new arts building?
Arts is what made us human, it is an expression of our shared humanity and a reflection of our times. It inspires hope, imagination and perspectives beyond the limited experiences of our lives. This is more invaluable than ever in a post-pandemic world currently divided by war and differences.
We believe in the value of areas where the community can appreciate art through a broad spectrum of approaches. Therefore, an art space that serves as an alternative platform for working artists to showcase diversity and inclusivity is always worth saving.
CONTACT US︎︎︎
HERE
Lim Su Fang
Business Development Manager
sufang@deck.sg
Dawn Yeong
Arts Manager
dawn@deck.sg
Get in touch with us
if you would like to be involved in the BUILDECK campaign. We are open to explore partnership opportunities with individuals and organisations who share DECK’s entrepreneurial spirit for the local arts scene.
Open Call
Calling all chefs with a flair for flavours, DECK is on the lookout for the most suitable FnB providers to call DECK their home upon our launch and are accepting proposals for creative culinary experts to journey with us.
Drop us an email
if you would like to be involved in the BUILDECK campaign. We are open to explore partnership opportunities with individuals and organisations who share DECK’s entrepreneurial spirit for the local arts scene.
Open Call
Calling all chefs with a flair for flavours, DECK is on the lookout for the most suitable FnB providers to call DECK their home upon our launch and are accepting proposals for creative culinary experts to journey with us.
Drop us an email