Brewin Design Office was briefed to renovate and convert the National Gallery Singapore’s Rotunda dome into a gallery library and archives to house the museum’s collection of 20,000 physical and digital resources – one of the world’s most comprehensive – on 19th- and 20th-century Southeast Asian art. The challenge was to revive the Rotunda’s historical function, and create a space that is simultaneously contemporary and historical, all without disrupting the sightline of visitors into the impressive inner dome. The joinery work was fabricated by both local and international cabinet makers, alongside bespoke and carefully restored historical furniture.
Brewin Design Office partnered with auction house Phillips to design a section of the latter’s Fall Sales Preview, which would be furnished with a selection of furniture and art from the Day Sale. A specially commissioned paint – Pantone 405-C by Robert Cheng – was paired with warm greys and mirrors to both visually extend the length of the room and to create portals. The subtle simplicity of the design created an unusually meditative quality that allowed the pure form and beauty of each piece in the sale collection to be individually spotlighted.
The first of its kind in South East Asia, the ‘Minimalism: Space. Light. Object’ exhibition brought together over 110 Minimalist art pieces. The brief was to both frame the artwork on an individual level, and to express a cohesive narrative that strings together the different pieces across time and cultures. Drawing on the artistic principles of Minimalism, Brewin infused the design with nods to proportion and geometric logic.
