By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
In the name of art that makes you stop and stare for a little longer than usual, Singapore Art Museum will present Hiroshi Sugimoto: Form Is Emptiness from 29 May to 4 October 2026 at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.
Marking celebrated Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first major survey exhibition in Southeast Asia, the showcase brings together more than 60 works across 11 series spanning over five decades, alongside 14 fossil specimens from the artist’s personal collection.
Known for his haunting black-and-white photography and deeply meditative works, Sugimoto has long explored themes surrounding time, memory, existence and human perception through photography, sculpture, installation and spatial design. Presented in Singapore at this scale for the very first time, Form Is Emptiness offers visitors an immersive look into the artist’s quietly powerful universe.
Designed by Sugimoto himself, the exhibition unfolds like a mandala, allowing visitors to move through branching spaces and interconnected pathways while forming their own visual associations along the way.
Among the highlights is Sugimoto’s iconic Seascapes series, which has been ongoing since 1980 and photographed across more than 250 locations worldwide. Distilling the world into nothing but sea and sky, the photographs range from sharp horizon lines to dreamy, fog-covered landscapes that almost feel suspended outside of time.
The exhibition also includes fossil specimens such as trilobites, ancient fish, frogs and dragonflies from Sugimoto’s personal collection, extending his fascination with time far beyond human existence.
Visitors can also expect newer works such as Spacescape (2024), created in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the University of Tokyo and Sony. Depicting Earth and the moon in orbit, the work expands Sugimoto’s exploration of perception from oceans and landscapes into the cosmos itself.
Another standout would have to be Theaters (1976–2014), Sugimoto’s celebrated long-exposure photography series where entire films are captured within a single luminous frame inside old cinemas and theatres.
Meanwhile, Brush Impression, Heart Sutra transforms handwritten gestures into an expansive installation comprising 288 gelatine silver prints, creating one of the exhibition’s most immersive experiences.
For those who enjoy art that feels contemplative, cinematic and quietly surreal all at once, this is probably one exhibition worth slowing down for.
Hiroshi Sugimoto: Form Is Emptiness runs from 29 May to 4 October 2026 at SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.
More information is available via Singapore Art Museum.
Featured image: Hiroshi Sugimoto. Image courtesy of the artist
