BRISBANE.- The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art today formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Singapore Art Museum (SAM).

In Singapore to sign the wide-ranging agreement, QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM said the MOU will seal a five-year partnership between the two institutions from 2017 to 2021, with a possibility of a further extension.

‘QAGOMA is delighted to be partnering with the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore’s top contemporary art museum, with whom we share the vision of presenting the most thought-provoking contemporary art from our region,’ Mr Saines said.

‘With this partnership, we will be able to deepen our curatorial and research expertise by learning from each other.’

‘Forged on common interests to promote and advance the art of this region, this MOU between SAM and QAGOMA strengthens and deepens SAM's partnerships and collaborations with international like-minded art institutions. We look forward to our partnership and the friendship that we will be building upon over the next five years,’ said Ms Joyce Toh, Curatorial Co-Head, Singapore Art Museum.

The MOU marks SAM's most significant and long-term partnership with an art institution since its corporatisation in 2013, and QAGOMA’s first wide-ranging formal agreement with an institution in Asia. It will cover extensive cooperation between SAM and QAGOMA, including opportunities for staff exchange and training, collaborative programming and research, and a co-curated contemporary art exhibition to be held in both countries from 2019 onwards.

In June and September 2016, QAGOMA hosted two groups of staff members from the Singapore Art Museum to learn about QAGOMA’s collections and operations.