Built to house British soldiers in the 1930s and retooled as a low-key commercial precinct called Gillman Village in the ’90s, Gillman Barracks (9 Lock Rd.; gillmanbarracks.com) has reverted to its original name while taking on an entirely new identity: this time as a government-backed hub for contemporary art. With plans to launch fellowships and residency programs next year, the six-hectare compound is currently home to branches of 13 local and international galleries, ranging from New York–based Sundaram Tagore to Japan’s Ota Fine Arts. But while Gillman’s aspirations are clearly global, its opening exhibition, which runs until the end of November, puts the stress firmly on homegrown talent, with debut presentations from the likes of Donna Ong, Heman Chong, and a collective called Vertical Submarine. –Melanie Lee

Originally appeared in the October/November 2012 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Gillman’s New Groove”)