“The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” - G.K. Chesterton
One of the pleasant surprises I have had in Singapore over the years that I have visited here is the palpable development in the Arts scene. Looking over the past twenty years or so, one becomes aware of a tremendous progress and increasing diversity in cultural events and increasing numbers of art venues that are available to both local inhabitant and visitor. The National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilisations Museum have all opened their doors in the last 15 years and they are now added to the more traditional art spaces such as the Singapore Art Gallery and the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.
The range of arts activities has also been increasing, in response to a growing interest among the population and visitors. In the last ten years, total arts activities have more then trebled in terms of total performances and exhibition days. Attendance at arts events has also increased at the same rate. In the last five years, the Singapore government has invested some $120 million (US$76 million) per year in arts and culture. This amount goes towards supporting arts development through grants for arts programmes, the running of museums and museum programmes, and the promotion of arts and heritage in the community.
The National Art Gallery of Singapore will be a new visual arts institution, which will contribute to building Singapore as a regional and international hub for visual arts. This institution will focus on the display, promotion, research and study of Southeast Asian art including Singapore art, as well as play host to international art exhibitions. It will be housed in two colonial buildings that are being refurbished and remodelled to make them suitable for an exhibition space. The two buildings are the City Hall (built 1929) and the former Supreme Court building (built 1930-9).
With its Southeast Asian focus, the new National Art Gallery aims to be accessible to its visitors and users, in physical, intellectual, cultural, social and virtual terms. The National Art Gallery will provide a regional cultural backdrop, broad interpretation framework for understanding Singapore’s culture and heritage in the context of visual arts development in the regional and international arts scene.
The National Museum in Singapore is currently hosting a travelling exhibition, “Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre”. It features 130 exquisite artworks ranging from classic sculptures to painted vases, from the Louvre museum’s Greek and Hellenistic galleries, which are undergoing refurbishment. The Louvre rarely loans more than a dozen items from any department at a time. This is the first time the Greek artefacts have been shipped out for exhibition since they were acquired 200 years ago. The showcase, which has gone to China and Japan in the past, also marks the first time the Louvre will display its works in South-East Asia. It’s one of the most costly programmes undertaken by the National Museum of Singapore. A professional group of art handlers and staff from the exhibition, curatorial and conservation staff from the Louvre, the National Museum and its Heritage Conservation Centre will manage the installation of the priceless works, some which weigh between 100 to 460 kilograms, with the two tallest sculptures being 2.1 metres high.
It was a pleasure to view this exhibition and it brought back memories of visiting the Louvre, but also memories of trips to Greece where similar treasures are exhibited in the National Museum of Athens. However, this travelling exhibition is not the only attraction of the Museum of Singapore, there many more treasures to see from the permanent collections. These include some significant historical material from the City’s past, some excellent photographs as well as exhibitions on “living history” with features of fashion, food, film and Chinese Opera. A very interesting place to visit!
This is our last day in Singapore. We are catching a plane back to Melbourne this evening, so from Monday morning things are back to normal, with a Movie Monday blog. Hope you have enjoyed the travel blogs.
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