Director’s Message

ABOUT THE GALLERY

UNVEILING MODERN SINGAPORE AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART

National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution overseeing the largest public collection of modern art of Singapore and Southeast Asia. Situated at the birthplace of modern Singapore, in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments—City Hall and former Supreme Court—that have been beautifully restored and transformed into this exciting 64,000 square metre venue.

Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery aims to be a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in our collaborative research, education initiatives, long-term and special exhibitions, and innovative programming.

BOARD MEMBERS

Peter Ho (Chairman) Chang Hwee Nee Chew Choon Seng Chong Siak Ching Jennie Chua Rosa Daniel Goh Kok Huat Maimoonah Hussain Shareen Khattar Panote Sirivadhanabhakdi Doris Sohmen-Pao Professor Tan Chorh Chuan Whang Shang Ying Danny Yong

DIRECTOR’S

MESSAGE

Dear friends,

As 2021 draws to a close, the Gallery is abuzz.

In October, we launch a new experimental project space within the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, the first of its kind within the museum. Dalam Southeast Asia will present projects that provoke critical questions and explore lesser-known artists and narratives in Southeast Asian art, marking a significant turning point in the Gallery’s curatorial efforts to display, acquire and stimulate public dialogues confronting the modern art of Southeast Asia.

The first exhibition in this space is The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin, a focused study on two artistic outliers from Singapore and Cambodia respectively, and their travels in the Global South from the 1970s to 2000s. Though they were born two decades apart and unacquainted, the exhibition brings them together to showcase the similarities in their journeys, interests, and perspectives.

Come November, we invite families and children to discover the on-site edition of the Gallery Children’s Biennale during the year-end holidays. Following the festival’s online iteration in May, immersive art installations at the Gallery will explore the same theme of “Why Art Matters,” engaging with urgent issues of the environment, diversity, and home.

Later that month, visitors can look forward to a solo exhibition on Chua Mia Tee, a Cultural Medallion recipient and arguably Singapore’s most recognisable realist painter. Chua Mia Tee: Directing the Real will explore the period of his career between the 1950s and 1980s, shining a light on a time of transformative growth for both the artist and a post-war Singapore.

To end the year on a high note, we are very proud to present Nam June Paik: The Future is Now. This exhibition is not only our biggest of 2021, but will also be the first major retrospective of renowned artist Nam June Paik in Southeast Asia. A key figure in the 20th century avant-garde, Paik was a key figure in the Fluxus movement and widely considered the founder of video art. This playful, electrifying and immersive exhibition surveys over five decades of his pioneering work, which we hope will inspire audiences to reflect upon their own relationships with technology, as well as the intersection of technology with other areas like nature, music and religion.

Our busy calendar this year end promises something for everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at the Gallery. In the meantime, I wish all of you a wonderful, safe, and healthy festive season.

Eugene Tan

Director, National Gallery Singapore