PERHAPS NOTHING CAN BEAT THE NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE IN CELEBRATING THE COUNTRY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE, BUT THE PROJECT IS ALSO MORE THAN JUST AN AMBITIOUS RESULT OF THE AGENDA FOR SINGAPORE TO BECOME THE ART&CULTURE HUB OF SOUTHEAST ASIA.
TEXT: TUNYAPORN HONGTONG
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE (NGS) /
© FERNANDO JAVIER URQUIJO / STUDIOMILOU SINGAPORE
Singapore’s effort to become the regional hub of contemporary art has been an ongoing mission. We’ve seen the births of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Singapore Biennale, Art Stage Singapore — the art fair that attracts a great number of international collectors and buyers — as well as Gillman Barracks, the new art district that revamped the buildings of a British military base from the Colonial era into gallery spaces that have so far been occupied by several international art galleries. If we were to discuss the issue at the policy – making scale, the Singaporean Government has initiated and developed the Renaissance City Plan (RCP) since 2000. The plan basically revolves around an attempt to make the country a world – class art metropolis where art and culture are prominent parts of the creation of the nation’s identity.
Of all the endeavors being taken underway, the most ambitious action would be the establishment of National Gallery Singapore (NGS). This art museum was ceremoniously opened in November of 2015 as a part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the country’s declaration of independence. The government spent over 530 million Singapore dollars on the museum, which physically encompasses the areas of two historic buildings from the Colonial Era, the Supreme Court Building and the City Hall. The National Gallery Singapore transforms two significant buildings, the former Supreme Court and City Hall, into Southeast Asia’s largest modern arts institution. studioMilou won the international competition in 2007 to design the gallery, partnering with the local architect, CPG Consultants. A gigantic filigree metal and glass roofing structure draping over 2 buildings, supported by steel tree-like structures, unifies the whole project with a simple rooftop line. From below, a sweeping concourse basement is accessible from each side of the gallery by monumental staircases. Size-wise, the program equates National Gallery Singapore to Musée d’Orsay and Tate Modern with its massive gallery space where viewers’ art viewing experiences take place in the surroundings of architectural beauty (both the old and the new) and the history of the place. It comes as no surprise that such spectacularity has drawn attention from art enthusiasts across Southeast Asia. But while all the extravaganzas in the forms of international art fairs, art biennales or the museum the size of the Tate Modern can have us easily intrigued and overly excited, we must not forget the fact that they are only ‘tools’ or ‘structures’ that Singapore is preparing for its journey to rise as the regional hub of art and culture. What’s more important than the tools are the ‘content’ that is going to be inside of the structures where questions such as what kinds of art are featured at the art fair? and how is this gigantic museum going to handle its ‘content’? (and how well?) are unavoidable. Simply speaking, what types of collections and exhibitions can we expect to see from the National Gallery Singapore? After all, at the end of the day, these ‘structures’ need to have the right ‘content’ in order for them to make Singapore the true and dignified art and cultural hub of Southeast Asia.
Eugene Tan, Director of National Gallery Singapore, set a goal for NGS to become the first museum dedicated to Southeast Asian art (and the country’s own artistic development). As a result of that, the City Hall building was chosen to house DBS Singapore Gallery, which showcases the works of Singaporean artists from the early 19th Century to the Post-Independence era led by the artists of the Nanyang Group, which is considered to be the country’s first art movement, and the Contemporary period. The program does its job of introducing the country’s art history to the audience, but what we think is even more interesting and the highlight of the space that everyone is eager to see is the UPB Southeast Asia Gallery that takes over 14 rooms on the three floors of the Supreme Court building. It hosts ‘Between Declarations and Dreams: Art of Southeast Asia since the 19th Century,’ a permanent exhibition featuring the artistic development of Southeast Asia from the 19th Century to present with approximately 400 works of art ranging from painting and sculpture to mixed media and installation, etc. The works are categorized based on the social and political narratives taking place throughout the history of the region.
Looking at the big picture, we see NGS’s intention to put together narratives in the region’s art scene and its attempt to intertwine these stories into one unified piece. While the effort to classify artworks into categories and chronological order might be a bit unbecoming at certain points, the exhibition is still a solid introduction to Southeast Asian art, especially when NGS parades out the masterpieces (which we won’t be seeing anywhere else) be they the works of Indonesian master Raden Saleh, the Philippines’ legendary artist Juan Luna or even the portrait by Phra Soralaks Likhit, Thailand’s first oil painting artist.
The best executed time period is probably the Post-World War II Era when the majority of countries were under Western colonization, which is followed by the rise of the declaration of independence movement. The works selected for this time period depict stories of the war of independence and the region’s changing social and political climate. Among them are ‘Epic Poem of Malaya’ (1955) by Chua Mia Tee who believed that art can be used as a tool to change the society and ‘War and Peace’ (1950s) by Hendra Gunawan who depicts Indonesia’s War of Independence. There are a number of works from the 1950s to 1960s by Singaporean artists who used woodblock printmaking as a medium to convey the intellectual revolution and transform the political situation in Singapore after it was freed from the invasion of the Japanese army. Evidently, art was used to tell stories of social conditions and people’s ideologies in that time period, as we see in works from Vietnamese artists and the influences that the Vietnam War had on them.
Another interesting section in ‘Between Declarations and Dreams’ is probably the post 1970s period, where we begin to see a more diverse use of media, particularly in the genres of installation art, performance, mixed media and video art. Capitalism and Consumerism were popular sources of subject matter, mainly because of the scale of their effects on the countries in the region. For this part of the exhibition, NGS selected works of many ‘renowned’ artists including Aung Myint (Myanmar), Montien Boonma (Thailand), Navin Rawanchaikul (Thailand), Melati Suryodarmo (Indonesia) and Roberto Chabet (the Philippines), to name a few. In the meantime, several names are missing as the unfulfilled expectation leads to a rather unfulfilling viewing experience, especially when the anticipation is hyped up by NGS’s claim to be ‘a museum that dedicates itself to the art of Southeast Asia.’ It’s very likely that the fans of Indonesian art who were mesmerized by OHD Museum’s fascinating collection might be disappointed when one compares the number of works of Indonesian art between the two museums (which isn’t exactly fair considering how the two institutions are founded on different objectives and NGS’s focus is not on one particular country).
But where ‘Between Declarations and Dreams’ excels is in its attempt to bring together works of art from different countries in the region under one unified narrative. The exhibition also reinforces the region’s artistic community through the provision of additional information about the births of galleries (both big and small) in each country, including significant activities and interesting trivia about some of the artists such as the historical touchscreen and incredibly beautiful notebook by Seabad S. Sudjojono, the story about the collaboration between Montien Boonma and Tang Da Wu in ‘The Pleasure of Being, Crying, Dying and Eating’ or even the brief information about GSRB, a group of Indonesian artists whose use of unconventional materials and artistic approaches created works of art that question the definition and value of art given by the society. Not only is this part of the exhibition able to bring together an impressive collection of Southeast Asian art, but it also functions as historical evidence where the evolving narrative of the region’s artistic history is properly documented.
National Gallery Singapore also houses a great number of circulating exhibitions, which primarily showcase the works of artists within the region. Furthermore, the future is going to be even more exciting as NGS has mentioned collaboration with Centre Pompidou and Tate Modern for the organization of temporary exhibitions. Additionally, the three remaining spaces that make NGS a very interesting museum are the Keppel Centre for Art Education where children learn about art and participate in artistic activities, Gallery & Co., the museum’s souvenir shop and restaurant (read more about it on page 34), and the bistros and bars scattered across different floors of the buildings and the rooftop garden such as National Kitchen by Violet Oon, Saha Signature Indian Restaurant and Bar, Padang Café and Smoke and Mirrors.
The reason we found this part of the program to be very interesting is not for the museum’s acknowledgement of a children’s art space, but the way that the restaurants and retail spaces are stylishly and tastefully executed. It’s everything you would expect to see in a 21st Century art museum that almost entirely eliminates all the preconceived notions of an obsolete art museum as we know it. Perhaps, in the future, we’ll get to see openings and exhibitions being held in the bars and eateries or even on the rooftop of NGS. That would be an interesting and refreshing way to interact with the space. But as mentioned earlier, National Gallery Singapore already has the perfect structure, so all we have to do is wait and see what kind of content they will bring to this spectacular space.
