The National Arts Council (NAC) was established as a statutory board on 17 August 1991 to spearhead the development of the literary, performing and visual arts in Singapore.1 The council’s mission is to help nurture the arts and make it an integral part of the ...
Drama festival was first launched in August 1978 as part of goverment initiatives to invigorate the local arts scene.
The Cultural Medallion honours individuals who have achieved excellence in the fields of literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and film, and contributed to Singapore’s cultural environment. The award is conferred by the president of Singapore and administered ...
The Arts Housing Scheme is a project under the National Arts Council (NAC). It was introduced in 1985 by the former Ministry of Community Development to support local artists and arts activities. Recognising the scarcity and high cost of land in Singapore, the ...
Established in 1949, The Singapore Art Society (SAS) is considered the first multicultural art society in Singapore. The society aims to foster the practice and appreciation of art in Singapore. SAS organises regular art exhibitions and overseas painting tours. ...
Bound by Queen Street, Bras Basah Road and Waterloo Street, the former building of the boys’ school, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI), was completed in 1867. The school premises comprised a cluster of blocks built between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, featuring ...
Art in Transit is a programme in which artworks are seamlessly integrated within the environs of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations. Approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in 1997, the programme was first unveiled to the public in 2003.
Formal art and music education programmes in Singapore were established by the British colonial government in the 1920s and ’30s respectively. Private Chinese-medium schools also offered art education through courses run by professional artists. After Singapore ...
Ng Eng Teng (b. 12 July 1934, Singapore–d. 4 November 2001, Singapore) was a sculptor and winner of the Cultural Medallion in visual arts in 1981. He learned painting under first-generation masters such as Georgette Chen and Liu Kang, and furthered his studies ...
Thomas Yeo (b. 22 April 1936, Singapore–) is one of Singapore's prominent second-generation artists. Since the 1960s, his work has been infused with Western ideas although he never completely abandoned the images and impressions of Asia, and featured these prominently ...
Teo Eng Seng (张永生) (b. 14 December 1938, Singapore–) was a recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1986 for his contributions to visual arts. In 1960, The Singapore Free Press described Teo as “a youth who holds the record of being the first schoolboy in Singapore ...
Anthony Poon (b. 21 April 1945, Singapore–d. 2 September 2006, Singapore), an abstract artist and sculptor, was a pioneering second-generation Singaporean artist. He is best known for his “Wave” series of paintings and wave-relief paintings which he developed. ...
Lim Tze Peng (林子平) (b. 28 September 1921, Singapore–) is an artist, and a winner of the Cultural Medallion in 2003. Self-taught, Lim started painting in the 1950s when he was a teacher in Xin Min School. Having a strong foundation in Chinese philosophy, art and ...
The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is an arts centre built on reclaimed land in the Marina Bay area. It features a 1,600-seat concert hall, a 2,000-seat theatre and other smaller performing arts venues. The Esplanade also contains art installation spaces, a library, ...
Earl Lu Ming Teh (Dr) (b. 15 September 1925, Hong Kong–d. 2 September 2005, Pisa, Italy), was considered one of Singapore’s most prominent art patrons and philanthropists. A medical surgeon by profession, Lu was a keen art collector and served on several institutional ...
Juliana Yasin (b. 1970, Singapore–d. 27 August 2014, Singapore) was a multidisciplinary artist whose mediums of choice include painting, installation, video and performance art. Her works deal with themes such as movement, identity, displacement, freedom and socio-political ...
Chng Seok Tin (b. 6 October 1946, Singapore–d. 6 September 2019, Singapore) was a multiple award-winning artist whose works have been widely showcased in Singapore and abroad. Between 1977 to 2019, she held over 30 solo and 138 group exhibitions. She pursued her ...
Tan Swie Hian (b. 5 May 1943, Pulau Halang, Indonesia–) is a multidisciplinary Singaporean artist known for his poetry, novels, paintings, calligraphy and sculptures. A highly esteemed artist, Tan has received multiple accolades both locally and internationally ...
Wee Beng Chong (黄明宗; Huang Mingzong) (b. 22 November 1938, Singapore–), a renowned artist, was one of the first recipients of the Cultural Medallion when it was established in 1979. Among the most versatile artists in Singapore, Wee has done sculpture, Chinese ...
Georgette Chen Li Ying, born Chang Li Ying (b. October 1906, Zhejiang, China–d. 15 March 1993, Singapore), was one of Singapore’s pioneer artists who established the Nanyang style of painting. Known for her still life and portraits in oils, Chen was awarded the ...