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. ...

The ARTS FISSION Company is a local non-profit dance company founded by choreographer Angela Liong and visual artist S. Chandrasekaran in 1994. As the first multidisciplinary contemporary dance group in Singapore, the company creates original works and new dance ...

Lee Wen (b. 1957, Singapore–d. 3 March 2019, Singapore) was a multidisciplinary artist and one of Singapore’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists. A local pioneer of performance art who is best known for his Yellow Man series, Lee promoted the ...

Tang Da Wu (唐大霧; b. 12 May 1943, Singapore–) is an iconic figure in contemporary Asian art. Though he works in a variety of media, he is best known for his performances and installations. He studied art at the Birmingham Polytechnic and Goldsmiths College, University ...

Multidisciplinary artist Jailani Zai Kuning (b. 1964, Singapore–) is considered as one of the pioneer experimental artists in Singapore who has redefined what it means to engage in multicultural and multidisciplinary art forms. Zai experiments with different art ...

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 ...

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, ...

Orkestra Melayu Singapura (OMS), Singapore’s first Malay orchestra, was set up by the People’s Association (PA) in September 1991. Formed to preserve and promote Malay music in Singapore, OMS is the only orchestra in Singapore to combine modern and traditional ...

World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) Singapore was an arts event that made its debut in 1998 at the Festival of Arts. The first WOMAD to be held in Southeast Asia, the event ran for 10 years in Singapore before it was put on hold in 2007.

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 ...

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 ...

Sabri Buang (b. 1964, Singapore–d. 26 March 2021) is both a writer and director of theatre and television in Singapore and abroad. In his earlier days, Sabri acted in Malay dramas for both theatre and television, and has built up a body of directorial works in ...

One of Singapore’s most successful local puppet troupes, The Finger Players (TFP) is a non-profit company founded in February 1996 by Tan Beng Tian and Ong Kian Sin as a unit of Kuo Pao Kun’s The Theatre Practice (formerly known as Practice Theatre Ensemble). Other ...

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 ...

S. Chandrasekaran (b. 29 November 1959, Singapore–) is a visual artist who works across different disciplines and mediums. He is known for the intense physical nature of his performances and the incorporation of elements from the biological sciences into his p ...

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 ...

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.

The Singapore International Festival of Arts is an annual highlight of Singapore’s cultural calendar. It began as the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1977 and was a biennial event up till 1999. Started at a time when Singapore was often called a “cultural desert”, ...

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 ...

Arguably one of Singapore’s funniest women, talented local artiste Selena Tan (b. 1971, Singapore–) is a director, playwright, actress, producer and comedienne. As a versatile actress, Tan has performed in live theatre shows such as stand-up comedy acts, musicals, ...