SINGAPORE, Dec 30 — The year-long SG50 celebrations brought about countless shows, events and exhibitions that were linked to the nationwide festivities, indirectly or otherwise. From revivals and restagings of theatre classics, to works tailor-made for SG50 and retrospective exhibitions on the various arts scenes, there was no let-up on an already-packed arts calendar.
“More than ever before, significant resources have been channelled towards creating new work in celebration of our Jubilee year ... it has encouraged a lot of commissions and provided work for artists,” award-winning actress Janice Koh previously told TODAY.
Running parallel to the arts explosion was the issue of censorship through funding: The National Arts Council (NAC) pulled funding after it deemed the best-selling graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye undermined government authority. This led to a heated debate between artists and the council this year.
As theatre director Alvin Tan wondered: Will this have an effect on the type of works coming out next year? And will audiences see “safer” works?
Controversy or not though, arts lovers can expect a busy year ahead. Museum makeovers will continue with the Asian Civilisations Museum opening its Ceramics Gallery and Trade Gallery, and the National Museum of Singapore re-opening its Drum space. Part of its children’s section will also undergo a revamp.
Meanwhile, the Civic District is set for a revival of sorts: The NAC and National Parks have been appointed place managers to turn it into a pedestrian-friendly public area for arts and culture.
Festival-wise, Wild Rice is bringing back the Singapore Theatre Festival. And a new festival will debut: The Twenty-Something Festival, which will feature fresh discoveries and new works from established playwrights in their 20s. Meanwhile, one of the NAC’s dance initiatives, Dance Nucleus, is set to forge ahead as a space for independent dancers and programmes.
The National Gallery Singapore is set to buckle down to business. After drawing 170,000 visitors for its opening celebrations, it now has to sustain its momentum; although it should be off to a good start thanks to its must-see collaborations with Centre Pompidou and Tate Britain next year.
There will also be unavoidable questions regarding the future of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). The recent resignation of its director Susie Lingham could not have come at a worse time: The SAM is not only celebrating its 20th anniversary next year, but is also in charge of the fifth edition of the Singapore Biennale. A leadership vacuum is the last thing it needs.
Conversely, The Substation has a new director, Alan Oei, who has ensured that next year will undoubtedly be a very interesting one, thanks to his unusual plans to turn the centre into a research and development space. — TODAY
