Welcome Remarks by Ms Jean Tan, SIF Executive Director, at the Launch of the 2012 DiverseCity Showcase at the Singapore Art Museum

Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information,
Your Excellencies,
Friends of the arts community,
Ladies and gentlemen

Welcome. I hope you enjoyed the performance by the Little Arts Academy and Kenny Hogan. They are a perfect example of what we celebrate tonight - Connecting people through Art; and Collaborations that enrich lives.

We’re proud to bring to you the second installation of DiverseCity. Most of you know it as the SIF’s showcase of creative works that Singapore artists have presented overseas. We’re delighted by its growth in two short years – in diversity of genres, artists and cities.

Last year, our ‘cultural ambassadors’ brought a slice of Singapore art to 65 cities. This year, they staged an impressive 108 creative works in 91 cities. Since it started in 2000, the Singapore Internationale grant has supported 250 art projects in presenting Singapore arts in 50 countries. We are delighted to share with you that, for our work in contributing to a vibrant arts and culture scene, the SIF was awarded the Patron of the Arts this year.

Diversity is also a celebration of the collaborations and friendships forged between Singaporeans and world communities through art. We are heartened by the collaborations we have enabled between our artists and their overseas counterparts.

We’re particularly proud of Project Glocal. Mostly because we didn’t have much to do with it, other than plant the seed. The artists grew it on their own accord. It’s a wonderful example of cross-cultural collaboration. The project involves 30 artists coming together from Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore to explore the similarities and differences of cityscapes of the four Asian cities. Its curator is Dayang Yraola, an SIF programme alumna, who is present today. The Singapore leg of Project Glocal has been launched right here at DiverseCity, so please check it out after this.

When Singaporean artist Mintio met Indonesian artist Kabul, neither could speak each other’s language. They had to communicate via Google translate. In spite of this, the duo worked with batik makers from a Javanese village to create self-portraits, and through the project explored the role of women batik makers as culture-makers in the Indonesian society. At one point, the duo found that their artistic styles didn’t quite gel with that of the locals. Yet, in these differences they received an education. They realised that the true spirit of working creatively with a community was about ‘letting go”. Letting the locals have their freedom with the works resulted in an end-product that Mintio describes as having moved them to tears. Mintio and Kabul also share the close ties they formed with the locals, two of whom they refer to today as their ‘godparents’. According to Mintio, “at the end of the day, I felt the batik-makers gave us so much more than we were able to give them – we came out more enriched as artists and as human beings.”

We have many more of such stories to inspire and awe; repeated throughout the year, with every artist that passes through our doors. As you view the works tonight, do ask our artist friends present for their stories of connections, and how they may have come away, as Mintio did, the richer for the experience.

Last but not least, I must thank the Singapore Art Museum for hosting DiverseCity 2012. I look forward to our growing partnership. I also wish to acknowledge the dedication of the SIF team in growing this programme. I hope our SI recipients will help me to appreciate Matt, Lai Yee, and Mabel. They’ve been very passionate about the role artists can and do play in bridging communities and enriching lives for a better world.

Have a great evening.