Asia-Pacific, Headlines, Human Rights

CULTURE-SINGAPORE: Nanny State Ready to Let Hair Down

A.D. McKenzie

SINGAPORE, Apr 6 2007 (IPS) - Music festivals. International art shows. Ballet under the stars. Literary readings. Fashion galas. Film fiestas. No, we are not talking about New York, London or Paris, but the city state of Singapore – known better for its ban on chewing gum and for caning offenders than its cultural offerings.

But things are quietly changing. In the past few years, Singapore has gone from being a cultural backwater to something fast approaching an arts haven. Culture too can be imported, along with other things, into this tiny island that is short on natural resources.

Since January of this year, for instance, the country has hosted a ten-day jazz and world-music festival featuring artists such as blues legend Buddy Guy and Nigerian Afrobeat star Femi Kuti; a two-week children’s theatre festival with performances by international entertainers; an Asian dance championship; a new Asian wildlife and environmental film fete, endorsed by naturalist Sir David Attenborough; and finally the world-renowned musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Phantom of the Opera, which runs until April 29.

In addition, culture-lovers have been spoilt for choice by an array of smaller opera performances and art exhibitions, including concerts by the American Grammy Award-winning soprano Renee Fleming and a show by the well-known Filipino painter Emmanuel Garibay.

The Singapore Fashion Festival, from Mar. 23 to Apr. 1, meanwhile, added glamour to the cultural scene, with some 40 brands showcasing their latest Spring-Summer collections and Asian models strutting down the catwalk.

All this follows a rash of cultural happenings last year that included an inaugural art Bienniale which ran for three months and an international contemporary-art fair (ARTSingapore 2006) that gathered 72 galleries from 14 countries under one roof.

“There is an increasing awareness of art here,” says Chen Shen Po, organizer of ARTSingapore, which will have its fourth annual event this October. “The government is actively promoting the arts and people are responding because they need more art in their lives.”

Chen says that the growing group of gallery owners here is trying to “position Singapore as the art hub of Asia” and that the island state, despite its reputation for playing the ‘nanny state’ is ideally situated for this.

“It’s easy to do import and export here. We are English-speaking and we have the right place and right climate,” she says, adding that most big art fairs are in the West and that ARTSingapore is a “fair organised by Asians for Asians”. The event is sponsored by a bank and has backing from the Singapore Tourist Board and the National Arts Council. Last year was its biggest session so far, with exhibitions covering 4,000 sq. metres, and an estimated 2.8 million US dollars in total sales – up from 2 million dollars in 2005.

Jasdeep Sandhu, owner of a gallery specialising in contemporary South Asian art, agrees that there is an increasing appreciation of art in Singapore, spurred by the path that the government has taken to promote culture and creativity. Such action includes new museums, funding for venues and shows, as well as monetary awards for outstanding artists.

But Sandhu says that there is “still a long way to go”. He believes that some people are rushing into the art business only because they are thinking of financial rewards. “A few of the new gallery owners perceive the market to be easy,” he added.

Whatever the reasons, the growth of art outlets here is a boon for local artists. Manjeet Shergill, whose vibrant portrayals of monks and Indian women are collected internationally, says: “To be able to make a living as an artist here now is just amazing and unprecedented.”

“Four decades ago, this was pretty much impossible. Many artists then had to teach to supplement their income, and there was really only one place they could go. Now with the Biennale and the art fair, there are so many avenues for artists.”

The Biennale featured more than 95 artists and collectives from some 38 countries, including Singapore, with exhibitions in museums as well as in temples, churches and government buildings.

Singapore’s Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts, Lee Boon Yang, called it an important early step in the art arena. “We are just starting our Singapore journey and our ability to create and appreciate art,” he told a local paper.

But restrictions apply to works that go on public display. Lee’s Ministry (known by its acronym MICA), told an art gallery in February that it could not display a four-metre high painting of a nude woman in the public atrium of the MICA building. (Commercial galleries have been allowed to share premises with MICA since the ministry moved into a landmark edifice some years ago.)

SooBin Art Gallery had wished to display the oil painting by Chinese artist Chen Xi on the ground floor of the building as part of a wider, month-long exhibition. But under the Media Development Authority’s guidelines, nude or erotic artworks “should not be displayed in venues which are easily accessible to general audiences, including children and youths,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement.

The gallery was able to show the work in the atrium only for a few hours during a reception, after which the painting was turned to face the wall and later placed inside the gallery itself. Defending her work, Chen told reporters that “the painting celebrates independence and freedom. It is a wholesome message that carries no sexual connotations.”

The artwork, titled Fly Onto Clouds, portrayed a nude woman covered in soap suds against a black background. It was later sold to a Singaporean art collector for 60,000 dollars, the gallery said.

Because of a booming economy and an increase in the number of so-called high-net-worth individuals, Singapore residents clearly have more money to spend on cultural offerings. According to a report by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini, there were an estimated 55,000 high-net-worth individuals living here and holding assets worth 260 billion dollars at the end of 2005, up 13.4 percent from 2004. Along with spending on consumer items, many of the country’s wealthy use their disposable income on art and entertainment.

This year’s Mosaic Music Festival, which featured Femi Kuti and controversial performers such as the American spoken-work artist Ursula Rucker, attracted some 90,000 people, up from 60,000 in 2005 when it was launched. The number of events, both paying and free, also doubled to 100 from 50, according to the organizers. And the tickets were not cheap, costing from 26 to 100 dollars.

In the months ahead, there will be more events on which to spend money. April sees the Singapore International Film Festival, with 300 films from 45 countries. In May and June, the Singapore Arts Festival will showcase innovative dance, music and theatre. And in August, the 3-day world music festival WOMAD-Singapore will bring in performers from Africa, South America, the Caribbean and other areas.

WOMAD is one of the few places where one can see Singaporeans with dreadlocks. Long hair is still frowned upon and male visitors are advised at the airport to keep their locks tied.

“Many people here already have a comfortable standard of living, so it’s only natural that they should now turn to the arts,” says artist Shergill. “And that’s a good thing.”