Descripción de la Exposición
Singapore, 29 August 2023 – In November 2023, National Gallery Singapore will be unveiling its highly anticipated show, Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America. It is the world’s first large-scale museum exhibition to take a comparative approach between artistic expressions from both regions, surveying their shared solidarities in the aftermath of colonialism.
Tropical spans the 20th century, tracing how artists from Southeast Asia and Latin America challenged conventions to build new vocabularies in modern art. The exhibition emerges from the Gallery’s sustained efforts to critically reassess modern art from a Southeast Asian Perspective.
Over 200 iconic paintings, sculptures, drawings, performances, and sensorial installations will be displayed through radical exhibition designs the Gallery developed in close collaboration with an acclaimed architecture firm. The exhibition features approximately 70 renowned artists from the two regions, some presented for the first time in Singapore. Artists include David Medalla, Diego Rivera, Emiria Sunassa, Frida Kahlo, Hélio Oiticica, Latiff Mohidin, Patrick Ng Kah Onn, Paul Gauguin, Tan Oe Pang and Tarsila do Amaral. More information on the artists can be found in the Annex.
Discover remarkable parallels between artists from these distant parts of the world, and join us in uncovering how art can become a vehicle for stories of resistance and transformation.
About National Gallery Singapore
National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution that oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art. Situated at the birthplace of modern Singapore, in the heart of the Civic District, the Gallery is housed in two national monuments - City Hall and former Supreme Court - that have been beautifully restored and transformed into this exciting 64,000 square metre venue. Reflecting Singapore’s unique heritage and geographical location, the Gallery aims to be a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in our collaborative research, education, long-term and special exhibitions, and innovative programming. The Gallery also works with international museums such as Centre Pompidou, Musée d'Orsay, Tate Britain, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), to jointly present Southeast Asian art in the global context, positioning Singapore as a key node in the global visual arts scene.
In 2020, the Gallery was the only museum in Southeast Asia that received a ranking in The Art Newspaper’s annual global survey of attendance at art museums, taking 20th place. It was the first museum in Asia to receive the Children in Museums Award by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums in 2018. The Gallery also won the awards for “Best Theme Attraction” at TTG Travel Awards 2017, “Best Attraction Experience”, “Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism” and “Best Customer Service (Attractions)” at the prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards in 2016 for its role in adding to the vibrancy of Singapore’s tourism landscape.