Ngee Ann Development donates s$16m to National Gallery Singapore

ITS FIRST CONTRIBUTION TO A VISUAL ARTS INSTITUTION

National Gallery Singapore today announced Ngee Ann Development as its latest partner, supporting its mission of inspiring and engaging audiences with Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art. Ngee Ann Development’s S$16 million donation to the Gallery further accentuates its commitment to support the community and marks the corporation’s first donation to a visual arts institution in Singapore.

"We are heartened and thankful to see organisations like Ngee Ann Development recognising the value that arts bring to our society. Ngee Ann Development’s philanthropic contribution will boost our efforts in promoting awareness for the arts and extending the community’s engagement with Singapore and Southeast Asian art," said Ms Chong Siak Ching, CEO, National Gallery Singapore.

In appreciation of the generosity, the Gallery’s Auditorium and Foyer and Concourse Gallery 1 will be renamed The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium & Foyer and The Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery respectively. The donation will support the Gallery’s research, curatorial and exhibition work, focused on presenting exhibitions that further the understanding of modern art from Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Chairman of Ngee Ann Development, Mr Richard Lee said, "Ngee Ann Development strive to raise Singapore’s cultural profile internationally by providing more Singaporean artists a platform in this world-class visual arts institute to showcase their talent to the world. At the same time, we hope to support the Gallery in building an inspirational environment that cultivates greater appreciation of Singapore and Southeast Asian art in generations to come."

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium & Foyer, a space designed to stimulate thought and foster community bonds, has hosted art talks, lectures and seminars with the presence of thought leaders and luminaries in the visual arts arena. The Auditorium has also held several community programmes including Singapore International Children's Film Festival, Arts & Disability Forum 2016, and Painting with Light, a regular film series showcasing rarely seen classic and contemporary films from the region.

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery is one of two concourse galleries that present changing exhibitions, giving spotlight to selected artists from the Gallery’s long-term exhibitions.

On 1 September 2016, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Concourse Gallery will welcome its first exhibition featuring one of Singapore and Southeast Asia’s most prominent and recognised ceramic artists, Iskandar Jalil. The show, Iskandar Jalil: Kembara Tanah Liat (Clay Travels) is the first major survey of Iskandar’s career and draws on close to 200 works from the 1960s to the present. Also a passionate educator, Iskandar Jalil strongly believes in grooming the next generation, which is congruent with Ngee Ann Development and The Ngee Ann Kongsi’s longstanding mission to support education.