President Officiates National Gallery Singapore’s Grand Opening
Art carnival and façade show draws thousands
Singapore’s President Tony Tan Keng Yam today unveiled a commemorative plaque at the National Gallery Singapore and inaugurated the art carnival Share the Hope as part of the Gallery’s grand opening.
Visitors can engage in immersive art-related programmes at the massive art carnival as an extension of the Gallery experience from 27 to 29 November. Among the highlights is the Share the Hope Façade Show exclusively sponsored by Cartier. The show is a stunning eight-minute display of light and sound set against the Gallery’s building exterior and features artworks such as Cheong Soo Pieng’s Drying Salted Fish and Chua Mia Tee’s National Language Class.
The Share the Hope Façade Show will run for three nights only from 27 – 29 November, with performances at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm.
Prior to attending the art carnival, President Tan also launched the Art Connector, a 290-metre permanent sheltered walkway linking City Hall MRT to the Gallery’s entrance at Coleman Street. The Art Connector is part of the Portraits of the People project which commenced in November 2014. The project rallied the public to contribute their self-portraits and personal reflections on the National Pledge. The selection of Singaporeans’ self-sketches were then curated and etched onto copper panels displayed on raised platforms within the walkway, rounding up the SG50 celebrations.
Aside from the free admission to the exhibitions at the two permanent galleries – the DBS Singapore Gallery, the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, and the special exhibitions of ink masters Wu Guanzhong and Chua Ek Kay, visitors can also take part in a diverse array of free activities that includes art forums, film screenings, music and dance performances as well as art workshops. All visitors will enjoy free entry to National Gallery Singapore, its exhibitions and the opening celebrations until 6 December 2015. Entrance to the Gallery remains free for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents after 6 December, except for special exhibitions.