Internationalisation

“Artists from Singapore were being propelled into the ‘international’ art scene on two fronts. First, there was a growing recognition by art curators and historians that artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia were producing critically loaded works that fit into the for­mat of the art biennale — where installations and con­ceptual practice found privileged reception over other mediums such as painting and sculpture. Second, the Singapore government was starting to put into place policies to develop Singapore into a ‘global city for the arts.’” (Charmaine Toh, “Shifting Grounds,” Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore Since the 19th Century, 98)

“Whilst Singapore artists had exhibited internationally prior to this, the new exhibition platforms that became accessible in the 1990s offered opportunities for Singa­porean artists to present large-scale, site-specific works to the wider art world. Post-1994, it also gave perfor­mance artists the opportunity to develop their practice outside of Singapore.” (Charmaine Toh, “Shifting Grounds,” Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore Since the 19th Century, 99)

“Singaporean artists were placed into emergent debates about globalisation and the accom­panying questions of identity and locality. They re­sponded by developing a peculiar language for a global audience, producing work that followed international trends in medium and form, but highlighting local is­sues such as history and identity.” (Charmaine Toh, “Shifting Grounds,” Siapa Nama Kamu? Art in Singapore Since the 19th Century, 99)