AP60 Voices & Vision – Art Thought Leadership Symposium 艺见未来 – 艺术思想论坛

Artist’s Proof: Singapore at 60

Voices & Vision – Art Thought Leadership Symposium

Presented by The Culture Story

26 – 27 July 2025, Sat – Sun

1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Voices and Vision is a 2-day art thought leadership programme on the occasion of AP60 that creates a space for meaningful exchange and deeper engagement with real-world issues. Join us in shaping the dialogue on our shared past, present, and future.

Register for each talk on the Eventbrite links below. Please note that a separate ticket is required for each panel discussion.

SATURDAY, 26 JULY 2025

Welcome Address by Family Office for Art and Mastercard

1:30PM–2PM

Opening Note by Prof Tan Tai Yong

2:00 PM – 2:15 PM

The symposium kicks off with Prof Tan Tai Yong, President of SUSS and respected historian, who will share his thoughts on the history of nation-building in Singapore.

Speaker: Prof Tan Tai Yong | President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Honorary Chairman of the National Museum, Co-Chair of the Founder’s Memorial Committee

Panel #1 – Proof of Concept: The Artist’s Role in a New Nation

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM

The formation of a new nation is more than a political or economic endeavour—it is a cultural birth. In such formative times, artists play a critical role, acting as both mirrors and architects of collective identity. Collectively, this panel will explore how artists serve as the “proof of concept” for a nation’s ideals, aspirations, and contradictions, shaping the soul of a country before or alongside its institutions.

Speakers:

Paul Tan (Moderator) | Chief Executive Officer, Community Foundation of Singapore, Former Deputy Chief Executive, NAC; Poet
Adeline Chia | Independent Art Writer, Reviews Editor at ArtReview Asia
Dr Seng Yu Jin | Director (Curatorial, Research & Exhibitions) at National Gallery Singapore

Panel #2 – The Power of Patronage: Shaping Art, Culture, and Lasting Legacies

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Throughout history, the development of art and culture has often depended not only on talent and inspiration, but also on financial and institutional support. Patronage—the backing of artists by individuals, institutions, or governments—has been a powerful force in shaping artistic movements, cultural identity, and legacies.

This panel explores how patronage has functioned as both a catalyst and a curator of creativity, influencing what is made and how it is valued, what is remembered, celebrated and preserved. Patronage has always shaped the cultural landscape—and understanding patronage is crucial to help us shape a more equitable and inclusive future.

Speakers:

Usha Chandradas (Moderator) | Consultant, Withers KhattarWong, Co-founder of Plural Art Mag and former Arts NMP
Mae Anderson |Chairman of ArtOutreach and Head of Philanthropy Services (Asia) at BNP Paribas Wealth Management
T. Sasitharan (Sasi) | Co-founder and Director of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI)
Prof Ho Puay Peng | Project Lead, Shaw Heritage research and interpretation project

SUNDAY, 27 JULY 2025

Panel #3 – Changing Skylines: Evolving Practices in Urban Planning and Cultural Stewardship

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

As cities grow, they don’t just expand outward or upward—they evolve in meaning, identity, and function. Urban planning today is no longer just about infrastructure; it’s about the values we embed in physical space. How do cities stay resilient while balancing our response to climate change and preserving cultural continuity. This panel explores the dynamic intersection of urban planning and cultural stewardship, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in shaping cities that honour both progress and memory.

Speakers:

Ho Weng Hin (Moderator) | Founding Partner of Studio Lapis, Architectural Conservation Specialist
Darren Soh | Artist, Researcher
Prof Ho Puay Peng | Professor and former Head of Department, Department of Architecture, College of Design and Engineering, NUS
Karen Tan | Founder of Pocket Projects and Projector

Panel #4 – Present and Away

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

This panel explores the complex realities of artists who live and create across borders—physically, emotionally, and culturally. In an era marked by movement—whether voluntary, economic, or forced—artists increasingly embody multiplicity. “Present and Away” is a recognition of the tension between here and there, now and then, and the art that arises in that in-between space. These are not just stories of presence or loss, navigating places or distances, but also of reinvention and reconnection. We invite artists to reflect on how displacement, duality, and radical redefinition have shaped their artistic identity and practice.

Speakers:

Dr Adele Tan (Moderator) | Senior Curator at National Gallery Singapore
Sonny Liew | Artist and Author of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
Suzann Victor | Artist and SG Representative for 49th Venice Biennale
Zulkhairi Zulkiflee | Artist-Curator

Complimentary registration is available via Eventbrite through the links below. Limited seats available. Please note that a separate ticket is required for each panel discussion.

艺术家版：新加坡60年

展览讲座 (中)

Presented by The Culture Story

Sat, 19 July 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Speakers: Kwok Kian Chow, Dr Seng Yu Jin

What happens when two visionary curators pull back the curtain on their respective exhibitions for 2025. How does one curate works from a private collection vs a state collection to tell a nation’s story? What is the role of art and artists in our nation state as seen through the exhibitions? Join us for an unfiltered, dynamic conversation between former Director of Singapore Art Museum, Kwok Kian Chow and Dr Seng Yu Jin, Director (Curatorial, Research & Exhibitions) of the National Gallery Singapore, as AP60 forms the anchor to compare with the refresh of the DBS Singapore Gallery exhibition Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art – what were the gaps, unspoken challenges and unexpected breakthroughs that both exhibitions reveal.

当两位具远见卓识的策展人，共同揭示他们在2025年各自展览的幕后策展思路时，会激发出怎样的火花？从私人收藏与国家典藏出发，如何讲述一个国家的故事？艺术与艺术家在国家叙事中扮演什么角色？

我们邀请《艺术家版：新加坡六十年》（AP60）的策展人兼新加坡美术馆创馆馆长郭建超，与新加坡国家美术馆策展、研究与展览部副馆长辛友仁博士展开一场深度对话。以AP60为切入，与国家美术馆全新常设展《新加坡艺事：曲径通幽》对照，探讨两大展览揭示的策展空白、未明说的挑战，以及意想不到的突破。

免费在线注册: Eventbrite.

Artist’s Proof: Singapore at 60

Catalogue Launch

Presented by The Culture Story

Saturday, 19 July 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Speakers: Helmi Yusof (moderator), Chong Huai Seng, Ning Chong, Kwok Kian Chow

This engaging panel offers insights into the dynamic and complex process and behind-the-scenes stories, and provides a rare glance into conversations between an art collector, curator and producer. They will share their experiences, challenges and creative decisions that shaped the exhibition. Attendees will gain insights into the artistic vision, collaborative effort and strategic planning that go into presenting an exhibition of this scale and take away a deeper understanding of what it takes to curate from a private collection and share it with the public. The panel is moderated by Helmi Yusof, the Deputy Editor of lifestyle news at The Business Times.

Artist’s Proof: Singapore at 60

Presented by The Culture Story

Produced by Family Office For Art

13 July – 17 August 2025

10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Free admission

Venue: Artspace @ Helutrans, 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065

Singapore at 60 is an artist’s proof—concurrently a moment of completion and a moment of beginning. Reflecting on the continuous work of Singapore as a nation, seen in broader historical and geographical contexts, over 90 works from Chong Huai Seng’s extensive private art collection have been chosen to celebrate this significant moment in Singapore.

At the heart of this seminal exhibition is the artist’s proof of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s bronze bust (1982) by Royal Academician Sydney Harpley —the impetus of Chong’s ambitious project. Artist’s Proof: Singapore at 60 (AP60) features works created from the 1940s through 2025 by over 50 mostly Singaporean artists who also have extensive overseas experiences, making themes such as worlding, diaspora, and trans-locality integral to the inclusive Singapore identity. Through the exhibition, Chong Huai Seng (b. 1951) pays a heartfelt tribute to Singapore and its visionary founding leaders, just as the reflexivity in the artworks is part of a love story for Singapore.

Transcending a state-focused lens, AP60, curated by Kwok Kian Chow (b. 1955), offers a fresh perspective on the Singapore story, inviting viewers to reflect on Singapore’s past, present, and future through Singapore’s multifaceted cultural landscape and ongoing conversations. The feature of 11 new commissions, including one original music composition, further underscores Chong’s commitment to supporting both emerging and established artists who exemplify artistic excellence.

AP60 is proudly produced by Family Office For Art, a premier independent advisory dedicated to supporting collectors in areas of art management, collection amplification, estate planning, and legacy building.

Join us from 13 July as we celebrate our nation’s 60th year of independence with this seminal exhibition.

We offer a free 1-hour guided tour every Saturday and Sunday at 1PM (English) and 4:30PM (Mandarin) during the duration of the exhibition.

Click the links above to register online via Eventbrite. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to availability.

展览时期,我们将会在每周星期六、星期天提供中文导览。

请通过这个链接注册。

Look out for more programmes to come:

19 July: Catalogue Launch and Chinese Exhibition Talk

26–27 July: Voices & Vision – Art Thought Leadership Symposium

9 – 10 and 16 – 17 August: Fresh Impressions Children’s Workshop – Weekend Activation

Artists:

David Chan, Jon Chan, Lavender Chang, Cheo Chai-Hiang, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chng Seok Tin, Chow and Lin, Chua Mia Tee, Anthony Chua Say Hua, John Clang, Foo Kwee Horng, Foo Tee Jun, Kanchana Gupta, Han Sai Por, Sydney Harpley (United Kingdom), Hilmi Johandi, Ho Chee Lick, Hong Sek Chern, Hor Kwok Kin, Hua Chai Yong, Israfil Ridhwan, Rajesh P. Kargutkar (India), Khairulddin Wahab, Koh Cheng Jin, Koh Nguang How, Raymond Lau Poo Seng, Lee Wen, Leo Hee Tong, Sonny Liew, Lim Hwee Tiong, Kim Lim, Lim Soo Ngee, Lim Yew Kuan, Loi Cai Xiang, Loke Hong Seng, Nan Qi (China), Dawn Ng, Ng Joon Kiat, Milenko Prvački, Joel Seow, Siew Hock Meng, Darren Soh, Sujak Rahman, Tang Da Wu, Tay Boon Pin, Teng Nee Cheong, Tong Chin Sye, Suzann Victor, Wong Keen, Ming Wong, Shavonne Wong, Yang Zhongda, Yeo Tze Yang, Yong Mun Sen (Malaysia), Zhuang Shengtao, Zulkhairi Zulkiflee

If you would like to book a group guided tour, please email: admin@theculturestory.co

For corporate and hospitality enquiries, please email: ningchong@fofa.asia

For all media enquiries, please email: theculturestoryteam@tateanzur.com

Art Ecology: The Spectra of Institutions and Programme

Presented by The Culture Story

18 January 2025

The Culture Story hosted an insightful panel discussion during Singapore Art Week 2025, featuring Liu Di, Evonne Yuan, Ning Chong, and Kwok Kian Chow. The panel explored the evolving role of institutions and programmes in shaping the art ecosystem.

Panellists:

Liu Di is an art historian and critic based in Hong Kong and Cambridge, England. She has researched and worked with contemporary artists, collectives, community-based projects and spaces from China and Southeast Asia.

Evonne Jiawei Yuan is a writer and curator from Shanghai. Her practice focuses on fostering inter-institutional collaboration, which contributes to the reconfiguration of various narrative trajectories related to contemporary Chinese art.

Ning Chong is the co-founder of Family Office for the Art (FOFA) and The Culture Story (TCS). Ning is a sought-after speaker on topics such as art collecting, market trends, and building legacies through art. She is a patron of the Singapore Art Museum, a board member at Objectifs, a committee member at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and an advisor to SHAW Studios in Singapore.

Kwok Kian Chow is an art historian and curator. He was formerly senior curator of the National Museum Singapore, director of the Singapore Art Museum, and director and senior advisor of the National Gallery Singapore.

The Second Sex

Presented by The Culture Story

14 December 2024 – 30 May 2025

All visits by appointment.

“The Second Sex” is inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s seminal book and showcases over twenty works by 16 Singaporean and international female artists. Collected over the past decade by Chong Huai Seng and Ning Chong, co-founders of The Culture Story, these artworks reflect the evolving discourse on feminism and the reassertion of women’s power in the 21st century, spanning politics (Angela Merkel, Kamala Harris), pop culture (Taylor Swift, BlackPink), and the visual arts (Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama).

Museums worldwide are reckoning with historical imbalances, actively expanding their collections to give female artists the recognition they have long been denied. In contemporary art, women are no longer confined to the margins but stand alongside their male counterparts, resonating powerfully with a new generation of collectors. We hope this exhibition ignites deeper conversations about female representation and its place in the evolving canon of global art history.

Artists:

Rose Cameron (Philippines/USA), Yanyun Chen (Singapore), Anju Dodiya (India), Han Sai Por (Singapore), I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih (Indonesia), Kim Yun Shin (South Korea/Argentina), Miwa Komatsu (Japan), Lee Bul (South Korea), Jane Lee (Singapore), Mak2 (Hong Kong), Nana Tedja (Indonesia), Jiab Prachakul (Thailand/France), Nagai Tomoko (Japan), Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail (Malaysia), Yee I-Lann (Malaysia), Angela Yuen (Hong Kong).

Exhibition View: