Inspiring future generations of young artists

Mr Poh Choon Ann, Vice Chairman of NAFA Board
Mr Chia Mia Chiang, President NAFA
Mr Poon Lian, 
Excellencies and distinguished guests, 
Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening.

女士们先生们， 大家半傍晚好！

1. 很高兴今天可以和大家一起参加今天的画展。 今天的活动其实是我今年第一个文化艺术活动。 ２０１５年也是我们建国５０周年，所以非常高兴今年第一个文化活动就是来南艺参加方良先生的画展。这特别有意义因为我们不只是看到了我们新加坡画家５０年的画展，今年也是庆祝我们建国５０周年。所以这是一个非常有意义的活动。在这新的一年，也祝大家身体健康，心想事成，万事如意。 

2. First of all, I want to wish all of you a very happy new year because we have just entered into 2015. It is an important year for us because we are celebrating our 50th anniversary of independence. And as I said briefly in Mandarin earlier, I think it is very good that we are starting the year with this particular exhibition because it is an exhibition of a Singapore artist showcasing 50 years of hardwork. This also happens to be my first art and culture event of the year so it has special meaning for all of us.

3. Mr Poon Lian, as mentioned earlier, has developed as an artist over 50 years, and today we can see the artworks that he has done over 5 decades. Over this period he has inspired many young artists and many fellow NAFA graduates as well.

4. Mr Poon Lian and his contemporaries were themselves inspired by the previous generation of pioneer artists. These are our pioneer Singapore 'nanyang' artists. They arrived in Singapore in the early 20th century and they include the founding principal of NAFA Lim Hak Tai, and NAFA teachers such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, Georgette Chen and Chen Wen Hsi as well who was Mr Poon Lian's teacher.

5. We have a whole generation of pioneer artists who influenced artists like Mr Poon Lian whose works you can see here today. Together, they developed a new artistic style with distinct Singaporean characteristics. And they established a name for themselves in the region. I'm glad that this legacy of our pioneer artists continues to live on in second-generation artists such as Poon Lian, as well as his students.

6. Many of these artists grew up in the post-war era. They have seen the struggles of Singapore to achieve independence, to survive and succeed. It was not an easy time to be an artist, and it is still not easy to be an artist today, but I think in those times it was even more difficult.

7. But our artists showed a spirit of tenacity and innovation in their artistic practice. They broke with tradition by experimenting with Western concepts, and incorporated new elements from their own environment and culture. So they developed something that was uniquely Singaporean and that is something we should treasure as it is important to our culture. Because in many ways, Singapore's arts and culture reflects our own development. Our art is, in many aspects, a reflection of the soul of our nation. It is important that even as we showcase 50 years of hardwork by Mr Poon Lian today, we also remember that we are celebrating 50 years of independence for Singapore this year. 

8. This is why I'm very happy that for our celebration of SG50, we have a very rich and vibrant calendar of art and culture events to look forward to. There are many activities for SG50 but we have paid particular attention to make sure that we have a good calendar of art and culture events that all of us can look forward to, to celebrate our culture, our traditions and our heritage in Singapore. 

9. For example, besides this exhibition today, in a few weeks' time we would have the Singapore Art Week that is going to be held here. And in a few months time, our artist will be showcasing their artworks at the Venice Biennale. We would have a Singapore pavilion at the Venice Biennale and our artists would be showcasing their works there. Later in the year in November, we will be opening the new National Gallery Singapore. You can already see the buildings being restored – the former City Hall and former Supreme Court. The former Supreme Court has been completed. In fact I went for a visit there recently, it has been beautifully restored and they are now focusing on the City Hall. By November this year, the buildings and the exhibition halls will all be ready. There is a lot of excitement and it has gathered a lot of attention not just in Singapore but also internationally. 

10. Recently, I saw that CNN highlighting the top 10 attractions opening in the world – and the National Gallery of Singapore was one of the top 10 that they highlighted. We are all looking forward to this National Gallery opening. I think it will be an important step forward for the art and cultural scene in Singapore and it will certainly put the spotlight or showcase our Singapore artists, our pioneer artists, and our Southeast Asian artists. It will be an important occasion for us to celebrate all that we have achieved in art and culture in Singapore. 

11. So, we have a rich legacy, we have much to be appreciative of. Not just in terms of where we are economically, not just in terms of where we are as a country, but also in terms of our art and culture. I think we have a rich legacy that we enjoy today. So we can also look forward with hope and confidence for new things to come. 

12. I hope that many students and young art practitioners will take the opportunity to visit this exhibition we are launching tonight. I hope that they will be inspired by what they see, be inspired by the efforts of our pioneering artists because our young artists will stand on the shoulders of those who have come before them, and hope that they can emulate that same pioneering spirit of creativity, daring and dedication in order to take Singapore's art and culture to even higher levels of achievement.

13. Finally, it leaves me to warmly congratulate Mr Poon Lian on his exhibition, and to declare the exhibition open.

14. I wish all of you a pleasant evening ahead.