Speech By Mr Yatiman Yusof, Senior Paliamentary Secretary, Ministry Of Information, Communications And The Arts

Speech By Mr Yatiman Yusof, Senior Paliamentary Secretary, Ministry Of Information, Communications And The Arts, At The Singapore Art Awards 2005, Friday, 9 December 2005, NAFA Art Galleries At 2.30 PM

Dr Tang Seung Mun
Vice President (Academic) of NAFA

Professor Richard Berry
Vice-President, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts

Mrs Lim Siok Peng
Chief Executive Officer, National Heritage Board

Mr Anthony Lau
General Manager of Philip Morris Singapore

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I am pleased to join you for the Singapore Art Awards 2005 presentation ceremony today. The Singapore Art Awards, which started in 1993 and is now held biennially, is one of the major art competitions in Singapore . Over the years, it has made tremendous contributions to the visual arts scene in Singapore.
2. The arts scene is growing rapidly and becoming more vibrant as Singapore re-makes itself as a global city for the arts. Visual arts is one area that is poised for new phase of exciting growth. In terms of events, the visual arts calendar in Singapore is packed with exhibitions and festivals that are growing in scale and status. The larger scale events include the SENI visual arts festival last year, the Singapore Art Show in September this year, and Singapore’s first international visual arts Biennale which will be held next September. In terms of supporting infrastructure, we will see the former City Hall and Supreme Court Buildings transformed into a grand national art gallery. In the area of arts education, we are also making great strides. NAFA has moved into this new campus and will be soon be joined by LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts across the street. Come 2008, the Singapore Arts School will open its doors to students with an interest and talent in the arts to pursue an academic and arts education at the pre-tertiary level.
3. Clearly, there has been an increased buzz in the arts scene in recent years. Art competitions such as the Singapore Art Awards contribute to that buzz. This is good for artists and art lovers. The Singapore Arts Awards provides a platform to give recognition to the established and budding talents in our midst, and to spur them to improve on their work. The competition and associated exhibition once again show the public a glimpse into the wealth of styles and the artists that reflect contemporary visual arts practices in Singapore.
4. I would like to commend Philip Morris Singapore for their commitment to supporting the arts in Singapore. It is encouraging to see private companies involving itself in organising events like the Singapore Art Awards. The presence of generous corporate sponsors is an important component of a supportive environment for the arts. There are many exciting opportunities for private companies to lend their support the development of the arts, especially as art begins to occupy a greater share of public consciousness.
5. How then, can we build on our achievements so far in developing the arts? I would like to recall the remarks made by Mr Ho Kah Leong, artist and then Parliamentary Secretary (Education), in 1982 in opening the 33rd Art Exhibition by the Singapore Art Society. He said:
   “Although there has been considerable progress made in the development of art, the full educational and economic potential of the subject is still not recognised by the general public. There is a need to introduce art to the masses of the people, whether for recreation, for vocational pursuit or simply for appreciation.”
6. Mr Ho’s words still resonate today. Many efforts are being made by the government, people and the private sectors to connect the visual arts to a wider audience. I am happy to say that we are getting better at realising the educational and economic potential of art. Whether art is for recreation, vocational pursuit or for appreciation, it is certainly reaching a wider and more receptive audience as art events and art venues mushroom in Singapore.
7. A great city must have its artists to give it soul and colour. I therefore encourage artists to keep up their passion and energy for creating new works, and to share their works with the public. I would also like to commend our premier arts schools NAFA and LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts for lending their support to the Singapore Art Awards and to art events in general. Both schools have done well in nurturing art talents. Indeed, many past winners of the Singapore Art Awards can be found among the staff or alumni of both schools.
8. Finally, I would like to congratulate the five Juror’s Choice winners and all the other artists whose works are recognised and exhibited as part of the Singapore Art Awards. I hope that they will not stop at these awards but will one day have their artworks featured in our museums, galleries, and prestigious international Biennales and major art collections.
9. Thank you.