Strengthening cultural exchanges with different partners and stakeholders

Your Excellency Rogelio Granguillhome, Ambassador of Mexico to Singapore

Ms Low Sing Leng, Chairman of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts,

Distinguished Guests,

A good evening to all.

1. 2015 is a very special year for our two countries. Singapore and Mexico celebrate 40 years of bilateral relationship this year. What could be more appropriate and more significant to kick start the year's celebration to mark our close and warm bilateral relationship by having an exhibition by a very remarkable artist. Through our four decades of friendship, we have strengthened our economic and cultural ties.

2. In particular, I am heartened that our cultural ties are deepening and broadening the friendship between our countries. 2015 is of course also a special year for Singapore, as we celebrate our 50 years of independence. Mexico has been a firm partner and good friend of Singapore's throughout our journey.

3. It is therefore, my honour to be here today. This exhibition is testament of the friendship between Singapore and Mexico, strengthened through our cultural exchanges and people-to-people interactions. It is an opportunity to bring our local audiences closer to Mexican art and to experience Mexico's rich heritage in Singapore.

Making art accessible

4. To understand Master Diego Rivera's art is to be conscious of the historical, social, political, and cultural ethos of the past and present, not only in Mexico but in the world at large. Master Rivera was a highly cosmopolitan individual who bridged cultures through his interactions with European intellectuals, and later on, as a commissioned artist in American cities.

5. Similarly in Singapore, our artists have also adapted a cosmopolitan outlook, and they found their voices through pictorials, visual and sculptural forms, narrating stories, values, virtues and histories. Murals, public sculpture and other artworks by local artists like Mr Chong Fah Cheong and Ms Kumari Nahappan have found their way into our parks, buildings and train stations. Art practices have been shared through public concepts and messaging, through nation-building. This, in turn, strengthens our communities across ethnicities, religions and cultures. Art is able to bring about common understanding, common vision, unity and deep bonding among people.

Partnership between different stakeholders

6. Indeed, as we celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee, we want to build on the legacy our arts pioneers have left us. We will have many developments in the coming months in Singapore's arts and cultural scene for Singaporeans and also our friends from abroad. We've just closed the very vibrant Singapore Art Week last month, where there were almost 100 events for arts enthusiasts. Later this year, we can look forward to the completion of the new National Gallery Singapore. The Gallery, which will reside in what used to be our Supreme Court and the City Hall, will help to strengthen Singapore's role as a regional and international hub for visual arts. So the Singapore arts and cultural scene has come a long way, but not without some help along the way. Our partners and stakeholders have contributed to this success.

7. To the Mexican Embassy in Singapore, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and all partners involved in making this exhibition possible – I would like to extend my sincerest and warmest congratulations and heartfelt thanks. Your contributions matter for Singapore's arts and culture development. This strong and sustainable partnership between the Singapore Government, corporations, individuals and also our friends from overseas, will continue to pave the way for Singapore to be an exciting and vibrant cultural city, and leading arts centre in Asia.

8. With great pleasure, I declare this exhibition open.