If you're in the Civic District from now till August 30, keep your eyes peeled on the facade of one of our favourite museums. In commemoration of Singapore's 55th year of independence and our spirit of resilience this year, National Gallery Singapore has illuminated its facade in the national colours of red and white in a show of solidarity.
At the beginning of July, the Gallery launched an Open Call, inviting locally-based visual artists to respond to the National Collection with a submission of an original 2D digital artwork for the rotating projection as part of the Gallery Light Up. The collection, managed by the National Heritage Board, has roots that can be traced to the donation of over 110 artworks in 1960 by art philanthropist Dato Loke Wan Tho – and has borne witness to the changing landscape of art institutions in Singapore over the years. 60 original artworks from the Open Call now forms a rotating projection on the Gallery's central veiled canopy, accentuated by colourful lights on its façade. The projections face the Padang, where this year's National Day Parade will be held.
Chew Jia Hui's Home, inspired by Liu Kang's Life by the River, depicts a familiar sight in Singapore's landscape: blocks of brightly coloured HDB flats in different designs; Koh Qibao Kenneth's artwork offers a contemporary twist on Wayang Kulit by Choo Keng Kwang; and Loo Hui Jing's Work From Home (Over the Balcony), is a cheeky take on Untitled (Over the Balcony) by Kassian Cephas.
The Gallery's facade illumination is part of a precinct-wide movement of projections on monuments and cultural institutions in the Civic District and Bras.Basah.Bugis precinct – an initiative by local arts and cultural institutions as the country marks National Day this year. The light-up at National Gallery Singapore takes place daily from now till August 30, from 7pm to midnight.