Change of art: The National Gallery Singapore aims the spotlight at Southeast Asia
The team at this national gallery is showing the world new ways of looking at art.
Eugene Tan, the National Gallery Singapore’s CEO and director, might seem like a quiet academic but he’s unequivocal about the place of Southeast Asian modern art in the global ecosystem. “Our understanding of art is largely derived from Western art history, which has led many to think of Southeast Asia as one territory defined by colonial borders,” he says. “But it’s actually a multi-faceted network of art worlds.”
This summarises what the National Gallery Singapore, home to the world’s largest public collection of modern Southeast Asian art, set out to do when it opened in 2015. No other institution had tackled Southeast Asian art from a regional perspective. Accompanying this fresh approach was a mission to challenge Eurocentric narratives, prompting visitors to consider how Southeast Asian artists and movements intersect with dominant stories of art history. Reframing Modernism, jointly curated and developed with Paris’s Centre Pompidou in 2016, is one such seminal show, where works by significant regional artists, including Latiff Mohidin from Malaysia, were hung alongside iconic European names such as Henri Matisse for the first time.
Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the gallery has only grown in confidence. “As we’ve deepened our understanding and research of Southeast Asian art, we’re bolder at expanding Western definitions of art and spotlighting artists who have previously been overlooked,” says Tan. He cites the gallery’s recent retrospective on Singapore-born British postwar artist Kim Lim: sidelined in a male-dominated domain, she has since been recast in a new light.
The scale of their latest show, City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s-1940s, illustrates Tan’s ambitions. It’s the first major comparative exhibition on Asian artists living in Paris during the vibrant yet challenging interwar period. With Southeast Asian art still heavily underrepresented on the global stage, the work of the National Gallery Singapore team is a major draw.
Eugene Tan, CEO & Director
After earning his phd from the University of Manchester, Tan held various roles in Singapore, from heading Sotheby’s Institute of Art to overseeing the development of the Gillman Barracks art district. He also curated the Singapore Pavilion at the 2005 Venice Biennale and the inaugural Singapore Biennale. In 2013 he was appointed as the National Gallery Singapore’s director and became Singapore Art Museum’s director six years later. Tan became CEO of both institutions in 2024.
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Chin Nian Choo, Creative head, designs striking visual identities that bring exhibitions to life.
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Hisyam Nasser, Manager, learning & outreach, champions artistic appreciation in younger audiences.
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Bruce Quek, Assistant manager, library & archives, helps visitors find what they’re after.
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Vygesh Mohan, Programme lead, Light to Night Singapore, curates art for the gallery’s flagship festival.
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Aun Koh, Assistant chief executive, marketing & development, boosts the gallery’s presence around the world.
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Gracia Fei, Assistant manager, innovation & experience design, reimagines the museum experience.
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Djasliana Binte Hussain, Assistant manager, digital infrastructure, keeps tech troubles at bay.
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Anasthasia Andika, Assistant director, registration, moves priceless artworks safely across the world.
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Lucas Huang, Senior manager, international partnerships, works with international partner museums.
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Hafiz Bin Osman, Manager, collections management, wows visitors with impactful displays of artworks.
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Muhamad Wafa, Assistant manager, mount making, creates mounts to display artworks swiftly and safely.
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Chloe Ang, Assistant manager, content publishing, develops catalogues and audio tours for visitors.
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Mark Chee, Deputy director, facilities management & operations, works behind the scenes to keep visitors safe.
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Horikawa Lisa, Director, curatorial & collections, shapes the gallery’s growing collection with collaborators across Southeast Asia.
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Aisyah Binte Johan Iskandar, Assistant conservator, restores organic objects in artworks and artefacts.
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Koh Yishi, Manager, community & access, shapes inclusive programmes and manages volunteers.
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Patrick Flores, Chief curator, shapes the gallery’s artistic direction.
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Joleen Loh, Curator, dives into the artworks and archives to find and tell stories that will resonate with audiences.
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Chris Lee, Assistant chief executive, museum experience & operations, keeps the gallery running without a hitch.
