Monday, August 23, 2010

The arts scene: it won't magically appear just because you complain

The most frequent complaint I hear about Singapore’s arts and cultural scene is that there’s simply very little, or none to be found. That complaint is usually accompanied by a second one – that this cultural deficiency is due to censorship and lack of openness in our society.

These complaints may have been valid a decade or two ago, but it should be obvious that much has changed since that time. What has not improved, sadly, is Singaporeans’ appreciation for commendable efforts of our local artists – they’re overly self-critical of our nation’s arts and inherently biased towards foreign imports. If Singaporeans would only take the time to look with an open mind, they’d find a vibrant arts scene they could be proud of. And even if they find it lacking after they’ve experienced it, they should still support it if they want to see improvement.
Singaporean artists and filmmakers, however good their work, tend to get little support from fellow Singaporeans. How about this Singaporean film that was slammed here, but became big in the US?

I’m no artist, so I’ll let an actual artist talk about this. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Ng Su-An and Louisa Cheong, two Singaporean artists currently based in Vancouver.

Interview: Su-An Ng & Louisa Cheong

Question: What are your views on the art scene in Vancouver as compared to Singapore? Are we lacking in that area?

…If anything at all, I think the Singapore audience lacks a certain level of broad-mindedness to truly appreciate what their own local talents have to offer. There needs to be a change in the local mindset, and it starts with further education in order to cultivate an intrinsic appreciation for even the most basic forms of art….


Question: Would you agree that it is easier for locals to appreciate other Singaporeans achievements in other countries rather than their achievements they have accomplished here?

S: If there is such a perception, then it goes back to basic art appreciation. If a community does not have a significant level of art appreciation, how will they be able to recognize and support local talent? That being said, doesn’t that make you wonder how much undiscovered local talent is out there? The Singaporean artists who move overseas are merely looking for a community that can appreciate their form of art and give them due recognition.

L: It is ironic, isn’t it? Why must there be recognition from an overseas audience before the Singapore audience can appreciate what they already have?

This question is an exact reflection of that mindset. Su-An’s film was surprisingly not well-received at the Singapore Short Film Festival. However, her film caught the attention of many in Vancouver after we screened it, not to mention the continuous pour of invitations from various film festivals around the world like the Northwest Film & Video Festival, Planet in Focus International Environmental Festival & Victoria International Festival to name a few. This interview would not have happened if her film had not made its mark internationally – this is the sad irony.

That is the reason why VSFF was established in Vancouver to help promote and raise awareness in Canada of Singapore’s talents, specifically in the film industry. Singapore is a tiny audience compared to those of the US and China. But by supported exposure and uniting filmmaking interests between the two countries, we can learn and improve on what we lack and are weak in, and eventually grow to the full potential of what Singapore’s film industry is truly capable of.
Perhaps a good example of this is how VSFF’s supportive platform has resulted in interests from other organizations wanting to screen Singapore-made films. These include the Vancouver New Asia Film Festival and Calgary Asian Series (Alberta, Canada) who have invited us to do encore screenings of Royston Tan’s 12 Lotus and Jean Yeo’s The Leap Years.


Support should come from home. If that is not even available, then international recognition would be a farther reach no matter the amount of resources available, and money the Singapore government pumps into the industry.

Do read the rest of the interview- it reveals a lot about the challenges faced by Singaporean artists due to the local audience’s indifference towards them.

Our arts need time, and more importantly, money, to develop. There definitely is a vibrant arts scene here today, in my opinion. For those who find the arts scene inadequate and dream of a more vibrant one, ignoring it is not the solution. We should support our local artists not in spite of, but because of their potential for improvement. It’s funny how a nation of materialistic consumers like Singapore does not even recognise this simple economic fact.

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