Asian Civilisations Museum

Most of us probably remember the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) from school trips. In my impression, the ancient history of the exhibits is easily lost on the young audience. Recently, ACM has underwent a major change in curation, with its management choosing to organise artifacts based on themes rather than chronology. This is a welcomed change — for me anyway — as I find it easier to remember the historical significance of the artifacts better by grouping them with themes in mind, rather than having to recount which the year it is associated with. Since 27 November, three new permanent…

What do we really know about Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and his role in 19th-century Southeast Asia? What else was he doing in the region, beyond establishing a British East India Company outpost on the island of Singapore? The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) seeks to answer these pressing questions with Raffles in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Scholar and Statesman. Director of the ACM, Kennie Ting, explains, “There are two main intents for this exhibition. The first is to objectively address the figure of Raffles, presenting him as a complex and multifaceted personality, rather than the mythical, one-dimensional ‘founder figure’ most…

Light to Night Festival is back for its third year, and it presents the Singapore Art Week edition and the Singapore Bicentennial edition. Spearheaded by National Gallery Singapore, the Light to Night Festival will span across a period of six weeks to bring close to 50 programmes and immerse audiences in an adventure filled with thought-provoking art and historical encounters. Themed Traces and Echoes, visitors are invited to go beyond the role of a visual spectator to one who interprets art and history with their five senses. The first edition – as a marquee event of Singapore Art Week – presents…

Brought to global attention through the efforts of the French explorer and artist, Louis Delaporte, Angkor Wat stands as one of the most spectacular architectural marvels achieved by any civilisation of antiquity in the world. The culture and art of the ancient Khmer held within its ruins are one of the riches heritage legacies that can be found in the Southeast Asian region. Despite capturing the western imagination for centuries, there has never been a major exhibition of Angkor Wat in Southeast Asia — that is, until now. Singapore’s very own Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) has collaborated with the Parisian…

Light to Night Festival returns for its second edition from 19 to 28 January 2018! The line-up – bigger than last year’s – promises to captivate with dazzling displays of colour and never-before-seen levels of audience interactivity. Themed ‘Colourful Sensations’, the 10-day festival takes its guests on an enchanting, multi-sensorial journey through the changing colours of the precinct across a multitude of commissioned works. Visitors can look forward to a vibrant kaleidoscope of public art and activities from artists, as well as participatory works and performances. Spanning seven programme zones including the National Gallery, Asian Civilisations Museum, The Arts House,…

Bringing its schedule up from later in the year, the Light to Night Festival returns from 19 to 28 January 2018 and is set to paint Singapore’s Civic District in a dazzling array of colours, transforming iconic cultural institutions and parks into spectacular works of art. In its second edition, the Festival will expand from the National Gallery Singapore to become a precinct-wide arts festival, together with four other precinct partners – The Art House, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, Asian Civilisations Museum and The Esplanade. Themed ‘Colour Sensations’, the Festival will take you on a captivating, multi-sensorial journey through the changing colours…