Museums play an important role in establishing a record of our nation-building journey

Speech by Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at the opening of Enlightened Ways: The Many Streams Of Buddhist Art In Thailand

Mr Sahawat Naenna,
Director-General, Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Thailand
Excellencies
Mr Ong Yew Huat, Chairman, National Heritage Board
Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Chairman, Asian Civilisations Museum
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen

1. I am very happy to join you this evening at the opening of this Enlightened Ways exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum.
2. Our museums play an important role in establishing a record of our nation-building journey, and in forming key engagement touch-points for Singaporeans. They showcase our links with our Asian neighbours, and the diverse cultural influences they have on Singapore. The ACM, being one of the first museums of its kind in the region, offers exactly this – a broad and integrated perspective of Asian cultures and civilisations.
3. The ACM’s collections, exhibitions, and programmes seek to reflect our Asian roots and cultural heritage. They bring to life the story of our history of trade, multi-culturalism, and religious diversity. They help us to understand Singapore’s cultural links to Asia and the world, and to better appreciate our place in the world.
4. To do justice to our rich and diverse Asian cultures, we cannot tell the story of the region just by ourselves. We have to work with other story-tellers and tap on the strong support of our international and regional partners.
5. The close cultural collaboration between Singapore and Thailand is a good example. In fact, it took 10 years for this exhibition to come to fruition. Over the decade, we have been strengthening our cultural relationship through many exchanges between our artists and institutions. For example, Singapore’s Era Dance Theatre had participated in the International Dance Festival in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiangmai in 2009. In 2010 and 2011, a solo exhibition of the Thai contemporary artist, Natee Utarit, was presented at the Singapore Art Museum, and the ACM also hosted two Thai curators.
   
6. Today, we see the fruits of our collaboration in the unveiling of this Enlightened Ways exhibition. The exhibition is the most comprehensive Buddhist art display from Thailand that has ever been put together in Singapore’s history. With over 100 pieces from 11 Thai national museums spanning more than 1,500 years of history, these treasures speak volumes about the collaborative efforts between both countries. You would have to travel several times to Thailand to see these works. But through this exhibition, Singaporeans can experience, learn and enjoy them here at the ACM.
7. Ten years may seem like a long time for the exhibition to be ready. But as they say, the best things in life are always worth waiting for. So let me thank the many Thais and Singaporeans who have made this possible with your passion, perseverance and dedication.
8. Perhaps nothing speaks more strongly of the warm cultural relations between Singapore and Thailand than the Thai Cultural Festival, which is happening between October 2012 and April 2013, of which this exhibition is a part. The festival is a collaboration between the National Heritage Board and the Thai Ministry of Culture, the Royal Thai Embassy, and Thai institutions such as the Philatelic Association of Thailand and Thailand Post, and it involves three Singapore museums - the ACM, the Singapore Art Museum and the Singapore Philatelic Museum. For half a year, these agencies and institutions will be presenting exhibitions on Thai historic art, contemporary art and postal connections between Thailand and Singapore, for the benefit of Singaporean audiences.
9. It is partnerships like these that allow us to promote greater inter-cultural understanding, and provide a wider variety of cultural offerings to our people. For example, as part of the programming for the Enlightened Ways exhibition, there will be a Salak Yom festival, where a group of villagers from the north of Thailand will make “offering trees” in the ACM’s gallery next February. These “offering trees” are tall bamboo constructions decorated with colourful paper, utensils, cloth, food, fruit, vegetables and religious items, made to accumulate merit for the women of the Tai Yong minority. It’s a unique opportunity to be able to see this ancient ceremony in Singapore, so even after you’ve seen the exhibition today, do come back again to catch the Salak Yom festival and other activities at the ACM.
10. Going forward, we hope to continue to forge collaborations such as these, to provide more quality programmes that showcase the cultural richness of our Asian heritage. We want to enhance the experience in our museums, so that our visitors are not just passive observers, but instead come here to be inspired, to participate in culture, and to learn from one another. Ultimately, we want our museums to be places that appeal and connect emotionally to Singaporeans of all ages.
11. To conclude, I would like to thank our partners from Thailand, the Royal Thai Embassy, and the Thai Ministry of Culture for their kind support. Together with our international partners, we will work to build a vibrant museum sector in Singapore for all to benefit and enjoy. I wish you all a pleasant evening and hope that all of you will enjoy today’s exhibition as much as I do.