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  • Voices and Vision – An Art Thought Leadership Symposium

    Voices & Vision was a 2-day art thought leadership programme on the occasion of AP60 that creates a space for meaningful exchange and deeper engagement with real-world issues. The symposium took place on 26 & 27 July 2025. 

    About the Symposium

    As part of Artist’s Proof: Singapore at 60, FOFA conceived and presented Voices & Vision Symposium — a platform for dialogue, reflection, and future-thinking about Singapore’s art and cultural landscape. Positioned as the intellectual anchor to the exhibition, the symposium convened artists, curators, academics, senior policymakers, and professionals to reflect on six decades of culture and heritage policies and imagine the future.

    FOFA’s strategic contributions through the symposium included:

    • Thought Leadership: Framing critical conversations around Singapore’s artistic and cultural transformation within a broader historical context
    • Amplifying Voices: A platform to share different perspectives from a diverse group of speakers and thought leaders
    • Community Engagement: Bridging different stakeholders—from students, artists, professionals to patrons—through open dialogue and knowledge sharing
    • Extending Legacy: Elevating the exhibition format into a living forum of ideas, enriching AP60’s cultural impact beyond the gallery

    Supported by Mastercard Singapore, the event drew almost 280 people, over more than 6 hours of cross-disciplinary exchanges with thought leaders from the visual arts, theatre, architecture and philanthropy sector.

    Voices & Vision exemplifies FOFA’s role as more than a presenter of art — but as a catalyst for cultural discourse, shaping how Singapore’s artistic legacy is remembered and how its future is imagined.

    Programme

         

    Speakers Bio
    Prof. Tan Tai Yong

    President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Honorary Chairman of the National Museum, Co-Chair of the Founder’s Memorial Committee

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    Professor Tan Tai Yong is President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences. He is the Chairman of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, the Honorary Chairman of the National Museum, and co-chair of the Founders’ Memorial Committee. Professor Tan was the Institute of Policy Studies’ 6th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore and a former Nominated Member of Parliament. He specializes in and has published extensively on South and Southeast Asian history.

    Paul Tan (Moderator)

    Chief Executive Officer, Community Foundation of Singapore, Former Deputy Chief Executive, NAC; Poet

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    Paul Tan is CEO at the Community Foundation of Singapore. He previously served as Deputy Chief Executive of the National Arts Council and held leadership roles at the Singapore Tourism Board. A published poet and experienced arts leader, he has served on boards of arts and cultural organisations including the Singapore Symphony Group and Arts House Limited. Paul holds degrees from NUS and the University of East Anglia, and recently completed a PhD in Creative Writing at NTU.

    Adeline Chia

    Independent Art Writer, Reviews Editor at ArtReview Asia

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    Adeline Chia is an independent arts writer and editor based in Singapore. She is the current reviews editor of ArtReview Asia, the sister magazine of London-based visual arts magazine ArtReview, and a regular contributor to both journals, as well as other publications such as e-flux and the Financial Times. Her previous positions included arts correspondent at The Straits Times and the Southeast Asian bureau chief of Blouin Artinfo.

    Dr. Seng Yu Jin

    Independent Art Writer, Reviews Editor at ArtReview Asia

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    Seng Yu Jin is Director (Curatorial, Research & Exhibitions) and Senior Curator at the National Gallery Singapore. He obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2019, and now lectures at the National University of Singapore’s Minor in Art History programme. Seng’s research interests cover regional art histories focusing on Southeast Asian art in relation to studies on diaspora, migration, and cultural transfers. He is currently researching the history of exhibitions and artist collectives in Asia.

    Usha Chandradas (Moderator)

    Consultant, Withers KhattarWong, Co-founder of Plural Art Mag and former Arts NMP 

     

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    Usha Chandradas is a lawyer, educator, and former Nominated Member of Parliament. She co-founded Plural Art Mag, a digital magazine on Southeast Asian art. She holds Master’s degrees in Asian Art Histories and Professional Accounting. Usha is a consultant at Withers KhattarWong, an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nanyang Business School, a Chartered Accountant (non- practicing), and an Accredited Tax Specialist. She serves on several boards and actively volunteers with Pro Bono SG and the Singapore Red Cross.

    Mae Anderson

    Chairman of ArtOutreach

     

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    Mae Anderson is Chairman of Art Outreach, a Singapore-based non-profit that advances art education, advocacy, and public engagement. Mae serves as Head of Philanthropy Services at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, advising clients on strategic giving and legacy planning. She speaks regularly on the intersection of wealth and purpose, with a focus on patronage and the role of art in civic life, drawing on her experience across the cultural and financial sectors.

    Prof. Ho Puay Peng

    Project Lead, Shaw Heritage research and interpretation project. 

    Professor and former Head of Department, Department of Architecture, College of Design and Engineering, NUS

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    Prof. Puay-peng Ho holds the UNESCO Chair on Architectural Heritage Conservation and Management in Asia and is currently Professor of Architecture at the National University of Singapore. Prof. Ho was Director of Centre for Architectural Heritage Research of CUHK and is a member of the Heritage and Identity Partnership (URA), Chairman of Heritage Advisory Panel (NHB), and a Patron of International Dunhuang Project, British Library. Prof. Ho is currently project lead for the Shaw Heritage research and interpretation project.

    T. Sasitharan

    Co-founder and Director of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI)

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    T. Sasitharan, Sasi, is Co-Founder and Director of the Intercultural Theatre Institute. He was Artistic Director of Substation, and was the Theatre and Visual Arts critic of The Straits Times. He is a theatre practitioner, working as actor, performer, director, producer, dramaturge and teacher, and previously taught Philosophy at the National University of Singapore. He received the Cultural Medallion in 2012, the third Harvard Cub Singapore Fellow Award, and the 2022 NUS’ FASS Distinguished Arts and Social Sciences Alumni Award.

    Ho Weng Hin (Moderator)

    Founding Partner of Studio Lapis, Architectural Conservation Specialist

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    Ho Weng Hin is co-founder of Studio Lapis, an award-winning architectural conservation specialist consultancy based in Singapore. He is founding Chair of Docomomo Singapore, founding Director of ICOMOS Singapore, and currently Vice President of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on 20th Century Heritage. Weng Hin is Adjunct Associate Professor at NUS, and is a core instructor for the Getty’s International Course on Conservation of Modern Heritage. He obtained his specialist postgraduate diploma in architectural conservation from the University of Genoa, Italy.

    Darren Soh

    Artist, Researcher

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    Darren Soh originally trained as a sociologist and now practises as an architecture photographer, documenting the built environment in Singapore for the past two decades. His photographic work explores how we live and the spaces we create and leave behind. He has a particular interest in modernist architecture as well as public housing and is a founding member of Docomomo Singapore.

    Karen Tan

    Founder of Pocket Projects and Projector

    Dr. Adele Tan (Moderator) 

    Senior Curator at National Gallery Singapore

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    Dr. Adele Tan received her PhD in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London and is Senior Curator and Assistant Director of Curatorial Programmes at National Gallery Singapore. She curated the 2019 Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission with artist Charles Lim Yi Yong and the 2023 commission by Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta. Her current projects include a retrospective on Kim Lim, revamping the DBS Singapore Gallery, and an exhibition on art and eroticism slated for 2026.

    Sonny Liew

    Artist and Author of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye

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    Sonny Liew is a cartoonist whose multi-Eisner- winning graphic novel, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, was a New York Times and Amazon bestseller, and the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize. His other works include The Shadow Hero (with Gene Luen Yang), Doctor Fate (with Paul Levitz) and Malinky Robot, as well as titles for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Boom Studios.

    Suzann Victor

    Artist and SG Representative for 49th Venice Biennale

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    Suzann Victor is known for immersive works that prospect the contours of the human sensorial experience, perception and phenomena, utilising bodily materials, Fresnel lenses, light and water, alongside engineered components and the readymade. She is the first female artist to represent Singapore at its inaugural showing at the 49th Venice Biennale. Victor was the Concept-Developer of 5th Passage. She completed her PhD in 2009 with support from the Australian Postgraduate Award, and lives and works on Gadigal Land, Sydney, Australia.

    Zulkhairi Zulkiflee

    Artist-Curator

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    Zulkhairi Zulkiflee is an artist-curator whose lens-based practice focuses on the contemporary Malay identity. His image-centered artworks foreground the body as a plural marker, situating the Singaporean-Malay experience within broader global narratives. Zulkhairi has exhibited in Germany, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. He was a mentee on the Chow and Lin mentorship list (2019) and a resident at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore Residencies Programme (2023-2024).

    Panel Summaries

    Keynote Address

    The symposium kicked off with Prof. Tan Tai Yong, President of SUSS and respected historian, who shared his thoughts on the history of nation-building in Singapore.

    Read the summary here. 

    Proof of Concept: The Artist’s Role in a New Nation

    The formation of a new nation is more than a political or economic endeavour—it is a cultural birth. In such formative times, artists play a critical role, acting as both mirrors and architects of collective identity. Collectively, this panel explored how artists serve as the “proof of concept” for a nation’s ideals, aspirations, and contradictions, shaping the soul of a country before or alongside its institutions.

    Read the summary here.

    The Power of Patronage: Shaping Art, Culture, and Lasting Legacies

    Throughout history, the development of art and culture has often depended not only on talent and inspiration, but also on financial and institutional support. Patronage—the backing of artists by individuals, institutions, or governments—has been a powerful force in shaping artistic movements, cultural identity, and legacies. 

    This panel explored how patronage has functioned as both a catalyst and a curator of creativity, influencing what is made and how it is valued, what is remembered, celebrated and preserved. Patronage has always shaped the cultural landscape—and understanding patronage is crucial to help us shape a more equitable and inclusive future. 

    Read the summary here.

     

    Changing Skylines: Evolving Practices in Urban Planning and Cultural Stewardship

    As cities grow, they don’t just expand outward or upward—they evolve in meaning, identity, and function. Urban planning today is no longer just about infrastructure; it’s about the values we embed in physical space. How do cities stay resilient while balancing our response to climate change and preserving cultural continuity. This panel explored the dynamic intersection of urban planning and cultural stewardship, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in shaping cities that honour both progress and memory.

    Read the summary here.

     

    Present and Away

    This panel explored the complex realities of artists who live and create across borders—physically, emotionally, and culturally. In an era marked by movement—whether voluntary, economic, or forced—artists increasingly embody multiplicity. “Present and Away” is a recognition of the tension between here and there, now and then, and the art that arises in that in-between space. These are not just stories of presence or loss, navigating places or distances, but also of reinvention and reconnection . We invited artists to reflect on how displacement, duality, and radical redefinition have shaped their artistic identity and practice.

    Read the summary here.

     

    Title Presenter
     

     

    Mastercard

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    Contact

    For further enquires, please contact:

    Ning Chong
    ningchong@fofa.asia
    +65 9816 0198

    Yi-Ling Kong
    yiling@fofa.asia
    +65 92271986

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