Adelaide Festival Centre and National Gallery Singapore partner in five year creative collaboration   

Adelaide Festival Centre and National Gallery Singapore have entered into a five year agreement for creative collaboration and cultural exchange.

National Gallery Singapore is a leading visual arts institution which oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art.

The multi-year agreement will see collaboration in the areas of research, exhibition, audience engagement and professional exchange including:

• Curatorial exchange between the institutions such as traveling artwork installations commissioned for Gallery Children’s Biennale to Adelaide Festival Centre’s Children’s Artspace

• Programmatic exchanges for the Gallery’s Keppel Centre for Art Education such as student exhibitions and online talks via the Gallery’s online platform for children, Gallery Kids!

• Collaboration on the Gallery’s Light to Night Festival and/or Painting with Light Festival, such as co-presentations and jointly organising conferences, workshops, and lectures.

Adelaide Festival Centre Chief Executive and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier enthused “the award-winning National Gallery Singapore is known for outstanding collections and innovative programming.  

“We are thrilled to formalise our relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding and open up opportunities between our two venues, in order to bring the best of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art to our audiences here in Adelaide.”

National Gallery Singapore Chief Executive Chong Siak Ching added “we are delighted to partner with Adelaide Festival Centre, South Australia’s leading performing arts venue that is about to have its 50 year anniversary.  

“This collaboration is an important opportunity to showcase Southeast Asia's unique history and vibrant arts scene to a new audience.  

“We're excited to explore the potential for this partnership to spark fresh ideas and deepen appreciation of the arts and cultural diversity worldwide.”

National Gallery Singapore is a progressive museum that creates dialogues between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world to foster and inspire a creative and inclusive society. This is reflected in their collaborative research, education, long-term and special exhibitions, and programming.  

Established in 1973, Adelaide Festival Centre is Australia’s first capital city arts venue. It continues to be one of Asia Pacific’s leading cultural centres, and the heart of the arts in South Australia, welcoming more than a million people of all ages, experiences and cultures into multiple theatres, and gallery spaces each year.

Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels advised “International cultural collaborations are important for maximising our connections with our neighbouring countries and for enabling South Australians to experience the best of global arts, right here at home.  

"I commend Adelaide Festival Centre and the National Gallery Singapore for coming together for this exciting five-year creative collaboration.”

Through this Memorandum of Understanding, Adelaide Festival Centre joins the likes of Centre Pompidou, Musée d'Orsay, Tate Britain, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), who work with National Gallery Singapore to jointly present Southeast Asian art in the global context.

Image top: Adelaide Festival Centre 2022 Credit: Rob Brown; image above: National Gallery Singapore