National Gallery Singapore turns 10: A decade of bridging Southeast Asian art and the world

If these galleries established the foundations, it was the Gallery’s international collaborations that propelled Southeast Asian art into wider conversations. In 2016, Reframing Modernism: Painting from Southeast Asia, Europe and Beyond, co-curated and co-presented with Paris’s Centre Pompidou, challenged the hierarchy that placed European modernism at the centre and Southeast Asian practices at the margins. Instead, the two were presented in parallel through differences in form and context but of equal historical weight. Three years later, Awakenings: Art in Society in Asia 1960s–1990s, developed with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, captured the ferment of a period marked by avant-garde experimentation and political activism. More recently, Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America stretched the map still further, forging connections across the Pacific and revealing resonances between two regions often studied in isolation.

At the heart of these endeavours is the Gallery’s embrace of global modernism. For too long, modernism was imagined as a singular trajectory emerging from Europe and North America. By situating Southeast Asia as a co-producer rather than a peripheral recipient, the Gallery has reframed the narrative. Few exhibitions embodied this better than the ongoing Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential, which traced the life and work of the Filipino-Spanish artist who moved fluidly between the Philippines, Spain, and the US, illustrating how multiple modernisms coexist and intersect. “Zóbel embodies the spirit of a global modernist,” Flores explains. His work shows how Southeast Asia actively engaged with, rather than merely absorbed, the artistic currents of the 20th century.

This insistence on equivalence reshapes not only art history but also curatorial practice. For Flores, curatorship is about identifying “meeting points”, where living traditions meet contemporary forms, or where local practices intersect with global vocabularies. “The curator can bring these fields into dialogue,” he expounds. This means exhibitions that juxtapose painting with photography, craft with conceptual installation, comics with sculpture—loosening the reliance on inherited western categories of value.

Technology, too, is reshaping the Gallery’s storytelling. Its AI-powered digital guide, g(ai)le, launched in beta, offers visitors customised tours across the permanent and special exhibitions. Immersive displays, such as those in the revamped Singapore Gallery, integrate interactive technologies to enhance the presence of artists. For Flores, these are not novelties but tools to “empower imagination”, and extend inclusivity, including for neurodivergent audiences. “It’s not innovation for its own sake,” he stresses. “It is part of the larger vision of inclusivity and well-being.”

International outreach is another frontier. For much of its first decade, the Gallery had presented exhibitions in collaboration with global institutions—the upcoming Into the Modern: Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, being a case in point. But Flores wants the balance to shift: “We should more proactively engage with institutions elsewhere to take on our exhibitions.” Already, Georgette Chen: At Home in the World recently opened this August at the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, China, and a fragment of Tropical will travel to Mexico City. These steps, though modest, mark the beginning of a new confidence: one where Southeast Asian art can command the world’s attention on its own terms.

Read also: Georgette Chen: 5 Things to Know About the Life and Art of the Singapore Pioneer Artist

Yet even as the Gallery extends its international footprint, community engagement at home remains central. It continues to nurture audiences, while commissions from living artists ensure that the museum remains porous to contemporary practices. For Flores, this is inseparable from thought leadership: repeated engagement cultivates a public that develops its own intelligence and voice in the arts. “There is no ordinary audience,” he insists. “All of us, through exposure and engagement, can become thought leaders.”

Looking to the next decade, Flores speaks of “broadening the map”. This means reimagining Southeast Asia beyond the Asean framework. It also means widening inclusivity: embracing women, queer artists, migrants, and communities beyond capital cities. Such expansions, he believes, will enhance the museum’s accessibility and allow audiences to see themselves reflected within its walls, where “the art of my village is also represented here”.

Singapore itself is changing, too, shaped by a new demographic mix and cultural energies. For Flores, the Gallery must respond by capturing this dynamism in its narratives. The promise, he suggests, is not just to preserve but to innovate, not simply to reflect the region but to project its possibilities outward. “Curatorially, I am excited because Southeast Asia connects to the world through the region itself. It is not about being assimilated, but about connecting in our own way.”

As the Gallery celebrates its 10th anniversary, what excites Flores most is what lies ahead: a museum that not only reframes Southeast Asia for the world but also expands the very ways in which art is seen, told and understood. In his vision, the next decade will be one of widened maps, deepened narratives, and ever more voices joining the conversation—an institution that speaks of the art, histories and futures of Southeast Asia.

A Decade of Imagination

National Gallery Singapore will mark its 10th anniversary with a landmark celebration on September 13 that unites art, philanthropy and society. The Gallery Gala 2025, staged across the historic City Hall Wing, will host over 300 guests for an evening where culinary artistry meets creative brilliance. Highlights of the evening include canapés by chef Damian D’Silva, a gourmet dinner by chef Julien Royer, and desserts from chef Violet Oon. Guests will also experience immersive art activations and performances, while connecting with artists, collectors, philanthropists and cultural leaders. Central to the programme is the live auction, offering rare artworks and bespoke experiences, with a fundraising target of at least $3 million. All proceeds will sustain the Gallery’s mission as custodian of the world’s largest collection of Southeast Asian modern art while supporting its vision to foster artistic dialogue in Singapore, the region and beyond.

More than a glittering social highlight, the Gala represents an act of cultural investment. With seats starting at $3,000 and donations qualifying for 250 per cent tax deductions, it underscores the vital role of private patronage in shaping public culture. Supported by generous sponsors and partners, Gallery Gala 2025: A Decade of Imagination promises to be a night where legacy meets possibility—affirming that art thrives not only in institutions but also through the generosity and commitment of those who champion it. Guests, by their presence and participation, become part of the Gallery’s unfolding story.

For more information on the Gallery Gala 2025, click here. To purchase seats, click here.

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