Design Taxi
28th Jan 2008
Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Yayasan YDY Nusantara of Indonesia are proud to announce the formation of a partnership resulting in inter-institutional programme collaborations, exchanges and development in research and scholarship for Singapore, Southeast Asian and Asian art, at a new facility – New Contemporary Art Centre (NCAC) located in Songzhuang, Beijing.
Eminent collector Mr Budiardjo Tek, founder of Yayasan YDY Nusantara of Indonesia, will be the Chairman of the NCAC Board. A generous philanthropist, Mr Tek will also be establishing two private contemporary art museums in Jakarta and Bali, to promote contemporary Indonesian art, including works by key Indonesian artists including Putu Suta Wijaya, Yunizar and Agus Suwage, among others. As Chairman of the NCAC Board, Mr Tek has also pledged his commitment to providing the facilities and funding for the initial years of the operation of NCAC, while the Board undertakes further sourcing of funds for the continued operation of NCAC.
Says Mr Budiardjo Tek, “Art gives special meaning and inspiration to life. Being an Indonesian educated in Singapore, I am passionate about Asian contemporary art. I see cross inspirations across Asia fueling a new cultural renaissance."
Director, Mr Kwok Kian Chow has been invited to serve as Deputy Chairman of the NCAC Board.
Foremost art critic Mr Li Xianting, whose coining of the term, Cynical Realism and Political Pop, defined Chinese contemporary art in the 1990s, has agreed to chair the Academic Committee of the NCAC.
A township 23 km east of Beijing and ten minutes drive from the Beijing international airport, Songzhuang is the epicenter of Chinese contemporary art where some 1,500 artists live and work, including many internationally renowned artists including Fang Lijun, Qi Zhilong, Yang Shaobin and Yue Minjun. Artists, critics, curators and collectors from all over the world also gather there regularly to discuss, exchange and debate on the latest developments in contemporary art. NCAC is envisaged to be a centre of Asian contemporary art, linking China, Southeast Asia, Asia and the World.
Says Mr Michael Koh, CEO, National Heritage Board, “This partnership comes at a critical juncture in time where the world has taken a big interest in contemporary Asian art. SAM’s presence in China, through this partnership with NCAC, is timely and critical as the NCAC provides a platform for SAM to establish and further promote Singapore and Southeast Asian art not just within China, but also to the international art community.”
Opening in late 2008, SAM and NCAC will collaborate on a series of exchange programmes featuring Chinese, Southeast Asian and international artists, and a host of public programmes including symposiums, talks, gallery and Songzhuan tours. Envisaged to be an exhibition and activity centre in Songzhuang and located in the inspiring lake-side neighborhood of the Songzhuang Art Museum, Hejingyuan Art Centre, artists' workshops and residences, restaurants and tea houses, the NCAC will have a gallery area of about 2,000 sq metres. Together with invited critics and curators, NCAC will engender and facilitate new discussions on Asian contemporary art in the context of a new, truly global art world in the 21st century, from a unique locale of an artists' township that is at the same time traditional and international.
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