Singapore

Singapore is a model of economic success and social order in Southeast Asia, and there is a tendency for individualism and alternative ideas to be restricted in that they were considered to be hazardous to their prosperity. For artists who choose to diverge from the status quo and headed toward a more liberal direction often have difficulty seeking funding for exhibitions. Confucian and Asian values are thought be contributing factors for their economic success and social stability. The sense of individualism that is the general theme in Western cultures is seen as problematic because they led to "unregulated activism." However, mobility and easy access made capable through technological innovations and globalization assists in the expansion of art in Singapore worldwide, and widens their audience outside of his or her country.

1) The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. "Thailand: This Time Around," Queensland Art Gallery, 1996, pg 54.

2) Fukuoka Triennale 1999, "Art Abroad: International Communication," Ahmad Mashad, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, pp 176-180.

3) Julie Ervington, "Five Elements," pp. 12.

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Tang Da Wu