Exhibitions of nude artworks allowed

I REFER to the letter, 'Ban on nude art hurts bid to be arts hub' (ST, March 6), by Mr Toh Han Shih in Hong Kong.

Exhibitions of nude paintings and photographs are allowed in Singapore.

Such exhibitions have taken place in the past without difficulty. For example, in 2004 the Federation of Art Societies organised an exhibition entitled 'Figure Arts 2004'. This exhibition was held in the atrium of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) building. The Ngee Ann Cultural Centre held exhibitions in 2005 and 2006 featuring nude photographs.

The Singapore Art Museum has also featured many figure paintings in its exhibitions. This week, the museum will have an exhibition featuring figure paintings by Singapore abstract expressionist Wong Keen.

The organisers of these exhibitions had accepted the need to display nude artworks in an enclosed area with an advisory at the entrance to alert the public to the content.

In the recent case of a display of a nude painting in the Mica atrium, the gallery owner was requested to adopt similar guidelines for display in a public area. Mica offered the gallery owner a solution to display the painting in the atrium. However, the gallery owner chose not to accept the solution offered.

The Mica atrium is a public area which is visited by members of the public, including school children. Display of artworks in such a public space should be done with sensitivity.

The Government strongly encourages and supports the arts. We are also mindful of the prevailing values and sensitivities of our multiracial and multi-religious society. We are confident that the arts will continue to flourish and Singapore will become a global city for the arts.

K. Bhavani (Ms)
Director of Corporate Communications
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts