你叫什么名字？

“Siapa Nama Kamu?” is a permanent exhibition at the National Gallery of Singapore, presenting over 300 artworks from the National Collection.

The most endearing fact about Singapore is her location: set in a vast archipelago of island neighbours, she raises questions of scale and proportion whenever she is contemplated. Geographically, she appears dwarfed by the immensity of her surroundings, leading her sea-locked inhabitants to constantly look outwards to the world at large. Yet her position in the world belies her physical size.

This exhibition examines how artists in Singapore have grappled with similar issues since the 19th century, when much of Southeast Asia was under European colonial rule. With diverse values and systems coming into close contact with the region’s existing beliefs and social structures, the 19th century represents a break with what came before. It also marks the beginning of the modern condition and the rise of modern art in Southeast Asia and Singapore.

In Malay, “Siapa Nama Kamu?” means “What is your name?” This question is taken from National Language Class, a painting that hung on the walls of City Hall in the 1960s, where the Ministry of Culture was located. It was painted in 1959, the year Singapore gained self-governance from the British, and came to resonate with that historical change.

The display of about 300 works drawn from the National Collection and other sources provides a way to understand the history of Singapore art. Each artwork taken individually provides insights into why and how an artist responded to his surroundings and circumstances. Taken as a whole, the wide range of artworks reflects the complexities involved in telling this story.

Siapa Nama Kamu? is then a question and an invitation—to consider how art can operate as a mirror to but also complicate our reality.