Border Crossers opens S’pore fest in France

PARIS — A three-month festival celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and France kicked off last night (March 26) with a show fittingly titled The Incredible Adventures Of Border Crossers.

Directed and conceived by Ong Keng Sen, the six-hour multi-media installation performance was held at contemporary art space Palais de Tokyo. It featured 22 Singapore-based performers of different nationalities — including Singaporean drag performer Eugene Tan, Mexican theatre-maker Felipe Cervera and French artist Gilles Massot — taking turns sharing personal testimonies on a catwalk-like stage.

The show, which will also be performed at the Singapore International Festival of Arts later this year, marked the beginning of the Singapore In France Festival, which comprises 70 events across the country.

The event, which also celebrates Singapore’s 50th year of independence, will be the largest showcase of Singapore art internationally, said Tan Boon Hui, the festival’s director as well as group director of programmes at the National Heritage Board (NHB), which co-organised the festival together with the National Arts Council and Institut Francais.

The festival is an opportunity to look at Singapore’s “balancing act between past and present, local and global,” he said, during the opening ceremony where other speakers likewise paid tribute to the late Lee Kuan Yew.

“As Singaporeans grieve and reflect on our loss, we continue to honour Mr Lee’s vision of establishing Singapore on the international stage with this unique showcase of Singapore’s art and culture,” said Rosa Daniel, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

“We join you in your pain and sadness,” said Jean de Loisy, president of Palais de Tokyo.

Also opening that same night was a survey exhibition on Singapore and South-east Asian contemporary art. Titled Secret Archipelago, it includes 35 artists including Singapore artists Ahmad Abu Bakar, Zai Kuning, Gerald Leow, Lynn Lu, NADA, Zaki Razak, Angie Seah, Shirley Soh, SpeakCryptic, Lee Wen and Andree Weschler.

It is curated by Singaporean artist-curator Khairuddin Hori, who is currently deputy editor of artistic programming at the French art institution. The idea behind the show is to “bring us back to the idea of South-east Asia as one territory that’s linked to one another (through) religion, language or culture,” he said.