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Existing artworks should be supported

We refer to the letter “Culture Ministry respects artists’ creative efforts, IP” (June 15), regarding the amicable resolution to the use of a ping-pong activity station for the SEA Games Carnival at the Sports Hub.

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Helina Chan, Managing Director, iPreciation

We refer to the letter “Culture Ministry respects artists’ creative efforts, IP” (June 15), regarding the amicable resolution to the use of a ping-pong activity station for the SEA Games Carnival at the Sports Hub.

As the gallery representing the artist’s work, we wish to share our viewpoint based on this incident, which we hope can help serve as future considerations for the support of local artists’ ideas and works.

At the time of our proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Lee Wen’s Ping-Ping Go Round artwork had already been shown at Art Basel Hong Kong in May last year and was seeking subsequent display, acquisition and usage support.

We saw that it was a relevant opportunity for a proposal last year, in view of the recent near-completion of the Sports Hub and the coming SEA Games, as the ministry oversees both art and sports development.

This art piece could have been used to engage the public, instead of monies spent on making a new piece. We would have benefited from showcasing an existing artwork that had been highly publicised and was engaging audiences internationally.

It would also have been beneficial to a local artist to have his work known among Singaporeans while the same work was gaining positive publicity across the globe.

As the ministry holds the culture, sport and community portfolios, we hope there can be synergies among these various areas of development, where the budget and plan may be reviewed and communicated within the ministry for future events.

We also hope the ministry and the Public Art Trust will consider supporting artists’ existing works, beyond supporting new commissions.

Many existing artworks were created from the purity of the artists’ vision and are the best representations of their artistic ingenuity. These works are equally deserving of merit and our people’s support.

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