Oct–Dec 2016

The genius of Tan Swie Hian, the building of Pearl Bank Apartments, and the design of the Sri Mariamman Temple are some of the things we focus on in this special issue.

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Director’s Note

Baring Mind and Soul: Tan Swie Hian
After a long absence of 43 years, Singapore’s celebrated multi-hyphenate artist returns to the National Library with a new solo exhibition. Chung Sang Hong tells you more. (PDF)

悲悯人生: 陈瑞献的文艺创作
Tan Swie Hian, whose paintings have fetched record prices, was in fact better known for his literary prowess when he first emerged in the arts scene. Jessie Yak highlights some of his poems, short stories and fables. (PDF)

Saving Pearl Bank Apartments
Architectural conservation or real estate investment? Justin Zhuang ponders over the fate of a 1970s style icon that has seen better times. (PDF)

As Good As Gold: The Making of a Financial Centre
Singapore’s Central Business District didn’t happen by accident. Lim Tin Seng recounts how a piece of prime land dubbed as “Golden Shoe” was transformed into a glittering financial hub. (PDF)

Soft Hands But Steely Hearts: Women and Their Art
A coterie of women sculptors in Singapore has successfully redefined this once male-dominated art form. Nadia Arianna Bte Ramli tells us more. (PDF)

Public Housing, Private Lives
Incredibly, people living in some of the first one-room flats had to share their toilets and kitchens with strangers. Yu-Mei Balasingamchow tells you how far public housing has come since 1960. (PDF)

Time-Honoured Temple Design
Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu shrine. Anasuya Soundararajan and Sri Asrina Tanuri describe the architectural features of this landmark. (PDF)

The Padang: Centrepiece of Colonial Design
This expanse of green, fringed by grand colonial edifices in the city centre, is a statement of British might as Lai Chee Kien tells us. (PDF)

The Tiger Within
These fanged beasts are by turns both captivating as they are terrifying. Patricia Bjaaland Welch explores the tiger motif in the art and literature of Asia. (PDF)

S R Nathan: 50 Stories from My Life
The late S R Nathan published seven books in his lifetime, but his most accessible is probably 50 Stories from My Life. These two selections offer contrasting glimpses of the man who was President of Singapore from 1999–2011. (PDF)

Building Faith: Wartime Churches in Syonan-to
Christian POWs interned during the Japanese Occupation found ingenious ways to worship. Gracie Lee looks at a book documenting these makeshift churches in war-torn Singapore. (PDF)

Law of the Land
A permanent exhibition on Singapore’s constitutional history – from its founding in 1819 to Independence in 1965 – opens at the National Gallery Singapore. Kevin Khoo details some of its highlights. (PDF)