To mark the Anzac Centenary, the Australian War Memorial established a new project, Australia and Singapore’s shared military history, which brought together artists from Singapore and Australia. The artists were asked to explore each county’s experiences during the war and develop commissioned works in response.
Two artists were selected to create works as part of an artist residency – one through the Australian War Memorial and the other through the National Museum of Singapore. The artists participated in a series of public programs in both countries about their research and responses to their experiences during the residency. Their work was exhibited alongside Witness to War at the National Museum of Singapore and attracted almost 100,000 visitors.
The final artworks commemorate Australian and Singaporean participation in World War II and mark the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore in 2017.
This collaborative project also provided opportunities for staff from the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Singapore to expand their skills and knowledge through cultural exchange.
The project received $47,000 through the Government’s Anzac Centenary Arts and Culture Fund.
In total, the Fund has provided over $4 million to support arts and cultural projects that commemorate the centenary of the First World War from 2014 to 2018.
Image: Angela Tiatia, still from The Fall, 2017, HD video 16:9, 4 minutes, 58 seconds. Commissioned by the Australian War Memorial with the support of the Anzac Centenary Grants scheme.
