Singapore Government Press Release

Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

Sculptures are works of art that reflect our past, present and envisioned future. When integrated into our cultural and physical landscape, sculptures become landmarks in our city. They help shape our identity as a nation and interconnect all Singaporeans.

To enrich our city’s urban landscape with sculptures, we need to cultivate a strong public and private partnership. The Government, through the Public Sculptures Donation Scheme, has been encouraging corporations to donate sculptures to public areas. The Public Sculptures Masterplan, drawn up by URA, serves as a framework to guide and prioritise specific locations for the installation of public sculptures. The locations are along prominent activity corridors like Orchard Road, Singapore River, CBD and Marina Bayfront.

The Public Sculptures Donation Scheme would be enhanced to provide greater incentive for individuals and corporations to donate and maintain public sculptures. The present scheme provides that public sculpture donations can enjoy tax exemption of up to double the appraised value of the sculpture. The enhanced scheme goes further to incentivise donors to adopt existing sculptures, commission and donate sculptures or publicly display sculptures from their private collections. The National Heritage Board, who administers the donation scheme, will be announcing the details of the enhanced scheme later this year. Through the enhanced scheme, we hope that more companies will come forward to lend their support.

It is heartening to note that City Developments Limited (CDL) has chosen to commit to this cause in a unique and meaningful way. The CDL Singapore Sculpture Awards is indeed an exemplary project that supports the cause of the Public Sculptures Masterplan. Through this award, CDL has invited Singaporeans to create a sculpture inspired by a specific location. The completed sculpture will not just be an imported piece but one tailor-made for that particular environment. I understand that the sculptures were conceptualised based on CDL’s new development along the Singapore River - "The Pier at Robertson". The winning sculpture will be commissioned by CDL for this development.

I am very encouraged to note that the participants did not just come from the arts schools. There were young secondary school students, professionals and even retirees. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners who will be receiving their awards tonight. I understand that the competition was intense as it is not simply a test of artistic sense and creativity. It required an integration of various disciplines – a synergy of art, architecture and environmental design, which you have very well encapsulated in your work. And to all the other participants, I hope you will continue to engage in this art form, and to persevere in shaping Singapore into a global city of distinction.

To conclude, I would like to commend the pioneering efforts of CDL and its partners, in promoting the appreciation and standards of sculpture in Singapore through the CDL Singapore Sculpture Awards. This certainly augurs well for the arts and cultural milieu in Singapore.

It is my pleasure to declare the CDL Singapore Sculpture Award Exhibition open.

Thank you.