Explore over 300 artworks in this exhibition and witness how artists grappled with identity, reinvented traditions, and responded to a tumultuous history.

Guided tours are available.

  • When: Ongoing
  • Suitable For: Adults, Families, Visitors 65 and above, Visitors with accessibility needs, Students and Educators
  • Where: Level 3–5, UOB Southeast Asia Gallery, Supreme Court Wing
  • General Admission pass required.
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Over 300 artworks that trace the shared artistic impulses across Southeast Asia.

Starting in the mid-1800s, this exhibition takes you on a journey through Southeast Asian art, showing how local artists continually embraced new ideas and styles. They redefined what art could be while keeping the essence of their cultural traditions alive.

As you explore the exhibit, you’ll follow a timeline that highlights major shifts in artistic expression, revealing how closely art is tied to the region's rich and ever-changing social and political history. 

The exhibition title, Between Declarations and Dreams, is credited to one of Indonesia’s most cherished poets, Chairil Anwar. In his poem of 1948, “Krawang-Bekasi”, Chairil Anwar laments the massacre of villagers in West Java by the Dutch colonial forces, giving vent to the desire for national independence. This line may also be said to encapsulate the experiences of many artists in the region, as they are caught between declarations and dreams, the personal and the political.

The curatorial narrative explores four main themes in a broadly chronological sequence, each one examining the shared artistic impulse of the region for each period: Authority and Anxiety, Imagining Country and Self, Manifesting the Nation, and Re:Defining Art.

This exhibition contains some artworks with potentially sensitive imagery. Visitor discretion is advised.

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Authority and Anxiety

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Authority and Anxiety

How did the 19th century shape the formation of museums and visual and artistic histories?

The story of modern art in Southeast Asia began with the drastic cultural and political changes of the 19th century.

Imagining Country and self

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Imagining Country and self

How did artists think about their art in relation to questions of identity and nationhood?

In the early 20th century, artists in Southeast Asia became more aware of their identity as modern artists and began to express a stronger sense of place in their works.

Manifesting the Nation

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Manifesting the Nation

How did World War II impact the works and thinking of Southeast Asian Artists?

Driven by notions of the nation, internationalism, and progress, artists from Southeast Asia continued to examine the role of art during an increasingly complex environment.

Dalam Southeast Asia: Figuring A Scene

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Dalam Southeast Asia: Figuring A Scene

Interpreting art history through emotions, imagination, and sensory experiences

Let emotions and imagination lead your understanding of art in this exhibition. Break free from traditional art history norms and take cues from six elements of nature – shadow, fruit, fire, air, wax, and city.

Re: defining Art

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Re: defining Art

Who gets to decide how art is defined?

In the decades after 1970, artists challenged the dominance of painting and sculpture.

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The Artists

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Take a virtual tour around the space

Southeast Asia Galleries 1-11

Southeast Asia Galleries 1-11

Southeast Asia Gallery 12

Southeast Asia Gallery 12

Southeast Asia Galleries 13-15

Southeast Asia Galleries 13-15

Ways to experience this exhibition

UOB Southeast Asia Gallery Highlights
Free
UOB Southeast Asia Gallery Highlights

Located in the former Supreme Court building, the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery showcases over 300 artworks that highlight shared artistic influences across Southeast Asia. Starting from the mid-19th century, the exhibition explores how artists in the region embraced new ideas, redefined local art, and navigated changing times. Organised chronologically, with key moments in art history, the exhibition also highlights the deep connection between art and Southeast Asia's social and political changes.

English: Thu–Sun 2pm | Mandarin: Sat–Sun 3pm
Approx. 1 hr
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Audio Tour Between Declarations and Dreams

More ways to learn about the exhibition

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