Beyond Borders: Bringing Singapore’s Arts Excellence to the Global Stage
Singapore's arts scene thrives on global collaboration and cross-cultural exchange. Through internationalisation efforts, the National Arts Council (NAC) hopes to build bridges that connect our local artists with global stages, audiences, and creative communities. To achieve this, NAC has been fostering meaningful partnerships, facilitating artistic exchanges, and creating platforms where diverse cultural voices can converge and inspire new forms of creative expression.
By positioning Singapore as both a gateway to Southeast Asian arts and a dynamic hub for international collaboration, it uplifts our artists' global presence and enriches our local arts ecosystem with fresh perspectives and innovative practices from around the world.
Cultural Collaborations & Exchange
Singapore shines as a vibrant cultural bridge, connecting multiple countries globally while championing the arts, especially within our region. Through mutual collaboration with regional entities, NAC empowers local arts professionals to share their insights and craft on the world stage through participating in overseas workshops, seminars, conferences and summits while ensuring Singaporean representation on international forums. These collaborative exchanges are key to cementing Singapore's role as a creative thought leader and a cherished partner in global conversations, helping to shape the future of the arts for all.
| Project | Location & Dates | About the Project |
| Singapore Symphony Orchestra Australian Tour 2025 | Sydney 12 Feb 2025 Melbourne 14 Feb 2025 Brisbane 16 Feb 2025 | The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) embarked on their inaugural tour in Australia, performing at multiple locations, including the iconic Sydney Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage site. |
| Two Rivers Exhibition by Melisa Teo | Singapore 23 Apr to 4 Jul 2025 | The Two Rivers exhibition by Melisa Teo (Singapore) on the iconic Anderson bridge was launched in collaboration with the opening of vOilah! Festival, supported by NAC and the French Embassy in Singapore. It was one of the commemorative activities celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and France. |
| Infinitely Closer by T.H.E Dance Company in Seoul | Seoul, South Korea 24 Apr 2025 | T.H.E Dance Company (Singapore) presented a special commemorative showcase, Infinitely Closer, at the Grand Theater, Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts in Seoul. This showcase was presented by the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Seoul, MCCY and NAC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Singapore and Republic of Korea’s diplomatic relations. |
| Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) China Tour and Exchange Activities | Singapore 7 Jun 2025 Macao 27 to 28 Jun 2025 Shenzhen 29 Jun 2025 Hong Kong 30 Jun to 1 Jul 2025
| The Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) went on their first tour since 2018, performing three concerts in three cities, Macau, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and People's Republic of China, the tour presented opportunities for musicians to build bridges through cultural exchange. |
| Paper Monkey Theatre's My Cloud at Penang Georgetown Festival 2025 | Penang, Malaysia 3 and 5 Aug 2025 | Paper Monkey Theatre presented their work "My Cloud" as part of Penang’s George Town Festival 2025. Along with other puppetry artists, Artistic Director Benjamin Ho also participated in "Contemporary Puppetry as a Tool for Intergenerational Dialogue Performance” - a cross-cultural exchange featuring artists from Malaysia and Thailand. |
| On Point by National Arts Council at Ars Electronica Festival 2025 | Linz, Austria 3 to 7 Sep 2025 | Ars Electronica Festival is an annual convergence of the global media art scene, with exhibitions, performances, concerts and conferences held at festival locations throughout the city. For the 2025 edition, NAC supported SERIAL CO_’s participation to curate and produce a showcase, together with artist Victoria Hertel and engineer Justin Ong. |
| Project | Location & Dates | About the Project |
| Apsaras Arts presentation of ARISI: Rice in Chennai | Chennai, India 15 Jan 2024 | A cross-cultural performance inspired by the rich social, cultural and aesthetic practices borne by cultivation and consumption of rice in the region, ARISI: Rice is a cross-cultural performance featuring Apsaras Arts (Singapore), musicians
from the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, as well as Balinese dancers and musicians from GEOK Ensemble (Indonesia). |
| STPI x The M Art Exhibition | Manila, Philippines Aug to Oct 2024 | Organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Manila, and supported by MCCY and NAC, the STPI x M Art exhibition was a joint effort between STPI and The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, showcasing artworks by artists from both nations,
including Filipino artists who completed residencies at STPI. The exhibition was held in celebration of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines. |
| Visions: A Singapore-France Emerging Artist-in-Residency Programme | Singapore 23 Jul to 1 Sep 2024 Paris, France 10 Oct to 9 Dec 2024 | The artist-in-residency programme enables emerging artists from both countries to immerse themselves in each other's cultural landscapes, fostering artistic growth and international collaboration as part of an MOU between NAC and the Embassy
of France in Singapore. In the inaugural cycle, visual artist Lucie Planty (France) completed her residency with INSTINC in Singapore, while visual artist Chan Wan Kyn (Singapore) completed his residency with Fondation Fiminco in Paris. |
| ASEAN Festival of Arts | Melaka, Malaysia 24 Oct 2024 | O School represented Singapore at the ASEAN Festival of Arts (AFA) in Melaka. The festival brought together cultural groups from ASEAN in an energetic dance extravaganza reflecting the cultural vibrancy and rich heritage of ASEAN while serving
as a backdrop for higher-level ASEAN cultural meetings. |
| Project | Location & Dates | About the Project |
| Rain Motions: Connecting (with) the Skies of Southeast Asia | 4 online activities 9 Feb to 27 Apr 2023 Bangkok, Thailand 16 to 21 May 2023 |
In collaboration with regional partners from ASEAN Member States, dancers Shahrin Johry, Beryl Tay and scholar, Dr Nidya Shanthini Manokara represented Singapore at “Rain Motions: Connecting (with) the Skies of Southeast Asia”; a platform for scholars, researchers, and performers to exchange insights on water or rain-related traditions within the region. |
| G20 Cultural Track Programme | Bihar Museum Patna, India 7 Aug to 7 Oct 2023 |
As part of Singapore’s contribution to the G20 Cultural Track, Robert Zhao (Singapore) submitted a visual artwork and a reproduction of the late poet Mohamed Latiff Mohamed’s poem ‘Tekad’ in both its original Malay and existing English translation. |
| The Best of ASEAN Performing Arts 2023 | Jakarta, Indonesia 26 Nov to 1 Dec 2023 |
Dancers Mohamed Fareed Bin Mohamed Salim, Li Ruimin and Shruthi Nair represented Singapore at The Best of ASEAN Performing Arts 2023, which showcased ASEAN’s best arts and cultural performances for the promotion of the region’s rich and diverse culture. |
Turning Singapore into a Vibrant Global Hub
NAC is shaping Singapore into a global crossroads for the arts, placing creativity right at the heart of our city's identity. By championing our homegrown talents on the world stage while welcoming international artists to our shores, NAC fosters an exciting exchange of ideas and collaborations that ignite our city with world-class festivals and events. Through these efforts, we hope that Singapore will eventually blossom into a dynamic and inclusive hub where artists all over the world can connect, create, and inspire a truly global community.