The

 Substation’s  Role  in  Singapore’s  Art  Scene  

By  Audrey  Wong  
 
 
We  present  a  diverse  range  of  artists,  programmes  and  events:  from  traditionally  
trained  dancers  to  local  rock  bands;  established  visual  artists  to  young  poets;  
publications  to  international  short  film  festivals;  experimental  theatre  to  seminal  
conferences  on  Singapore  arts  and  culture.  As  an  arts  space  we  want  to  be  
approachable,  versatile  and  open  to  all  kinds  of  arts  and  cultural  practices;  yet  at  the  
same  time  we  want  to  challenge  artists,  and  have  a  preference  for  work  that  takes  
risks  and  explores.  We  aim  to  support  research  and  innovation  in  the  arts,  and  to  
bring  different  artistic  perspectives  together  in  critical  dialogue.  
 
The  Substation’s  establishment  was  part  of  a  larger  context  of  events  and  trends,  
both  national  and  international.  In  the  late  1980s  and  throughout  the  entire  1990s  
there  was  a  consistent  and  unprecedented  increase  in  government  attention,  
investment  in  and  management  of  the  arts  the  emergence  of  many  arts  activities  
and  the  development  of  various  capacities  that  were  initiated  by  artists  and  arts  
groups  themselves  (it  is  important  to  recognise  that,  fundamentally,  contemporary  
arts  in  Singapore  started  growing  from  the  ground  up,  rather  than  from  the  top  
down);  and  a  dramatic  increase  of  global  interest  in  the  arts  from  Asia  and  Southeast  
Asia,  which  led  to  a  dramatic  increase  in  participation  by  Asian  and  Southeast  Asian  
artists  in  international  arts  events  and  networks.  
 
The  Substation’s  place  in  the  Singapore  arts  scene  during  the  early  1990s  was  as  a  
pioneer  arts  space.  This  was  due  both  to  Kuo  Pao  Kun’s  visionary  leadership  and  
inspirational  presence,  as  well  as  to  the  fact  that  at  the  time  there  just  were  so  few  
spaces  for  the  arts,  let  alone  spaces  for  the  more  experimental  arts.  Many  of  the  
artists  who  worked  with  The  Substation  in  the  early  days  were  attempting  things  
that  were  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  modern  arts  and  culture  in  Singapore.  
Even  as  a  venue,  The  Substation  had  a  significance  back  then  that  has  since  been  
superseded:  then,  up-­‐and-­‐coming  groups  like  The  Necessary  Stage  (TNS)  would  stage  
their  plays  at  The  Substation’s  Guinness  Theatre  or  in  the  Garden.  Now,  TNS  has  its  
own  offices  and  black  box  at  the  Marine  Parade  Community  Club  Building,  it  
regularly  stages  its  plays  at  large  venues  like  the  Victoria  Theatre  or  Jubilee  Hall,  and  
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  arts  groups  in  the  country.  
 
One  could  characterise  the  Singapore  arts  scene  in  the  early  1990s  —  with  The  
Substation  as  an  exemplary  case  —  as  being  a  time  where  “new”  things  were  
emerging.  Consider,  for  example,  the  first  arts  conference  held  at  The  Substation  in  
1993,  “Art  vs  Art”.  This  conference  brought  together  many  of  Singapore’s  important  
artists,  academics,  critics  and  arts  administrators;  members  of  the  public  were  also  
key  participants  in  this  weekend  event.  The  feeling  among  those  who  participated  
was  that  this  bringing  together  of  such  diverse  people  to  discuss  the  arts  and  the  
place  of  the  arts  in  Singapore  society  was  something  new,  and  that  it  was  a  special  
moment  in  local  arts  history.  
 
Since  then  there  have  been  many  arts-­‐related  gatherings  and  conferences  in  
Singapore.  By  the  late  1990s,  many  local  artists  had  acquired  considerable  exposure  
to  the  latest  ideas  and  approaches  in  the  arts  from  all  over  the  world.  So  much  so,  
that  one  could  argue  that  many  of  the  ideas  that  were  so  “new”  in  Singapore  just  a  
few  years  ago  in  the  early  1990s  had  become  relatively  ordinary  by  the  late  1990s.  
Installation  art,  for  instance,  was  something  still  rather  uncommon  in  Singapore  in  
1990,  but  by  the  end  of  the  decade,  it  would  seem  to  be  more  popular  than  painting  
among  fine  art  students.  By  the  late  1990s,  one  could  argue  that  a  certain  
excitement  of  the  “new”  no  longer  characterised  the  Singapore  arts  scene.  Artists  
continued  to  pursue  “new”  things,  of  course,  but  experimentation  itself  wasn’t  
something  so  new  —  it  had  become  part  of  the  “normal”  business  of  local  
contemporary  arts.  
 
During  the  1990s,  one  of  the  major  things  that  happened  in  the  arts  —  as  a  whole  
and  at  The  Substation  as  well  —  was  the  building  and  maturing  of  institutions.  It  was  
during  this  time  that  the  NAC’s  arts  housing  scheme  got  into  full  swing.  And,  for  
example,  in  1996,  a  major  milestone  was  the  establishment  of  the  Singapore  Art  
Museum,  which  developed  from  the  National  Art  Gallery.  As  for  The  Substation,  
under  the  artistic  direction  of  Pao  Kun’s  successor,  T.  Sasitharan,  we  entered  a  more  
mature  phase  as  an  institution.  Under  Sasi,  The  Substation  established  core  arts  
programmes  and  focused  on  strengthening  the  management  of  our  finances  and  
activities.  
 
From  the  beginning,  The  Substation  received  critical  acclaim  because  it  gave  
instrumental  support  to  independent  artists  and  arts  groups  like  Zai  Kuning  and  
Theatre  Ox.  If  Pao  Kun’s  achievement  was  to  open  up  a  space  for  such  practices,  
Sasi’s  achievement,  while  arguably  less  conspicuous,  is  no  less  important.  Under  
Sasi’s  direction,  The  Substation  sustained  its  support  for  independent  artists.  This  is  
an  achievement  that  is  easy  to  overlook.  Persevering  and  supporting  the  
development  of  independent  artists  into  their  maturity  is  something  that  The  
Substation  has  had  considerable  difficulty  finding  resources  for.  When  Sasi  set  up  an  
artist-­‐in-­‐residence  programme,  which  entailed  stipends  for  resident  artists,  The  
Substation  hardly  received  any  financial  support  for  these  projects.  What  most  
funding  bodies  and  corporate  sponsors  wanted  to  support  was  a  final  product,  not  a  
process  of  experimentation.  
 
By  the  late  1990s,  the  number  of  arts  activities  in  Singapore  increased  dramatically,  
and  the  scene  was  becoming  more  competitive  (especially  in  terms  of  getting  
publicity,  audiences  and  funding).  As  the  government  invested  more  in  the  arts,  the  
commercial  potential  of  the  arts  became  an  area  of  great  interest.  Marketing  and  
publicity,  the  number  of  arts  activities,  and  bums-­‐on-­‐seats,  were  becoming  the  most  
obvious  and  predominant  performance  measures.  From  looking  at  government  
statements  and  reports  on  the  arts  over  this  time,  one  will  notice  a  lot  of  discussion  
of  such  quantitative  measures.  But  there  is  hardly  any  substantial  discussion  on  
questions  of  “quality”.  
 
A  lot  has  changed  in  Singapore  arts  since  The  Substation  first  opened  its  doors.  Many  
other  arts  groups  have  their  own  arts  housing  and  these  days  “new”  spaces  open  up  
with  some  regularity.  And  as  noted,  the  “new”  in  Singapore  arts  has  since  entered  
the  stage  when  what  the  word  signifies  has  more  to  do  with  trends  than  with  
substantial  changes  in  the  arts  and  society.  However,  during  all  this  time,  The  
Substation’s  mission  hasn’t  changed,  nor  has  its  unique  position  in  the  Singapore  
arts.  The  question  of  “quality”  has  always  been  at  the  centre  of  what  The  Substation  
does.  Although  not  in  any  simple  straightforward  way:  as  Pao  Kun  said,  “better  a  
worthy  failure,  than  a  mediocre  success”.  That  is  to  say,  at  The  Substation,  we  
question  “quality”;  we  don’t  take  it  for  granted.  Indeed,  it  is  precisely  this  persistent  
questioning  that  is  essential  to  the  pursuit  of  quality  in  the  arts.  
 
One  way  to  look  at  the  question  of  the  overall  quality  and  vitality  of  an  arts  scene  is  
to  consider  these  two  indicators:  depth  and  diversity.  Without  depth,  the  arts  do  not  
distinguish  themselves  from  forgettable  entertainment  (this  is  not  to  say  that  the  
arts  should  not  entertain,  but  surely  we  want  more  from  the  arts  than  distraction  
and  escapism).  And  without  diversity,  the  arts  become  flat,  predictable  and  
monotonous,  and  ultimately  forgettable  as  well.  
 
At  The  Substation,  we  have  supported,  and  continue  to  support,  an  impressive  
diversity  of  artists,  a  number  of  whom  have  proven  themselves  over  the  years,  and  
while  maintaining  their  independence.  Moreover,  our  principle  mode  of  working  
with  artists  is  to  develop  long-­‐term  relationships,  and  to  engage  in  intense  curatorial  
and  artistic  dialogue  with  artists.  Our  approach  both  deepens  and  supports  the  
diversity  of  local  arts  practices.  Arts  spaces  like  The  Substation  are  therefore  
essential  to  the  quality  and  vitality  of  the  local  arts  scene.