Visitors from around the world have gained an opportunity to enjoy a rich array of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the National Gallery Singapore's exhibition Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia.
The exhibition, which runs until September 25, is the largest exhibition of its kind to travel to Asia.
It has been immensely popular with audiences getting a window into the culture, history, and contemporary social expression of the world's oldest living culture.
Ever Present features more than 170 artworks drawn from the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and The Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art.
The exhibition showcases works by more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Islander artists created over the past 130 years including paintings, video installations, bark paintings, sculptures and cutting-edge contemporary art.
Seven Sisters - Tjungkara Ken et al.
Ever Present examines and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, confronting all aspects of Australian history.
Art emerges as a tool of resistance, asserting connection to Country and defiance to oppression; with beauty, gravity, satire and wit.
The exhibition illuminates historical links of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with Southeast Asia, through works highlighting the region's centuries of trading encounters by sea, as well as recent artistic exchanges.
National Gallery Singapore director Eugene Tan said the exhibition showcased the gallery's ambition to create dialogue between Asia-Pacific art and the world.
"We are proud to work with National Gallery of Australia and The Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art to display some of their very best works to inspire our visitors to understand the rich history, culture, and artistic practices of First Peoples of Australia," he said.
Wrong side of the Hay - Christopher Pease
National Gallery of Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art curator Tina Baum said Ever Present was an opportunity to share culture on the world stage.
"We are very excited to premiere the largest exhibition of First Nations' art to travel to Asia at National Gallery Singapore," she said.
"To fully understand the richness, diversity and depth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture would take many generations and lifetimes.
"But to appreciate it only takes a moment."
Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney said after a successful debut for the exhibition in Australia, the company was thrilled that Singapore is the first international destination for Ever Present.
