SG60 and the visual arts: Rare LKY bust at heart of Artist's Proof show exploring Singapore identity
Culture Story founder Chong Huai Seng (right) and curator Kwok Kian Chow, in front of Sydney Harpley's bust of Lee Kuan Yew and Ming Wong's Merdeka Dream (No. 1).
SINGAPORE – It begins, like so many Singapore stories, with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. In 2014, a phone call came from London for art space The Culture Story's co-founder Chong Huai Seng.
The widow of British sculptor Sydney Harpley was housekeeping. Would he be interested in acquiring the artist's proof – an artist prototype – of a rare bust of Mr Lee, made with his permission in 1982?
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Stella Rimington, Britain's first female spy chief, dies aged 90
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Stella Rimington, the first female director general of Britain's MI5 security and counter-intelligence service who ushered in an era of greater transparency at the agency, has died aged 90. Rimington, who ran the domestic security agency between 1992 and 1996, was its first head to be publicly named and later wrote a memoir "Open Secret" about her career at the formerly secretive organisation. She went on to write a series of espionage novels and is also widely thought to have inspired actor Judy Dench's tough but playful characterisation of the fictional spymaster 'M' in several James Bond movies. "She died surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath," a family statement quoted by local media said. Rimington was given one of the British state's highest honours when she was made a dame in 1996. She joined MI5 in 1969 and worked in roles including counter-subversion and counter-terrorism. Under her leadership MI5 took a more prominent role in Britain's fight against Irish republican militants, according to a profile on the MI5 website. "As the first avowed female head of any intelligence agency in the world, Dame Stella broke through long-standing barriers and was a visible example of the importance of diversity in leadership," current MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said in a statement. She committed the agency to a more transparent approach to its work, softening its post-Cold War image. "We are, of course, obliged to keep information secret in order to be effective, this is not to say that we should necessarily be a wholly secret organisation," she said in a publicly broadcast 1994 lecture. "Secrecy is not imposed for its own sake. It is not an end in itself." Foreshadowing her later literary career, Rimington opened that same speech with a nod to the British spy novel tradition and the fascination with the security services it had inspired among the general public. "It is exciting stuff and has led to the creation of many myths - and some lurid speculation - about our work. I must admit that it is with some hesitation that I set out tonight to shed some daylight," she said. "I have a sneaking feeling that the fiction may turn out to be more fun than the reality." REUTERS

Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
Singer Jessie J hospitalised with infection six weeks after breast cancer surgery
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Jessie J (left) shared a photo on Instagram Stories from her hospital bed with an IV canula in her arm. British pop star Jessie J is facing another health scare less than two months after undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The 37-year-old revealed on social media in June that she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and went for a procedure to treat the disease. But in a post titled 'How I spent the last 24 hours' on Instagram Stories on Aug 3, she revealed she returned to the same hospital ward six weeks post-surgery. She wrote the admission was 'not expected or planned', and she had and still has symptoms that point towards a blood clot in the lung. Clarifying that it is not a blood clot, the Flashlight (2015) singer shared a photo from her hospital bed with an IV canula in her arm. 'They ran a lot of tests, which ended up showing I have an infection (still trying to figure out what) and a little fluid (in) my lungs,' she said. 'Finding it hard to breathe in, but I discharged myself last night (I hate being in hospital) and will continue the investigation as an outpatient.' Jessie J, whose full name is Jessica Cornish, previously disclosed on social media in July 2024 she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Govt forms 5 new committees to look at longer-term economic strategies; report due in mid-2026 Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun She has a two-year-old son with her boyfriend, Danish-Israeli professional basketball player Chanan Colman, 41. In a second post on Instagram Stories on Aug 3, she wrote: 'For me, the true hard journey of this whole thing physically was the day I went into surgery'. She added that the physical recovery is 'far from quick or easy', and 'mentally it's been the most challenging time'. 'Especially as a mum with a toddler and being unable to be the mother I usually am. And having to change the plans for my career for this year has been frustrating after working so hard to get to the point and excited to do it all. But it's life. I know that. 'And don't get me wrong, getting the all clear was and is incredible, but that result didn't speed up or make the recovery from the surgery any easier physically,' she said. Jessie J wrote a third post on her health scare, saying that it was a reminder to herself to slow down even though she felt like she was at a 'tortoise' pace right now. 'This isn't a speedy recovery. And it isn't meant to be,' she wrote. 'That slow pace has been a hard reality to accept. I love moving and working and being up and active but I can't be right now, and that's what it is. 'And I am finding the strength in knowing that all can be adjusted to align with a slower pace and the support of my very small inner circle.'

Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Channelling Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins roasts Kim Kardashian's ‘face shaper'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Actor Anthony Hopkins commented on Kim Kardashian's 'shapewear' for the face in a now-viral Instagram post. You know your product is 'sick' when Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter himself gives it his seal of approval. US celebrity and influencer Kim Kardashian's multibillion-dollar company Skims recently rolled out a US$48 (S$61.80) piece of headgear that it claims will sculpt the face – scoop up the cheeks, neck and chin and hold them in place – as you sleep. It bears a close resemblance to a post-surgery compression garment, with its chin wrap and Velcro closures. Reactions to this 'shapewear' for the face have been swift, sharp and sweeping, so much so that award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins – who played prolific serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the movie The Silence Of The Lambs – has joined in on the fun. Many have compared the face wrap to the muzzle-like, brownish mask strapped around the head of Dr Lecter in a scene from the movie, in which a senator questions him about her missing daughter. Channelling that scene, Hopkins posted his 'review' of Kardashian's latest promotion. 'Hello, Kim. I'm already feeling 10 years younger,' Hopkins, speaking with Dr Lecter's indecipherable stare and metallic voice, says in the video, which has been viewed more than 37 million times. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun He then makes the same menacing slurping sound Dr Lecter taunted the senator with, and closes it with a flat 'goodbye'. In the video's caption, Hopkins wrote, in a call-back to one of his memorable double entendres in the movie: 'Thank you, Kim. Don't be afraid to come over for dinner.' Kardashian's tongue-in-cheek response to Hopkins' video was: 'I'm screaming!!!!' Beyond this comedic tit-for-tat, the Kardashian headgear has set off a fierce debate about advertising and women's insecurities. Some have hailed it as the future of non-invasive facial sculpting, but others have accused Kardashian and her US$4 billion company of making claims not grounded in science and making women more insecure about their looks. Skims is trying to rebrand the face wrap, typically used after intensive cosmetic surgery, as a 'must-have' that can be used every day to 'shape and sculpt' the face. But medical professionals have questioned these claims. Dr Anna Andrienko, an aesthetic doctor specialising in cosmetic procedures, told the BBC that while these garments 'may offer some temporary sculpting or de-puffing effects due to pressure and heat retention', the results are far from permanent. 'These face wraps do not deliver lasting contouring or skin-tightening results,' she said. 'At best, they can reduce fluid retention short term. At worst, overuse may lead to skin irritation, breakouts or circulation issues if worn too tightly or for prolonged periods.' Casual observers say the product is contributing to 'bad self-esteem among young people'. It adds to the many questionable beauty trends that have had people scraping, pulling and pinching at their faces or taping over their lips at night just so they can feel good when they wake up in the morning, they say. 'What that says to me is that this pressure to look beautiful has become so consuming that there is not even a moment of our day – while we are sleeping – that has not been commodified for the project of becoming more beautiful,' said Ms Jessica DeFino, a beauty critic and writer of the Review Of Beauty newsletter.