Latest news with #NationalMuseumofSingapore
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Singapore's Treasured Natural History Drawings Debut at the Australian Museum
Exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia SYDNEY, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tails from the Coasts: Nature Stories of Singapore, featuring 36 stunning artworks from the much-prized William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, on loan from the National Museum of Singapore, has opened at the Australian Museum (AM) in Sydney. Exploring the breadth of biodiversity in Singapore through the collection of exquisite 200-year-old watercolour paintings, the exhibition's debut – from 10 May to 7 September 2025 – at the AM forms part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, Kim McKay AO, thanked the National Museum of Singapore for entrusting the AM to host the precious collection – the first time it has ever left Singapore. "Regarded as a National Treasure in Singapore, these paintings are at once unique and familiar, featuring remarkable mammals, reptiles and stunning botanicals found across the exotic and lush bioregion of Southeast Asia. "Not only do these pieces document an important reminder of the fragility of the environment, but they also display outstanding skill and techniques of the local artists, who were working within a Western tradition of scientific work, and the combination of perspectives and cultures is compelling," Ms Kim McKay said. Key pieces on display include the binturong, a mammal found in Singapore-Malaya which is also known as a bearcat, though neither bear nor cat; the winghead shark, an endangered hammerhead with an especially wide 'hammer'; and the beguiling slow loris, Singapore's solitary primate which is now extremely rare due to habitat loss and poaching. Ms Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore, said opening the nationally significant exhibition at the Australian Museum was an important display of collaboration and connection between the two museums – both of which had their roots in natural history and are the oldest museums in their respective countries. "Natural heritage is something that is very important to both Singapore and Australia. The exhibition is an opportune collaboration to commemorate relations between both countries, through the lens of animals and geographies that connect us. We look forward to this exhibition sparking meaningful conversations around critical contemporary issues of environmental and animal conservation." "We thank the Australian Museum for their enthusiasm and work to ensure this important piece of scientific artistry is shared with visitors from across the region and we hope it inspires the same sense of wonder and awe of our natural world," Ms Chung May Khuen said. Tails from the Coasts: Nature Stories of Singapore is a free exhibition at the Australian Museum from 10 May to 7 September 2025. After which, the exhibition will travel to the Adelaide Botanic Garden from 4 October 2025 to 1 February 2026. For more information, visit Visitors looking to explore paintings from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings can also do so on Singapore's one-stop digital resource portal for exploring the nation's history, culture and heritage. Editors' note: Images here. For interviews, please email media@ About the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings Major-General William Farquhar (1774–1839) was the Commandant and Resident of Melaka (1803–1818) and Singapore (1819–1823). A trusted figure in Malaya, he accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles to Singapore to establish a British trading post. While developing Singapore's trade and port systems, Farquhar's passion for botanicals and natural history became prominent in his career, leading to the creation of the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. The full collection consists of 477 watercolours of plants and animals, commissioned by Farquhar and painted by Chinese artists. The drawings employ traditional Chinese brush techniques while blending Western perspectives and naturalism. The collection is celebrated not only for its artistic merit but also for its scientific significance. Showcasing detailed representations of both plants and animals, the drawings provide a valuable record of the rich biodiversity of the Malay Peninsula in the 19th century. About the Australian Museum The Australian Museum (AM) was founded in 1827 and is the nation's first museum. It is internationally recognised as a natural science and culture institution focused on Australia and the Pacific. As custodian of more than 22 million objects and specimens, the AM is uniquely positioned to provide a greater understanding of the region through its scientific research, exhibitions, and public and education programs. Through the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), the AM also plays a leading role in conserving Australia's biodiversity through understanding the environmental impacts of climate change, potential bio-security threats and invasive species. Visit Australian Museum for more information. About the National Museum of Singapore With a history dating back to 1887, the National Museum of Singapore is the nation's oldest museum. Beneath its 19th-century colonial exterior lies a progressive mind, offering fresh, multi-angled perspectives of Singapore's history and culture. Its galleries showcase the story of Singapore's development over more than 700 years, featuring important artefacts, cutting-edge technology and creative storytelling that redefine the conventional museum experience. As a cultural and architectural landmark, the museum was designated a National Monument of Singapore on 14 February 1992. The museum continues to host thought-provoking exhibitions and exciting events all year round, including the Singapore Night Festival, with dedicated programmes for children and the elderly. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE National Museum of Singapore Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Straits Times
6 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Sebastiao Salgado, acclaimed Brazilian photographer, dies at 81
Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado among his works on show at the exhibition, Amazonia: Photographs By Sebastiao Salgado at the National Museum of Singapore, in November 2024. PHOTO: ST FILE Rio de Janeiro - Sebastiao Salgado, a celebrated Brazilian photographer whose striking images of humanity and nature in the Amazon rainforest and beyond won him some of the world's top honours and made him a household name, died on May 23 in Paris. He was 81. His death was announced by Instituto Terra, the environmental nonprofit that he and his wife founded in Brazil. His family cited leukemia as the cause, saying that Salgado had developed the illness after contracting a particular type of malaria in 2010 while working on a photography project in Indonesia. 'Through the lens of his camera, Sebastiao tirelessly fought for a more just, humane and ecological world,' Salgado's family said in a statement. 'Rich in humanistic content, this work offers a sensitive perspective on the most disadvantaged populations and addresses the environmental issues threatening our planet.' Working mostly in black and white, Salgado garnered widespread acclaim at home and abroad with his striking images of the natural world and the human condition, often travelling around the globe to photograph impoverished and vulnerable communities. In all, he worked in more than 120 countries throughout his career. Salgado was especially interested in the plight of workers and migrants, and spent decades documenting nature and people in the Amazon rainforest. He captured some of his most well-known images in 1986, when he photographed workers toiling in a gold mine in the northern Brazilian state of Para. The photo essay cemented Salgado's reputation as one of the star photographers of his time. In the 1980s, Salgado also moved audiences worldwide with a series of pictures depicting the famine in Ethiopia. That work earned him worldwide recognition and won some of photography's most prestigious awards. In 1991, while on assignment in Kuwait, Salgado photographed workers struggling to extinguish oil-well fires set by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's troops, an environmental disaster that came to define Iraq's turbulent retreat from Kuwait. 'The photos were beyond extraordinary,' said Ms Kathy Ryan, a former photo director at The New York Times Magazine, who worked with Salgado on that assignment. 'It was one of the best photo essays ever made.' His Kuwait photos were featured on the cover of the magazine. On another noteworthy assignment, Salgado documented dramatic scenes following a failed assassination attempt on then United States President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He photographed the gunman John Hinckley Jr, moments after he was tackled to the ground. 'Everyone knows he had an incredible way of making pictures,' Ms Ryan said. But, she added, he also had an uncanny sense of 'where important stories were'. Known for his intense blue-eyed gaze and his rapid way of speaking, Salgado was remembered by his colleagues as a defender of documenting the human condition who respected the people he photographed. He was at times criticised for cloaking human suffering and environmental catastrophe in a visually stunning aesthetic, but Salgado maintained that his way of capturing people was not exploitative. 'Why should the poor world be uglier than the rich world?' he asked in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian in 2024. 'The light here is the same as there. The dignity here is the same as there.' Over the course of his career, Salgado's work won some of photography's top prizes, including two Leica Oskar Barnack Awards and several World Press Photo awards. He was named an honorary member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992 and the French Academy of Fine Arts in 2016. Sebastiao Ribeiro Salgado Jr was born on Feb 8, 1944, in Aimores, in the countryside of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The only son of a cattle-ranching family, he had seven sisters. While studying at university in the 1960s, he met his future wife Lelia Deluiz Wanick. When a military dictatorship came into power in Brazil a few years later, the couple moved to France. His wife survives him, as do two sons, Juliano and Rodrigo, and two grandchildren. An economist by training, Salgado discovered photography while working for the World Bank and travelling to Africa. He began his career as a freelance photographer in 1973 and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the most renowned photographers at the Magnum collective. In 1994, Salgado left Magnum to form his own agency together with his wife and longtime collaborator. He later spent years travelling across the Amazon. He captured arresting images of vast rivers and rainforests while also documenting the impact of human beings on natural landscapes and the Indigenous people fighting to preserve them. In the late 1990s, Salgado and his wife founded Instituto Terra in the region where he was born, with the aim of restoring the Atlantic Forest, which had been ravaged by human encroachment. Salgado's 'vision and humanity', American photographer and photojournalist Steve McCurry posted on Instagram, 'left an indelible mark on the world of photography'. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Listly
06-02-2025
- Listly
5 Best Bencoolen Street Travel Destinations– Explore Singapore's Stunning Landmarks
History, culture and art enthusiasts would love to spend time at the National Museum of Singapore. This popular tourist attraction relates Singapore's history via innovative displays and contemporary technology. It is one of the biggest museums in Asia and one of Singapore's most celebrated landmarks. It was originally a library and was founded in 1887 during the era of colonial control. Art installations, performances, and movie screenings are among the creative exhibitions, festivals, and events held at this venue. It is a family-friendly destination which offers audio tours for the young and old. The museum's Neoclassical structure with a modernist glass and metal addition is an iconic piece of architecture and culture. Stay at a hotel near Bugis, Singapore, and you will only be a stone's throw away from this property.
