• Prelude to the upcoming publication titled, “Culture City. Culture Scape.” which features the four public art installations of the Public Art Trail at Mapletree Business City
• Highlights the importance of corporate partnerships in contributing to cultural vibrancy and sustainability in the urban environment

SINGAPORE – Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree” or “the Group”) and NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (“NTU CCA Singapore”) hosted a conversation between celebrated artist Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA (Nigeria/United Kingdom) and Mr Edmund Cheng, Mapletree Chairman, moderated by Professor Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director, NTU CCA Singapore. The event was hosted at the Green Bowl, Mapletree Business City (MBC) on 14 January 2020 and attended by more than 120 people from the working community in the Alexandra Precinct as well as the arts community from the neighbouring Gillman Barracks.  
 
The conversation, entitled Artists as Citizens, deliberated on strategies to activate public spaces through art, for which Yinka will also share in the forthcoming publication, “Culture City. Culture Scape.”. This publication will explore the broader cultural and artistic underpinnings that gave rise to the art installations at MBC II which include Elliptical Pavillion (2017) by Dan Graham (United States), Sonic Pathway (2017) by Zulkifle Mahmod (Singapore), Stillness in Motion – 3 Airborne Self-Assemblies (2017) by Tomás Saraceno (Argentina/ Germany).Dan Graham (United States), as well as Yinka’s Wind Sculpture I (2013). “Culture City. Culture Scape.” will also contain a regional discourse on art in the city from the perspectives of corporate social responsibility and public art education. 

The conversation event was especially memorable for the British-Nigerian artist, Yinka who last visited MBC in 2017 during the installation of his work. In the dialogue with Mr Cheng and Prof Bauer, Yinka shared that his ambition is to bring public artworks like the Wind Sculpture I (2013) to different places and use art to engage with people.  Yinka’s other works include Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle (2010) first sited in Trafalgar Square (London) and Wind Sculpture (SG) I (2018) at Central Park (New York).

Yinka also added that, “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is particularly important now as people see corporations as growth engines but corporations can use CSR to build good relationship with their customers, partners and stakeholders. Art can humanise the city by bringing a human touch and it’s actually good for mental health.” 

Mr Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree, echoed Yinka’s views and shared that, “For Mapletree, we are doing our part for the community, to inspire more people, regardless of social background, to embrace art.  By putting artworks and sculptures in our properties, we help to build the identity of the place and, hopefully, art can invoke harmony, so that the society can become more caring.”

The event, held in conjunction with the Singapore Art Week, is part of the Mapletree-NTU CCA Singapore Public Art Education Programme started in October 2017. This first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mapletree and NTU CCA also features guided tours on the Mapletree Public Art Trail, public events, educational seminars and conferences. 

To provide an interactive guide for visitors keen to explore the artworks and artefacts at MBC as well as VivoCity, a new Mapletree Public Art Trail App has been developed and will be launched in March 2020. The App allows visitors to explore specially curated art trails based on their interests and available time. 

For more information on the artworks under the Mapletree Public Art Trail and upcoming events under the Public Art Education Programme, please visit www.mapletreeArts.sg.

Selected photos the event (high-res here)
Photo credit: Mapletree Investments

Artists as Citizens: Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA in conversation with Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree moderated by Prof Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director, NTU CCA, at Green Bowl, Mapletree Business City

Yinka Shonibare shares how his interest in arts started in school and the role art can play especially in the area of corporate social responsibility

Left to right: Mr Wan Kwong Weng, Group Chief Corporate Officer, Mapletree, Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA, Ms Sophie Goltz, Deputy Director, Research & Academic Programmes, NTU CCA, Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman, Mapletree, Prof Ute Meta Bauer, Founding Director of NTU CCA and Professor Timothy John White, Associate Vice President, Infrastructure and Programmes, NTU

The SMU (Singapore Management University) Samba Masala team showcasing their signature samba percussion music

Wind Sculpture I (2013) by Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA – a landmark that welcomes guests to Mapletree Business City