Art and Soul: Powerful and Powerless Art in Singapore

Abstract

Public art in urban areas offers a window on a city's soul. Art in the form of sculptures, monuments, and other creative expressions can inform us of the ways artists think of the urban environment, the goals of policy makers in art installations, and the way members of the public interact with art and with each other in the city. Taking Singapore as a case study, I argue that contemporary public art has the power to inform place identity and inspire community aspirations. Unlike the hard power of industry, art offers a soft branding approach to imaging the city, its people, and their goals. However, such powers are not limitless, and concerns have also been raised about their publicness and artfulness. The power and powerlessness of public art in Singapore are not unlike those encountered in other cities where artful planning has taken centre stage in contemporary urban redevelopment.

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