The ASEAN Sculpture Garden project is based on the ASEAN Sculpture Symposium, an initiative led by ASEAN in a bid to foster and symbolise regional cultural solidarity among the ASEAN member countries – the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Working under an overarching theme, artists from the various member countries convened at a selected city to hold artist workshops and were commissioned to create sculptures that were to be permanently installed in a dedicated site.
Since the inaugural edition of the ASEAN Sculpture Symposium in 1981, a total of six editions have been held:
First ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | Fort Canning Hill, Singapore
Second ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | Chatuchak Park, Bangkok, Thailand
Third ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | Taman Suropati (Suropati Park), Jakarta, Indonesia
Fourth ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | Persiaran Damuan (Damuan Recreational Park), Brunei
Fifth ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | ASEAN Sculpture Garden, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sixth ASEAN Sculpture Symposium | Liwasang ASEAN, Cultural Centre of the Philippines Complex, Manila, the Philippines
While these sculptures occupy a notable presence in our public spaces, there has been a lack of research and documentation on these artworks to date. As such, the ASEAN Sculpture Garden Project looks to promote and deepen our understanding of these public sculptures within their respective localities of the various capital cities.
Project manage the work for all 6 ASEAN Sculpture GardensStep into a world of three-dimensional art in Nothing is Forever: Rethinking Sculpture in Singapore—the first exploration of Singaporean sculpture in three decades. Tracing its history since the 19th century, the exhibition presents over 70 surprising works spanning religious, participative, installative, and even performative forms. The exhibition reveals the ever-changing nature of sculpture and how ideas around making and thinking about this medium have shifted. Nothing is Forever entrenches sculpture as an essential practice as it highlights how sculpture drove new ways of thinking about art in Singapore, and the lasting impacts it has made on our artistic landscape. The ASEAN Sculpture Garden Project is part of Nothing is Forever: Rethinking Sculpture in Singapore, implemented in partnership between AAA and National Gallery Singapore.