Taking a critical look at the images of colonialism

Singapore

WHAT would an Asian institution do if it wants to put up a show that is drawn from the art works created during the time when Britain was an empire that spanned India, other Asian countries and Africa?

Fifty-one years after Singapore's independence from Britain, it would not have been feasible for the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) to simply present the British-centric works that were shown at Tate Britain in its "Artist and Empire" exhibition last year.

Thus, NGS decided to take a more discerning and critical stance, and the result is a collaborative show that reflects the issues of …