ABSTRACT
Since the tail end of the twentieth century, postcolonial Singapore has seen an astonishing investment, development, and growth in the cultural and creative industries aimed at creating a renaissance city-state. The opening of the National Gallery, on the fiftieth year of independence in 2015, ushers in a symbolically central place for the arts in ensuring Singapore remains a distinctive global city in a rapidly shape-shifting geopolitical environment in Southeast Asia. This global city remains small, nimble, and directed: a city-state of 718 square kilometers, with a population size of 5.5 million, boasting a literacy rate of 97 percent, a near perfect employment economy, and a per capita GDP that is the envy of even first-world nations. 2 Central to the unprecedented development for a city-state that gained independence in 1965 are principles of economic pragmatism and nationalism based on multiculturalism and Asian values, which direct social and political life in Singapore. These principles have provided Singapore with world-class transport, public housing, financial, and industrial systems.
