"Keep watch over the line between declarations and dreams." So said the Indonesian poet Chairil Anwar in 1948, when he bemoaned the gap between the desire for national independence and its achievement in political terms. This ardent plea makes for new insights when considered in relation to artistic practice in Southeast Asia, where the personal and creative is often caught in the fray of the historical, ideological and political. Treading the line between declarations and dreams may be said to be the fate of the artist; it is this experience, shared across national boundaries, that informs the National Gallery Singapore's opening exhibition "Between Declarations and Dreams: Art of Southeast Asia since the 19th Century".
This album presents an overview of the exhibition through 100 works. Accompanying curatorial texts flesh out the themes and sections of the exhibition, constituting a timely, thoughtful look at the art of this region.