Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Presents “URBN.SENI”

Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, 21 October 2019 – Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) presents “URBN.SENI”, the inaugural Triennial Malaysia-Singapore Cultural Showcase. This seeks to strengthen the historical and cultural links between both countries, with each country taking turns to organise the showcase in the other country once every three years.  It had been agreed to between Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who looked forward to the organisation of the inaugural showcase in their Joint Statement at the 9th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat in Putrajaya on 9 April 2019. “URBN.SENI” will be organised in conjunction with Urbanscapes, the city’s longest-running creative arts festival, from 16 to 24 November 2019 at The Godown KL, a new creative hub in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

“URBN.SENI” (pronounced ‘urban seni’ and meaning ‘urban art’) reflects the vibrancy and dynamism of Singapore and Malaysia’s close cultural relations, and the spirit of partnership between the creative communities of both countries.  The showcase provides an opportunity for Singaporeans and Malaysians to develop a deeper understanding of our shared cultural links, and underlines both countries’ commitment to developing stronger people-to-people ties, particularly between youth.

The nine-day programme, which is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), will celebrate both countries’ shared passions in music, visual art, film, theatre, and design.  It will present some of Singapore and Malaysia’s brightest young creative talents. By giving festivalgoers a taste of Malaysia and Singapore’s shared culture, “URBN.SENI” will also encourage them to visit each other’s countries, where they will be able to deepen their exposure to their respective arts and culture scenes.

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Festival-goers will experience Singapore and Malaysia’s rich culture through a curated list of music and theatre performances, as well as a visual art showcase featuring collaborative works produced during an artist residency programme hosted by the National Art Gallery (Balai Seni Negara) for young artists from both countries. The festival will also screen contemporary Singaporean and Malaysian feature films and short films, accompanied by post-show talks by the film directors. A Maker’s Market offering artisanal items, handcrafted wares and contemporary objects by creative makers and brands from both countries will round off the showcase. A fact sheet containing the programme and further details is available at the Annex.