National Arts Council of Singapore and Creative Australia commit to greater collaboration in the arts

The National Arts Council of Singapore (NAC) and Creative Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), committing to greater collaboration in the arts between Singapore and Australia over the next 5 years.

Under the MOU, NAC and Creative Australia will work closely on joint research projects in the areas of arts and wellness, technology, and audience engagement. They will also facilitate artists' collaboration, presentation opportunities and cross-cultural exchanges between artists and arts organisations from both countries.

The NAC-Creative Australia MOU complements the agenda of the Australia-Singapore Arts Group (ASAG) which has been extended for a second term until 2025. The ASAG was formed under the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) signed in 2015.

The Singapore-Australia CSP has provided opportunities for both countries to learn from one another and showcase the best of the countries’ respective arts and cultural offerings to global audiences. Some notable collaborative projects include showcases by Singaporean artists from NAC Major Company recipient SAtheCollective at the 2020 Sydney Festival, and the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts organised by Arts Centre Melbourne which showcased Singapore productions and artists. More recently, in 2023, Wild Rice Singapore and Victorian Opera's co-production, The Butterfly Lovers, written by Cultural Medallion recipient Ivan Heng with music composed by Richard Mills, was presented in both nations to stellar reviews and marked the first time the classic Chinese folktale has had a remake as an original English-language opera.