Press Enquiries
Please direct all press enquiries and image requests to museum@nus.edu.sg.
In The Spotlight
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Roy Ng
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Roy Ng is a final-year NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences students, majoring in History and minoring in Art History. As part of his internship, he served as Research Assistant to Dr Priya Maholay-Jaradi, whom the Museum is collaborating with for a forthcoming 2019 programme.
What is Singapore? Is it the oft-cited fishing village, transformed into a bustling metropolis over a short span of a few generations? Is it a former colonial outpost of the British Raj, an important entrepot for imperial trade, or a nexus of confluence between East and West?A commemorative project was wedged between the two key anniversary years of 2015 and 2019: the former marking the golden jubilee of India and Singapore’s formal diplomatic relations, and the latter marking the bi-centennial since Singapore’s (re)-founding by Sir Stamford Raffles.Although brief, my time assisting Dr. Priya, and working under NUS Museum, gave me an opportunity to practice the theories, methods and issues I have learned as an undergraduate taking a minor in Art History. Under this stint, I undertook a project that situated and problematized key donations of artefacts from the Government of India to the museum (formerly known as the University of Malaya’s art museum) from 1959, under the wider context of Cold War diplomacy, the Non-Aligned Movement and decolonizing postures adopted by new nation states.My research into the primary source materials of archives like NAS, along with other collections from NLB, MFA and CLB, found coherence as I forged discursive trends in art history, and exhibition-making within India and Singapore, as arbiters of the nature and scope of these donations. As I went deeper into my research, I had come to find an important role that individuals played in the crafting of political, diplomatic and cultural discourse between the two nations. Ideologues, bureaucrats, museum curators, university chancellors and high commissioners all played a fundamental role in shaping and facilitating the cultural exchanges between Singapore and India.If you had asked me today, what is Singapore? I would say, after having this three-month experience as a Research Assistant, that our city-state should be defined more through its longue durée; one of cultural interaction between South and Southeast Asia that long preceded the advent of British colonialism in 1819. Artisanal objects of the collection of my study had (and continue to have) the potential of decentring the high arts and consequently Eurocentric modes of art history, exhibition-making and connoisseurship.
Perhaps by revitalizing our connection to India, Singapore may fare well in finding a more authentic self; one that is rooted not just in its geographical location, but also cultural antecedents.
I would like to thank Dr. Priya for the opportunity in engaging with this research project, as well as Michelle for her supervision during my attachment to the Museum.
- Student Voices
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
Student Voices
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Roy Ng
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Roy Ng is a final-year NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences students, majoring in History and minoring in Art History. As part of his internship, he served as Research Assistant to Dr Priya Maholay-Jaradi, whom the Museum is collaborating with for a forthcoming 2019 programme.
What is Singapore? Is it the oft-cited fishing village, transformed into a bustling metropolis over a short span of a few generations? Is it a former colonial outpost of the British Raj, an important entrepot for imperial trade, or a nexus of confluence between East and West?A commemorative project was wedged between the two key anniversary years of 2015 and 2019: the former marking the golden jubilee of India and Singapore’s formal diplomatic relations, and the latter marking the bi-centennial since Singapore’s (re)-founding by Sir Stamford Raffles.Although brief, my time assisting Dr. Priya, and working under NUS Museum, gave me an opportunity to practice the theories, methods and issues I have learned as an undergraduate taking a minor in Art History. Under this stint, I undertook a project that situated and problematized key donations of artefacts from the Government of India to the museum (formerly known as the University of Malaya’s art museum) from 1959, under the wider context of Cold War diplomacy, the Non-Aligned Movement and decolonizing postures adopted by new nation states.My research into the primary source materials of archives like NAS, along with other collections from NLB, MFA and CLB, found coherence as I forged discursive trends in art history, and exhibition-making within India and Singapore, as arbiters of the nature and scope of these donations. As I went deeper into my research, I had come to find an important role that individuals played in the crafting of political, diplomatic and cultural discourse between the two nations. Ideologues, bureaucrats, museum curators, university chancellors and high commissioners all played a fundamental role in shaping and facilitating the cultural exchanges between Singapore and India.If you had asked me today, what is Singapore? I would say, after having this three-month experience as a Research Assistant, that our city-state should be defined more through its longue durée; one of cultural interaction between South and Southeast Asia that long preceded the advent of British colonialism in 1819. Artisanal objects of the collection of my study had (and continue to have) the potential of decentring the high arts and consequently Eurocentric modes of art history, exhibition-making and connoisseurship.
Perhaps by revitalizing our connection to India, Singapore may fare well in finding a more authentic self; one that is rooted not just in its geographical location, but also cultural antecedents.
I would like to thank Dr. Priya for the opportunity in engaging with this research project, as well as Michelle for her supervision during my attachment to the Museum.
- Student Voices
News
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
Leave a comment