Spotlight Singapore Tokyo (2006)

Vietnam 2023
Delhi 2019
Mexico City 2015
Bratislava and Prague 2012
Cape Town 2011
Moscow 2008
Hong Kong 2006

5 – 7 December 2006

Spotlight Singapore took a turn and, for the first time, original works were commissioned for cross-cultural festival in Tokyo. Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Ismail’s Generation/s featured Singapore’s top and rising talents from all cultures and genres aimed to showcase Singapore’s rich artistic heritage. Other cultural showcases included: With a View to Clothe, a display of 50 specially designed fabric art works by Singaporean designer Benny Ong; 25 bronze chillies and capsicums by Kumari Nahappan; video art and soundscape by fFurious and Yuen Chee Wai.

Spotlight Singapore in Tokyo was held at the Mori Arts Centre at Roppongi Hills from 5 to 7 December 2008, at the invitation of the Japanese Mori Group of companies and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Japan-Singapore diplomatic relations. With its mission expanded to introduce a business-friendly component, the festival attracted 40 business people from Singapore and more than 200 guests attended the gala opening.

This event was attended by top officials from the government, arts, business and media sectors: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s then Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts; Tan Chin Tiong, then Singapore’s Ambassador to Japan; Edmund Cheng, then Chairman of the National Arts Council of Singapore; then NAC chief executive Lee Suan Hiang; Keizo Takemi and Takahide Kimura, Japan’s then Senior Vice Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare and Senior Vice Minister for Japan Defense Agency respectively; Kiyoshi Komatsu, President of Koei Co. Ltd; Eisuke Yoshizaki, then Chairman of Japan-Singapore Association; former Ambassador and Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Japan Centre Nobutoshi Akao and the late Dr Tsutomu Kanai who was the Chairman Emeritus of Hitachi Corporation.