Art teacher Richard Walker was a prisoner of war at Changi during the Japanese occupation when he painted Epiphany - an allegorical artwork depicting a Nativity scene with the Wise Men as Chinese scholars and the Virgin Mary as an Asian woman.
The 1942 painting was given a local flavour and used during holy communion services at the jail to offer hope to prisoners in their darkest hours.
It is among the artworks on display at the Many Beliefs, One Future exhibition, which opened yesterday at Raffles City Shopping Centre.
The exhibition aims to show the connections shared by Singapore's various faiths and was launched ahead of the International Conference on Cohesive Societies, which opened yesterday evening.
The three-day conference brings together 1,000 delegates from almost 40 countries and aims to strengthen inter-religious and intercultural understanding.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the exhibition showcases artefacts and artworks from 10 faiths that call Singapore their home. They represent Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Taoism and Judaism, as well as lesser-known faiths Zoroastrianism, Jainism and Baha'i.
The exhibits were contributed by individuals as well as various faith organisations in Singapore, including the Inter-Religious Organisation and Sikh Advisory Board.
They include a 45-year-old handwritten Baha'i prayer book, a 600-year-old Quran from Turkey and a Torah scroll that is at least a century old.
Launching the exhibition, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng said: "In Singapore, we are really unique in that we have the practice of different faiths among people and yet we have a lot of common space that we enjoy together.
"This exhibition is a physical manifestation of what exists in Singapore. Hopefully, people can see it and appreciate the harmony, the common spaces that we have enjoyed these years, and make a commitment to say they will play their parts to bring this forward for generations to come."
The free exhibition is on show at level 3 of the mall until Sunday.
