Music veteran Dick Lee to curate exhibition on 60 years of Singapore pop culture

SINGAPORE – Home-grown music stalwart and Cultural Medallion recipient Dick Lee will curate an upcoming exhibition that celebrates Singapore pop culture from the 1960s to the 2020s.

Titled SingaPop! 60 Years Of Singapore Pop Culture, the immersive multimedia exhibition will take place at ArtScience Museum from August to December.

Organised by ArtScience Museum and media company mm2 Entertainment, and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority, it marks Singapore’s 60th year of independence.

According to a press statement, SingaPop! will explore Singapore’s multicultural society across five chapters. Each highlights the fusion of identities that make up the “rojak spirit” of Singapore.

SingaPop! will also mix Lee’s personal anecdotes with artefacts, music, films, multimedia installations and archival footage that connect Singapore’s past, present and future.

Lee, 69, the creative director for SingaPop!, says in a statement: “Having lived through and been a part of the evolution of our cultural identity in the last 60 years, I’m proud to present this exhibition that showcases who we are: idiosyncratic, colourful and uniquely Singaporean.”

ArtScience Museum vice-president Honor Harger says SingaPop! is a time capsule and love letter to Singapore. “It embraces the rojak nature of our culture, where Singlish, hawker food, local music, fashion and film collide and coalesce into something instantly familiar and emotionally resonant.”

Mr Chang Long Jong, chief executive of mm2 Asia, the parent company of mm2 Entertainment, adds that the immersive nature of the show “brings an additional dimension” for visitors to engage with Singapore’s legacy of producing diverse television shows and films that reflect the country’s multicultural society.

Ticketing details and exact dates for the exhibition will be announced at a later date.