SPEECH BY BG (NS) GEORGEYONG-BOON YEO, MINISTER FOR INFORNATIONSAND THE ARTS AND MINISTER FOR HEALTH AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION “FROM RITUAL TO ROMANCE: PAINTINGS INSPIRED BY BALI" AT NATIONAL MUSEUMROTUNDA ON FRIDAY, 21 JANUARY 1994 AT 6.00 PM For many of us, Bali conjures up images of an exotic paradise. While some of the romantic accounts might exaggerate, no one who visits Bali can leave unimpressed by the beauty and the spirituality of the land and its people. For artists, Bali is a place of pilgrimage. What Tahiti did for Gaugain, Bali has done and will continue to do for artists from all over the world. It is part of the magic of Bali that its inspiration extends beyond Southeast Asia to the far East and the distant West. It is impossible to understand Singapore's Nanyang Style without reference to the influence of Bali on many of our past and present artists. In 1952, our four pioneer artists - Cheng Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Liu Kang - made a celebrated journey to Bali. What they saw and what they felt altered the course of artistic development in Singapore. It would, however, be wrong to think that it was all one- way, that Bali influences others without being also influenced by others. Indeed, receiving, digesting and assimilating foreign influences have always been in the Balinese tradition. Foreign artists who live in Bali, some for long years, are well-accepted. Immersed in Balinese society, their works reflect, directly or indirectly, the radiance of Balinese art, culture and religion. In the process, in small but important ways, they also change Balinese society. I have always found it fascinating to watch the interaction of Balinese and camera-toting tourists. 2 This exhibition From Ritual to Romance explores the interaction of Bali with the world which Bali fascinates, by the juxtaposition of paintings done by Balinese and non-Balinese artists. Each influences the other, often in an unconscious or subconscious way. In the encounter, there is much creativity. When ocean currents meet, plankton and fish are most plentiful. It is in the spirit of such a munificent encounter that I welcome this collaboration between Bali's Neka Museum and the Singapore Art Museum. It is another example of the growing cultural exchange between Indonesia and Singapore, and one in which we influence each other beneficially without either feeling that it has lost anything in the exchange. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ .