Do we need art?

It is difficult to fathom the importance of the arts when there are many more pressing and immediate concerns to face. But at the same time, should we only concern ourselves with survival and attending to our basic needs, then we are no better off than the poorest of poor countries despite our economic achievements to date.

　　Life is meant to be lived after all, not just survived. As actor Peter Sellars of Pink Panther fame put it, “Survival？ Well it may be necessary, but it's not very damned interesting.”

　　Whether in music or literature, painting or architecture, art is what gives soul to our otherwise routine existence. Our neglect of the arts would almost certainly ensure that the world's best and brightest, as well as our own most successful, will seek life elsewhere if all Singapore has to offer is adequate and comfortable survival.

　　Life should be varied and interesting, unexpected and changing. Having said this, Singapore of course has more to offer than just convenient living space. The National Arts Council has done an extraordinary job in promoting our local artists. The building of the Esplanade shows the government's commitment to Singapore's arts and cultures scene. The question however is,“is this enough？”

　　In fact, art should be around us, not in museums. It should be reflected in our landscape and our buildings. Paintings and sculptures on the street, in schools and by the bus stops, make a far bigger difference than pouring money into a museum whose doors shut and close based on the artificial restrictions of time called a clock.

　　Artists should also be part of our society and not ostracised from it. As Singaporeans who have been trained to be efficient and results oriented, we have unfortunately come to shun not only the arts but the artists themselves.

　　We are a highly-educated, highly-literate nation that loses its interest in literature the minute we leave school. Worse, we think those who pursue art and have no condo to show for it are squandering their lives. So funding local artists and building a structure to house art is simply not enough.

　　It is far more important for us to let our kids, our future, know that art is neither frivolous nor superfluous. We need to show them that art is more than pleasant pictures or soothing music.

　　Art is innovation at its most basic level. Art is conception and inspiration. Most importantly, art is about discovery, not mistakes. In a world where we concentrate on what is right and wrong, what is correct and incorrect, the world of art is a place where judgment is suspended and great discoveries are made because of it.

　　Art makes it possible to grasp the impossible, for lack of language, lack of knowledge or lack of technology.

　　Consider further that art connects us to one another where language and law is unable to do so.

　　Of course the arts in and of itself is not crucial to our survival as a nation. Again, if survival is all we are after, art is far from necessary. Furthermore, art being universal, we can always borrow from others what we cannot create ourselves.

　　But does it make sense to focus only on providing basic services？ Economic cycles as they are, there will always be needs to be met and there will always be an excuse to exclude the arts.

　　Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves if it is important for us to define ourselves as Singaporeans. At the end of the day, do we want to mean more than our cash, our cars and our condo？

　　（The author is an expatriate artist living in Singapore.）

　　面对生活许多迫切需要处理的问题,探索艺术的重要性这样的课题,对一般人来说根本不切实际。但是,从另一个角度来看,如果我们只关心生存和基本需要,那么即使我们在经济上已经取得辉煌的成就,比起世界上最穷的国家,我们事实上可能好不了多少。

　　生命要活得精彩,不仅仅是生存而已。以《粉红豹》闻名的演员彼得沙列曾经说过：“生存？这可能是必要的,但肯定非常无趣。”

　　不论是音乐、文学、绘画或建筑,任何形式的艺术都可以为我们单调的生活注入新的生命和活力。如果新加坡忽视艺术活动,只能提供令人满意和舒适的生存环境,世界上最杰出的人才和最成功的新加坡人,必然会到其他地方寻找他们向往的生活。

　　生命应该充满变化和惊喜。当然,新加坡能够提供的远超过一个便利的生活空间。例如,在为本地艺术工作者提供发展空间方面,国家艺术理事会便作出了巨大的努力。滨海艺术中心的建立,也显示了政府支持文化艺术活动的决心。问题是：“这一切是否已经足够？”

　　艺术应该溶入我们的生活里,不应该只是博物馆里的陈列品。艺术应该反映在我们的自然景观和建筑物。人行道上、学校里和巴士车站旁的绘画和雕塑作品,所能发挥的感染力,远胜于一所耗费大量金钱完成却定时关闭的博物馆。

　　艺术工作者应该是社会的一分子,不应该受到摒弃。很不幸的,新加坡人所受的教育和培训,使他们非常重视效率和成果。一些人不但因此远离艺术,甚至还回避艺术工作者。

　　新加坡人具有很高的教育水平,只可惜人们一旦离开了学校便对文学失去兴趣。更糟糕的是,一些人认为有志于艺术工作,因而没有能力拥有共管公寓的人,简直是在浪费生命。所以,只是为本地艺术工作者提供经济资助和建立一个栖身之所是不够的。

　　更重要的是让我们的孩子,也就是我们的未来,了解艺术不是毫无意义或者根本不必要的。我们必须让他们明白,艺术不止是漂亮的照片或者柔和的音乐。

　　艺术是最基本的创意活动,是概念的构思和灵感的体现。最重要的是艺术和对错无关,目的在于发掘和探索我们生活的世界。我们向来关心什么是对什么是错,什么是正确什么是不正确。在艺术的领域里,我们不作出任何判断,却往往有重大的体会。

　　艺术可以帮助我们领会因语言、知识和技术障碍,使我们不可能理解的事物。

　　艺术也可以把我们联系在一起,这是语言和法律所无法做到的。

　　当然,艺术本身不是国家生存的关键。但就像我们先前提及,如果我们只关心生存,艺术便可有可无。

　　因为艺术普遍存在世界各地,我们自己不能创作的,也可以向他人借用。

　　但是,只是为艺术提供基本的协助是不是明智的做法？经济周期意味着总会有比艺术更迫切的需要,也总会有借口把艺术排除在外。

　　我们最终必须问自己,我们是否重视我们是新加坡人的认同感？同时,我们要不要把生命的意义局限于金钱、汽车和共管公寓？

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