Peranakan Museum Transports Straits Chinese Story To S Korea For First Time

SINGAPORE, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- Koreans will get their first taste of Peranakan Art and Culture direct from Singapore as the Peranakan Museum presents The Peranakan World: Cross-Cultural Art of Singapore and the Straits in Seoul this March. The effort marks the first time Singapore presents Peranakan culture and art to East Asia. In 2010, the Peranakan Museum also presented a special exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris. The Peranakan World: Cross-Cultural Art of Singapore and the Straits will be on display at the National Museum of Korea from March 19 to May 19, 2013. With 230 objects from the Peranakan Museum supplemented by loans from local collectors, the exhibition tells the fascinating story of how Chinese immigrants created a unique culture when they settled in their new homes in the Straits. Visitors will be able to explore the fusion culture during the golden age of the Peranakans (late 19th and early 20th century). The Peranakan Museum will also organise a weekend programme at the National Museum of Korea on May 4 and 5, 2013. Visitors will be able to gain an appreciation of the Peranakan culture through engaging workshops on Peranakan beading, cuisine and fashion. Through these special workshops, Korean visitors will enjoy the colourful and fusion culture of the Peranakans and be motivated to discover more about the museums and other communities in Singapore. Dr Alan Chong, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum said, “We are proud to present Peranakan art and culture to audiences in Korea. "Peranakan art is an important example of multi-cultural contact, which reveals Singapore as a multicultural state, formed by centuries of trade, immigration and colonial networks," he said in a statement. Among highlights include beadwork tablecloth which is made up of over one million glass beads and the largest known example of Peranakan beadwork in the world and a rare lace kebaya featuring auspicious Chinese motifs of dragons and peonies appliquéd on fine netting and a trim of broderie anglaise showcases how Peranakan Chinese did not slavishly copy Indo-European fashion but rather infused their sense of aesthetics creating a distinctly Peranakan style by the 1920s. This piece is among the highlights of a generous donation of 399 pieces by Singaporeans, Mr and Mrs Lee Kip Lee. The Peranakan Museum explores the culture of Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. The museum is part of the Asian Civilisations Museum, operating under the National Heritage Board. -- BERNAMA