About 2017 Art Exhibition

The Singapore Youth Festival Art Exhibition, in its 49^th year in 2017, celebrates the artist in every child. It showcases children’s creative ideas, personal aspirations and hard work put into artistic expressions. As part of the art curriculum, the exhibition facilitates dialogue on ideas, inspirations and art processes among student artists and audiences in schools and the community. Through art discussions and discourse, students develop as effective communicators and self-directed learners.

The 2017 Exhibition features 513 artworks by over 3000 students from our primary schools, special education schools and Singapore International School (Hong Kong). It is a tribute to the deep learning and rich experience our students gain through the art curriculum in schools. The theme for this year, Artist and Space invites our student artists to imagine, inquire and discover many ways to interpret and express the concept of ‘space’. In the process, they found inspiration from people, places, objects within their environments and created artworks that are personal and meaningful to them.

An Exhibition of Many Firsts

The 2017 Exhibition sees many 'firsts' in the history of the SYF Art Exhibition:

• The first exhibition to display documentation of students’ artistic processes on-site.
• The first ever exhibition catalogue that is co-created by teachers of participating schools to present and give recognition to the artwork and the art making process.
• The first exhibition to be presented via an online gallery within the SYF website, enabling our students' artworks to be viewed by a world audience.
• The first exhibition that is curated based on the art syllabus. In line with the revised primary art syllabus (2018), the exhibition is conceptualised and designed around three focus areas in the syllabus, namely Self and Immediate Environment, Singapore Past, Present and Future as well as  The World and Region We Live in to provide meaningful contexts for school and public audience to view the artworks within the exhibition theme Artist and Space. The exhibition will take the lead in encouraging schools to provide authentic opportunities for students to learn through the exhibition setting, such as taking on the roles of an art critic, or an exhibition docent. In the process, students learn about the art world as well as key values and relevant life skills.

Click here for the concept and design of the 2017 exhibition.