Cultural Exchange

Iwona Piórko, the European Union ambassador to Singapore, on how the delegation is bringing together the EU and the Asean region through art

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

In the short time since Iwona Piórko began her term as the European Union (EU) ambassador to Singapore in September last year, she has acquainted herself with not only the people—government, business and youth leaders included—but also the culture. In particular, the food—she can already tell apart her nasi lemak from nasi padang—and the local arts scene.

When we sat down for this interview in end-January, Piórko was enthusiastic about her experience with Singapore Art Week, having explored the city’s visual arts season with her family over the weekend. This gave her insight into the region’s art and artists, even more so with the EU Delegation to Singapore’s new artist residency programme, which was jointly launched with the Nanyang Technological University’s Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore) to celebrate people-to-people connectivity and diversity.

The Studio Residencies for Southeast Asian Artists in the EU (SEA AiR) initiative offers selected artists, especially those who have not had significant exposure in Europe, a three-month residency at some of the most prestigious arts institutions in an EU country. They will have the opportunities to create new works, which will be presented in a group exhibition curated by NTU CCA Singapore and planned for the next Singapore Art Week.