Parents, students, faculty and their friends and family attended a session with Eugene Tan, Director of the National Gallery, which was facilitated by our Head of Senior Art, Elizabeth Anstiss. Eugene shared thoughts on the ecology of the Art world and highlighted what was unique in Asia. He highlighted the breadth of what constitutes ‘Art’ and how this has changed over time and discussed how implementing new strategies and thinking rituals when we engage with artworks can have an impact on our mental well-being.

The discussion with Ms Anstiss also covered a range of topics from breaking the myth about the study of Art which is increasingly interdisciplinary with transferrable skills to a range of industries and the impact of AI tools on Art and artists. Mr Tan pointed out that technology has impacted artists throughout history e.g. photography, videography, and hence AI will also have an interesting impact on the future of Art. He also encouraged students who were planning to pursue further studies in Art History and the Fine Arts to use it as an opportunity to broaden their perspective on how they see the world and to volunteer at museums, galleries, and exhibitions to understand how Art organisations work.

The audience enjoyed the discussion, and several commented that it was thought-provoking and appreciated the opportunity to engage with him informally.