As someone who enjoys visiting museums and being surrounded by art, I wish I could say that it's all rosy and romantic. The truth is is that it’s not, especially when what is presented to you as the truth is far from your own lived realit(ies). Sparked by my own experiences of visiting different museums for intern, modules or leisure and figuring out my own place as a minority in postcolonial Singapore, this zine presents one narrative amidst countless others. This zine is not meant to be some groundbreaking academic resource. It is meant to be self-reflexive, forming an amalgamation of personal thoughts, questions and frustrations. If this zine resonates with you, great! If it doesn't, then that’s great too. Just remember that it is not representative of all experiences. At the very least, I hope that this zine sparks questions in your head (maybe even an existential crisis) and is a safe space to get the conversation started. Every narrative needs an open mind and an open heart. - Nuha Zalman
1
Image Source: NUS Museum
2
3
4
5
Image Source: NUS Museum, Esplanade Offstage
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
@heymysara @kristianmarc mysaraaljaru.c om
bly.com nurulh.wee
16
@priyageetha.dia priyageethadia.com
@faijaafar om fairuzjaafar.c
17
18
Chambers, I., De Angelis, A., Ianniciello, Celeste, Orabona M., and Quadraro, M. (Eds.). (2014). The Postcolonial Museum: The Arts of Memory and the Pressures of History. Ashgate. Low, S. W. (Ed.) (2015). Siapa Nama Kamu?: Art in Singapore Since the 19th Century. National Gallery Singapore. Tedx Talks. (2019, Dec. 10). Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums | Hannah Mason-Macklin | TEDxKingLincolnBronzeville [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRoRzMOBidc. Tolia-Kelly, D.P. (2016). Feeling and being at the (postcolonial) museum: presenting the affective politics of ‘race’ and culture. Sociology, 50(5). 896912. Wajid, S., and Minott, R. (2019). Detoxing and decolonising museums. In R. R. Janes & R. Sandell (Eds.), Museum Activism (pp. 25-35). Routledge. Wintle, C. (2016). Decolonizing the Smithsonian: Museums as Microcosms of Political Encounter. American Historical Review. 1492-1520.
19