Singapore's art sector opening up

Singapore's art sector opening up

SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore's arts sector has opened up and is becoming more liberal, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a television interview broadcast on Thursday.

"We have opened up quite considerably over the last 10 years. It's quite a lively scene and there's quite a following now. Not just expatriates but even Singaporeans," Lee said in the interview with Channel News Asia.

But openness in the arts must have its limits, he said. "The society has to have a say because the artists would like to try new things, but there are points, there are limits and if you consult responsible citizens they will say, I think, we shouldn't go that way," Lee said.

He said the public, not the government, chose to restrict openness in the arts. "In many instances in art we're really based on panels rather than government servants in deciding what's in and what's not," Lee said.