The cultural ties between Italy and Singapore have steadily matured over time, driven in part by the City-State’s growing aspiration to be recognised as a cosmopolitan and avant-garde hub for the arts. These ties now represent a key component of the broader bilateral cooperation between our two countries.
Italian fashion, cinema, visual arts, photography, design, and cuisine have become an integral part of Singapore’s cultural landscape. In the absence of an Italian Cultural Institute, the Embassy of Italy in Singapore plays a direct and proactive role in promoting Italian culture across the island.
In recent years, our Embassy has significantly intensified its cultural activities.
In the visual arts, we recall the major exhibition The Grand Italian Vision: The Farnesina Collection, held from 7 to 25 February 2023 at The Arts House and in the Embassy’s Sala Italia. Curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, the show traced the evolution of Italian art from the 20th century to today through 71 carefully selected works.
In the cinema sector, we are proud to be celebrating the 23rd edition of the Italian Film Festival, one of the the city’s most beloved national film events, presented in collaboration with The Projector at Cineleisure and the Singapore Film Society.
In the literary field, the Embassy ensures a regular Italian presence at the Singapore Writers Festival, the leading international literary event in Southeast Asia. Last year, authors Paolo Giordano and Elisabetta Dami (creator of the beloved children’s character Geronimo Stilton) were featured; this year, the Italo-Somali writer Igiaba Scego will represent Italy.
As for design, Italy participates regularly in Singapore Design Week, often presenting an Italian leading figure in the field of design or architecture. We also collaborate with ITA Singapore (Italian Trade Agency) in the organisation of FIND – Design Fair Asia, which brings together excellence in international and Italian design.
Music is another pillar of our cultural outreach. Our programming spans classical music — such as Ludovico Einaudi’s piano concert in 2024 and flautist Andrea Griminelli’s performance in 2025 — to jazz (Luca Ciarla’s concert scheduled for June 2025), pop (Ilaria Della Bidia’s concert in May 2025), and opera, through our support for local companies staging Italian operatic productions.
We also continue to invest in performing arts, having brought La Notte della Taranta to Singapore in 2023 and supporting artistic residencies for Italian choreographers and dancers.
Indeed, residency programmes are a key focus of our cultural strategy, enabling long-term, sustainable collaboration between Italian and Singapore-based artists.
The Embassy works with a broad network of partners — from private companies and institutions to international non-profit organizations. Among these, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) stands out for its commitment to fostering cultural dialogue between Asia and Europe.
If you are an artist wishing to propose your project to our Embassy, please write an email to: singapore.culturale@esteri.it.
Italian Culture & Language courses
Albo degli Enti Gestori/Promotori per lo svolgimento di corsi di lingua e cultura italiana