The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organisation formed in 1967 that initially comprised of five members: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. An ASEAN Sculptural Symposium was held in Singapore in 1981 as part of the organisation’s cultural exchange programme. An ASEAN Sculpture Garden was opened in Fort Canning Park in June 1982 to display the sculptures that were created for the symposium. A total of five sculptures were put up for display in the garden, namely: ‘Unity’, a copper plate abstract piece by Indonesian artist But Muchtar; ‘Taming Sari’, a fibreglass work consisting of a broken kris and sabre by Malaysian sculptor Ariffin Mohamed Ismail; ‘Fredesvinda’, a reinforced concrete structure of an unfinished boat by Filipino sculptor Napoleon V. Abueva; ‘Concentration’, a steel-plated sculpture by Thai artist Vichai Sithiratn; and ‘Balance’, a piece made from industrial concrete by Singaporean sculptor Ng Eng Teng.
