Kennie Ting on the revamp of the Peranakan Museum, Singapore

via Prestige Singapore, 12 April 2023: Interview with Kennie Ting, Director of the Peranakan Museum in Singapore which has just reopened after a major restoration.

Peranakan Museum reopens with nine thematic galleries celebrating the evolving tastes and times of culturally diverse Peranakan communities. KENNIE TING of Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum gives us an inside look.

Despite the popularity of Peranakan culture and food in Singapore, few know the origins of the word. Kennie Ting, director of the Peranakan Museum, says, “In Malay, the word ‘Peranakan’ has ‘anak’ (child) as its root and means ‘locally born’. It was an inclusive sort of word, used by Malay- Indonesian communities in Southeast Asia to refer to other communities that made a home in this region, and blended the rich local culture with their own proud heritage.”

It is this little-known, cross-cultural nature of Peranakan communities that grounds the refreshed narrative of the museum. The new and revamped galleries, with their recently acquired objects and contemporary artworks, have been curated through the lens of inclusivity, inviting visitors to explore the diverse Peranakan identity.

Source: Kennie Ting on the revamp of the Peranakan Museum, Singapore