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SINGAPORE – Five resident cats – Oreo, Ginger, Sneaky, Truffles and Tam – regularly greet visitors to the Malay Heritage Center.
Starting Wednesday (March 10) and running through May 30, visitors will also encounter 30 standing cats and 10 educational showing common Malay proverbs as part of the center’s latest installation, Paw-verbs on the Lawn.
The proverbial characters highlight how cats are used in Malay literary culture to convey different aspects of human behavior and impart ancestral lessons.
Some of these proverbs include like a dog with a cat (like a dog with a cat) to refer to two people who always fight, or pretending to be shy (like a shy cat) to describe someone who pretends to be shy.
At the installation launch on Wednesday, Alvin Tan, executive deputy director for policy and community for the National Heritage Board, said: “We wanted to present an installation that is visually appealing to attract more visitors and at the same time, we wanted it to be educational and provides insight into Malay literary culture. “
The 30 standing cats were designed by Japanese artist Juno, who specializes in vivid cat illustrations and has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram to date. This is his first collaboration with MHC and the first time his work has been featured in Southeast Asia.
The center is located in Istana Kampong Gelam, a former Malay palace that was declared a national monument in 2015. It shows the history, culture and contributions of the Malaysian community in Singapore.
Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, told Parliament on Monday that the center will be closed next year for refurbishment to ensure its continued relevance and accessibility.
Complementary activities will also be organized alongside the installation, including eight storytelling performances that touch on how cats and their features are embedded in the Malay language. Tickets for the sessions are $ 10 each and will be in English and Malay.
Starting next week, visitors can also participate in a weekly sticker hunt at the Heritage Center for a chance to win gifts, including Juno-made cat badges.
There will also be two sessions on feline welfare that will take place virtually.
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