SINGAPORE — Pink Dot SG and Virtue APAC, the creative agency powered by VICE, have partnered to launch an artistic collaboration project to turn messages of support into art pieces and drive conversations around LGBTQ+ issues well beyond Pride month.
Created by Virtue APAC, “Words of Change” is inviting artists to transform heartfelt messages of hope written by attendees of Singapore’s annual Pink Dot event for LGBTQ+ equality, into art pieces. These works will then be exhibited across a network of public spaces on the island, preserving the inspirational messages beyond the one-day event.
Pink Dot SG is a non-profit movement started by people who care deeply about the place that LGBTQ+ Singaporeans call home. The 14th edition of Pink Dot ran last weekend in Hong Lim Park after two years of online-only events.
Clement Tan from Pink Dot SG added, “Hong Lim Park may be the only place in Singapore that one can protest without a permit, but our capacity to effect change as individuals doesn’t have to be limited by the boundaries of the park. This project not only celebrates the inspiring words of our participants, but captures their spirit of hope, their determined energy, and their hunger for progress. Change can only come through sustained dialogue and action, and we hope this project will spark just that.”
Virtue APAC, which has its regional hub in Singapore and builds brands from inside culture, has already signed up 32 artists and 20 businesses for Words of Change but is calling on more to join this community initiative.
Nuno Dores, associate creative director at Virtue APAC said, “Pink Dot is a landmark event for the LGBTQ+ community and allies who support the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to love. Each year messages of hope and love are written by participants at the event, but once the event finishes they all go into storage, never to be seen again. We wanted to give these messages longevity, recognizing that issues impacting LGBTQ+ people don’t end once the event or Pride month is over.
“Tapping into Singapore’s vibrant artistic community, we are encouraging all those with a creative flair to reimagine these words as art, with the pieces to be displayed across the island, preserving them and extending the conversation around equality for months to come. Virtue is delighted to be partnering with Pink Dot SG on this important initiative.”
The Words of Change artwork will be live in venues across Singapore from August to September.
