SINGAPORE — After nearly four years of renovations, the Peranakan Museum has announced the reopening of its doors to the public in mid-February 2023.
The completely refurbished building will feature brand-new permanent galleries presenting exceptional objects from Peranakan material culture, as well as a fresh new exhibition design and museum visitor experience. Visitors will be able to gain greater insight into the diverse Peranakan cultures of Singapore and Southeast Asia through new thematic showcases, objects, interactive displays, and programs.
The museum has worked closely with various Peranakan communities over the last four years to explore lesser-known aspects of Peranakan culture, and to contemplate the question, “What is Peranakan?”
Interviews, stories, and contemporary expressions will showcase living cultures, such as that of the Arab Peranakans, Chinese Peranakans, Chitty Melakans (or Peranakan Indians), and Jawi Peranakans while anchoring these cultures, with their distinctive customs and practices, within the context of the larger Malay-Indonesian world.
Visitors will experience nine galleries across three floors. The galleries examine three grand themes pertaining to facets of Peranakan identity, namely “Origins,” “Home,” and “Style.” Besides familiar and well-loved artifacts and set-pieces, the museum will also premiere an extensive range of new objects acquired or generously given to us in the course of the last decade.
