His Excellency
Mr Stephen Marchisio
Ambassador of France to Singapore

This year’s vOilah! France Singapore Festival 2025 holds special significance as we commemorate 60 years of bilateral relations. From 23 April to 8 June, the festival presents a rich line-up of events spanning visual arts, literature, music, film screenings, and more, highlighting the deep and meaningful cultural cooperation between France and Singapore. More than just a celebration, vOilah! is a testament to the creative synergies that have brought our communities together and continue to inspire new forms of artistic expression.

This year’s festival carries a profound imagery of bridges, symbolising the enduring cultural exchanges between our countries. In Melisa Teo’s Two Rivers exhibition, we see her reflections as a Singaporean in Paris, while Nicolas Damien’s City Pop offers a French perspective on Singapore. These narratives, along with many others, exemplify the depth of our collaboration and the bridges we continue to build through the arts.

Exhibitions such as City of Others by the National Gallery remind us of the artistic exchanges between France and Asia, while A French Kiss in Singapore by Sing’theatre highlights the essence of cross-cultural storytelling. The performing arts also provide a platform where our cultures converge. The Medea Project by The Opera People and Carmen by Singapore Lyric Opera bring together French and Singaporean artists, weaving artistic talents and creating meaningful exchanges that breathe life into universal stories.

The festival also embraces innovation and sustainability, with thought-provoking exhibitions such as Ocean: Diving into the Unknown, which reflects our shared commitment to environmental consciousness and the interplay between art, science, and heritage in shaping a more sustainable future.

As we mark this milestone year, vOilah! is more than a festival—it is a celebration of friendship, a reflection of our enduring cultural ties, and a promise of continued collaboration through creativity, dialogue, and shared experiences.

We invite you to immerse yourself in this year’s festival, discover the richness of our cultures, and spark new conversations that will shape the next chapter of our artistic and cultural exchanges.

Edwin Tong
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth
Second Minister for Law

2025 marks 60 years of diplomatic and cultural relations between Singapore and France.

This deep and long-standing friendship between our countries is built on a common conviction that the arts and culture are an essential part of our national identities that we are proud of. We share a belief that the arts and culture can bring people together.

The annual vOilah! France Singapore Festival continues to be a shining example of the possibilities for cross-cultural collaboration. It is through such sustained cultural exchange that we strengthen our people-to-people ties. This year, we will be treated to activities ranging from visual arts to performing arts, literature, and even gastronomy and design. Highlights include an outdoor photography exhibition by Singaporean photographer Melisa Teo, juxtaposing the Singapore River and the Seine in Paris. There are also collaborations with the National Gallery Singapore, Sing’Theatre, the Singapore Lyric Opera, and more – a testament to the depth of exchanges between Singapore and France!

As we look to the future, I hope events like vOilah! will continue to flourish – as a platform that brings our peoples closer together, and as an example of what we can achieve when we collaborate with openness, creativity, and purpose.

I wish vOilah! 2025 every success. To the participants and audiences – I am sure that it will be a festival to remember!