Immortality and Ancient Egypt

Located at the basement of the National Museum of Singapore, The Quest for Immortality showcases some 230 religious and artististic artefacts of ancient Egypt spanning from 4000 BCE to 950CE. As the title of the exhibition suggests, these artefacts were material expressions of ancient Egyptian beliefs, particularly those on the afterlife.

Indeed, if there were anything that distinguished ancient Egyptian beliefs from all others, it would be their emphasis on the attainment of immortality. If Osiris, the Nile and all vegetation might rise again, so might man.

The ability of the dry soil of Egypt to preserve dead bodies added significant weight to this belief, which dominated the faith of the Egyptian for thousands of years.

According to Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) curator Michaela Huettner, the exhibition present at the National Museum of Singapore is one of the biggest of Egyptian antiquities to have ever travelled, along with the displays.

“Everybody thinks ancien Egypt was just mummies, pyramids and Tutankhamum” she said, “but there was a daily life too, and this is what we try to show.”

Hairani Hassan, the National Museum of Singapore curator — whose tour tickets of the exhibition has since sold out — added that it was the “obsession with life” that caused the ancient Egyptians to “pursue all means to ensure the attainment of immortality.”

The most expensive status on display is that of the god Horus and King Horemheb, who was believed to Horus’ earthly incarnation.  Horus is notably depicted with a human body and the head of a falcon, wearing the pschent as a symbol of kingship over the entire Kingdom, and is one of the oldest and most significant deities of the Ancient Egyptian religion.

The exhibition occupies the vast hall at the basement of the National Museum of Singapore, and the artefacts are carefully laid out according to their religious and social contexts. The excellent lighting conditions sensitively sets the stage for the exhibition and the faint background music that accompanies certain segments of the tour creates a sombre atmosphere for the viewing of these artefacts.

However, the only time that the lighting conditions worked against the exhibition was in the reading of the texts that described the artefacts on display. As if to invite you closer to the exhibits on display, the texts of these artefacts are printed in minute font on a squarish, bluish block of paper at the side of the display, that cannot be seen unless you take a very close step towards the exhibit.

This may be an excellent idea to get intimate with the exhibits and to observe closely and delicately certain intricate details of the artefacts on display that may not be appreciated from afar. Be that as it may, the weekend crowd present at the exhibition prevented some from appreciating the artefacts without getting up close. An older man had to put in some effort in squinting at the texts of the exhibition.

Despite the crowd present at the exhibition, the vast space which separated certain displays worked against the production of an intimate and personal feel of the gallery. The space that separated these exhibits amounted to somewhat of a slow walk just to appreciate another artefact on display.

While the security personnel at the entrance of the museum were friendly and helpful, much could be done to reduce the noise level of unnecessary chatter inside the exhibit and particularly of young children racing up and down the slopes of the exhibition.

This could mean not only giving others a chance to appreciate the exhibition but also respecting the artefacts on display, of which the National Museum of Singapore employees had to participate in a prayer session before uncrating the mummies.

This exhibit is sponsored by the Egyptian government and the KHM emphasizes that the collection was made up of artefacts purchased and found at Austirian archaeological digs in Egypt, and not acquired illegally from trafficked cultural objects that sometimes end up in museums.

Our tip on this exhibition
Given that NUS students (actually, anyone with a valid student pass), children 6 years or below, and senior citizens get to view the exhibition for free, the Quest for Immortality is an excellent chance to understand a bit more of Egyptian culture, and certainly worthy of your time.

Our tip, however, would be to avoid the weekend crowd at the exhibition if possible, and head there on weekdays as it is still the school holidays.

Joining the hour-long free guided tours, limited to 15 participants per session on a first come first served basis would be an added plus. This happens on weekdays on 11.30am and 2.30pm, and 11.30am, 2.30pm and 3.30pm on weekends, and the meeting place is at the entrance of this exhibition.

Non-flash photpgraphy is allowed at this exhibition but be aware of others who are also viewing the exhibits.

Normal ticketing price is at $15 for adults, but holders of Mastercard who use it to pay for their tickets will get a 50% discount.

More information is present at the National Museum of Singapore website.