Singapore and the hotel built around the Merlion

The Merlion is a statue with a lion's head and body of fish, one of the most famous tourist attractions and legendary emblem of Singapore. Its monument, formerly in the Merlion Park, is now in front of Fullerton Hotel. It was designed for the tourist office in Singapore in 1964 by Fraser Brunner and was used as the logo of the city until 1997.


On the occasion of the Biennal exhibition held in Singapore, the Japanese artist Nishi Tatsuhas created an installation around the Merlion, turning it temporarily into a hotel: the Merlion Hotel clearly. The only room, built around the statue, will be in operation until May 5th. The price of the room, that during the day will be visited by tourists, is around 80$ per night. The price also includes a beautiful view of the Marina Bay Sands, the hotel-casino tower with a pool of 150 meters on the roof.




Matthew Ngui, Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale 2011, said: "The centre of his idea, is really about bringing art to the masses. People can get to know the Merlion a lot better, by coming very, very close to it. Normally, we view it from the pier, or from over the bridge”.

Venice is also in turmoil for its Biennal exhibition, we wonder if any artist would replicate the installation around the statue of the Lion in Piazza San Marco.

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