What To Expect From the 2016 Singapore Biennale
The fifth Singapore Biennale will be opening in October this year. Here's what to expect from the highly anticipated 2016 edition.
By LUCY REES,
So what exactly is a biennale? Italian for biennial - aka every other year - they're large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions that, since the original Venice Biennale in 1895, have been sprouting up in hundreds of cities around the world. Artists are usually invited by a curator or group of curators to make works that respond to a particular theme or space.
Singapore's inaugural biennale was launched in 2006 and has since become a key event in the increasingly dynamic contemporary art scene here. The 5th edition was supposed to have taken place last year, but was apparently delayed so the focus would be on SG50 celebrations. Now, we've finally caught wind of what's coming up for the Biennale this year. Here's what to expect:
When: The exhibition will run for four months from 28 October 2016 to 26 February 2017.
Where: The main venue will be the Singapore Art Museum but there’ll be artworks in other heritage venues within the Bras Basah area in Bugis.
What: Titled “An Atlas of Mirrors”, the Biennale will explore how atlases and mirrors have been an important part of navigation and exploration.
Who: Around 60 artists will be showcasing their work, and many will create new pieces especially for the event. While the list hasn’t been finalised, the initial line-up includes some interesting and well-known artists like Ahmad Fuad Osman (Malaysia), Martha Atienza (Philippines), Rathin Barman (India), Fyerool Darma (Singapore) Han Sai Por (Singapore), Nguyen Phuong Linh (Vietnam), Qiu Zhijie (China), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Thailand), Titarubi (Indonesia), and Tun Win Aung and Wah Nu (Myanmar).
Curators: Similar to the last Biennale in 2013, the exhibition will be curated through a collaborative effort rather than by a single person. Dr Susie Lingham (who has just stepped down as Singapore Art Museum’s Director) will be Creative Director, and the curatorial team is made up of SAM curators as well as four associate curators who are experts in their field: Bangalore-based Suman Gopinath, Ipoh-based Hanim Khairuddin, Singapore-based Michael Lee and Shanghai-based Xiang Liping.
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