Singapore Biennale 2016 opens with "An Atlas of Mirrors"

Singapore Biennale 2016 opens with

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Singapore Biennale 2016 (SB2016), one of Asia’s most exciting contemporary visual art exhibitions, will be launched by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam. SB2016 opens to the public on 27 October 2016 and runs until 26 February 2017. Titled An Atlas of Mirrors, this Biennale features works by 63 artists and art collectives from 19 countries and territories across Southeast Asia, East and South Asia, Art Daily reports.

Artworks of various media are curated around nine sub-themes and presented at eight locations, with the Singapore Art Museum and SAM at 8Q as anchor venues. SB2016’s opening weekend will feature programmes for members of the public, including artist performances, curator and artist tours and talks, and after-hours musical performances in the SAM Courtyard on Friday (28 October). The four-month long international contemporary art exhibition is organised by SAM and commissioned by the National Arts Council of Singapore. SB2016 will feature several site-specific and commissioned contemporary works never seen before on the biennale circuit.

"An Atlas of Mirrors references the atlases and mirrors that have been instrumental in humankind’s exploration of the world as we navigate and map our journeys into the unknown. It is hoped that the evocative title, which guided its curatorial direction, would intrigue and inspire audiences to explore and experience the many ways of seeing our world and ourselves. Each mindfully presented artwork offers a unique encounter: we are invited to share the imaginative and critical perspectives of artists from Southeast, South and East Asia, who are grappling with everyday contemporary realities, double-edged legacies, as well as the recurrent ‘big ideas’ and poetic metaphors that reflect the human condition“, says Dr Susie Lingham, Creative Director, Singapore Biennale 2016.

Kathy Lai, CEO of National Arts Council, Singapore and Commissioner of SB2016, says, “The inaugural Singapore Biennale opened in 2006, and was helmed by an international team of curators. Today, the Biennale is organised by SAM – Singapore’s museum of contemporary art, and this edition promises many opportunities for the public to encounter exciting art. As in previous editions, the Biennale creates opportunities for established and emerging artists from Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond to be featured together. More importantly, the Biennale is also a valuable platform for artists to grow by developing their practice or realising ambitious new works through the commissioning process. I hope that Singaporeans and international visitors alike will have a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity about our neighbours and the region through contemporary art, and I congratulate the Creative Director, Dr Susie Lingam for a thoughtful and thought-provoking Biennale.”

Over 80 percent of the 58 artworks are new commissions or adaptations of works for the fifth edition of the Singapore Biennale. Within the 58 artworks are group presentations, which comprise individual artworks in dialogue with each other to present a final piece. These artworks respond to the title of An Atlas of Mirrors, and explore notions of space, time, memory, nature, boundaries, agency, identity, displacement and absence, Art Daily said.

 Top stories
Paris Center Pompidou Musée National d’Art Moderne will host the screening of Sergei Parajanov’s "Triptych" on December 15.
The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest.
She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech.
Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”.
Partner news
---