2011-03-07
The Third Singapore Biennale 13 March-15 May 2011. Demonstrating an Asian Focus with an International Allure
Carla Bianpoen
 This edition of the Singapore Biennale points markedly at what Singapore aspires to be: international yet basically Asian. The challenge, explains Tan Boon Hui, the director of Singapore Art Museum (SAM), is to make it “distinctive international and at the same time very Asian”, and “trying to do less imported creations and more of art created in Singapore”. SAM of the National Heritage Board of Singapore is taking over the organization of the biennale from the National Arts Council which organized the previous editions.
For the first time led by Singapore born—Australia based—Matthew Ngui as artistic director, Southeast Asia’s most prominent biennale
applies the traditional Asian tradition in its theme of Open House. In Singapore, and Asia in general, people open their houses to visitors on special occasions such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali. In this spirit international artists have been invited
to participate, but over half of the 63 artists from 30 countries have been commissioned to create site-specific and cutting-edge works in
Singapore or premiere new works.
Among the most cutting edge works is no doubt the much publicized work-to-be by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi who transforms the
Merlion, Singapore’s iconic mascot into an icon of contemporary architecture in the form of a temporary and luxurious hotel suite,
open in the day for public viewing and in the evening for overnight stays. At the other end of the spectrum is the Indonesian artists’ group
ruang rupa who apply a mobile radio station to make vignettes of Singapore’s city “pockets” of communities that have rarely been
exposed to the public eye.
For Matthew it was important to involve the public. “When works are made specifically for sites, they begin to peel away layers that
a particular space may have. So in that way, when our Singaporean public comes in to view the works or experience the works, you find
that they begin to learn something more about the space that we live in”. The works are presented across four exhibition venues, each with
their own particular character, that draw upon emblematic spaces in Singapore: Housing Development Board flats (Singapore Art Museum and 8Q), shopping centers and night markets (National Museum of Singapore), and international air and sea ports (Old Kallang
Airport). At the same time, the project Self Portrait Our Landscape (SPOL) involving 3,000 school students from 47 local elementary
and secondary schools to encourage self expression and the use of contemporary animation techniques will exhibit the works in a major display at the Old Kallang Airport.
This biennale is further marked by a conspicuous awareness of gender participation. At a time when this element is hardly given any attention,
this biennale makes it a point to specifically mark the participating artists by gender, revealing 50 male and only 20 female artists. With the artists’ creations shown in the city’s emblematic venues like the Singapore Art Museum, the National Museum, Old Kallang Airport and the recently opened Marina Bay, the Singapore Biennale 2011 no doubt adds to the luster of the city state.
Caption:
Tatzu Nishi, The Merlion Hotel, (artist’s rendering), 2011, construction-installation.
read more in BIENNALES @ C-ARTS VOLUME-18
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HIGHLIGHTS
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2011-03-30
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Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition set to open on 16 April 2011
Singapore (30 March 2011) In commemoration of Van Gogh’s birth date today, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands announced that it will host the world touring premiere of Van Gogh Alive – the Exhibition. Visitors will get to experience Vincent Van Gogh’s art work come alive in an exhibition that will combine the latest in sound and projection technology using images of Van Gogh’s masterpieces.
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2011-01-05
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Works by Vincent Leow A mid-career survey of Vincent Leow’s oeuvre marking a new direction in the artistic practice of Leow,
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2011-01-05
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Organized by Hou Hanru in collaboration with ShContemporary 9th September, 2010
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2031-01-01
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An interesting exploration into art in Singapore by nineteen artists, including seniors like Tang Da Wu, Jimmy Ong and Zai Kuning “who have lived
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2010-10-06
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The installations of Java’s Machine: Phantasmagoria by Augustinus Kuswidananto (a.k.a. Jompet) have been shown in a number of variations, exploring syncretism or strategies to reconcile
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2010-10-06
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Filipino artist Bembol Dela Cruz presents the concept of art reflecting art, with an explosive narrative that carves life out
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2010-10-06
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Islamic art in Indonesia used to be associated with religious calligraphy only, but in 2009 Lawangwangi’s exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art showed that calligraphy is just a form of language.
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EMERGING ARTIST
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 There is a new epidemic trend in the contemporary art of Asia sweeping through the population of younger artists: Animamix Art.
Amalia Kartika Sari
Each artist has a full right, and at the same time an obligation, to explore forms and ideas continuously, although naturally there will be many obstructions and challenges along the way.
Hayatudin
“A community is often proud of a certain building, viewing it with a sense of grandeur. Meanwhile, a range of monumental idioms are often used to mark great moments in history.
Edo Pillu
 From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.
Daniel Flanagan
From different generations and cultural backgrounds, S Teddy D and Daniel Flanagan present together their collaboration on Transubstantiation.
S Teddy D
 Not unlike other Filipino-Americans who journey to the Philippines to learn more about their roots, Hanna Pettyjohn undertook such a passage in reverse.
Hanna Pettyjohn
I do not wish to become a president, professor, doctor, governor, celebrity, corruptor, politic expert or anything else.
Nyoman Darya
Solo Exhibition:
1998 Urban Personality Exhibition, Chongqing, China
2001 Hangzhou Jincai Gallery
He Wei-Na
 Ong-Arj’s painting has point out thoroughly content in a society condition today. Even it express through looks weird human image.
Ong-Arj Loeamornpagsin
 Fazar paints with his heart. He believes that his interpretation is like “worship”. Any composition existing in his painting is his effort of concretizing what he feels.
Fajar Roma Agung Wibisono
 With great imagination, he has been using a very unique artistic language to express his very much primitive and strong emotion on the surrounding characters.
Yang Pei Jiang
 In Ardana’s works garlic becomes most artistic in various ways it is rendered whether it is presented individually or in groups of bulbs, cut open, blown up, its thin and transparent layers peeled, as well as severed and torn.
Dewa Ngakan Ardana
Filippo Amato Sciascia (born at Palma, Di Montechiaro, Italy, 1972) will present his solo exhibition of his recent works titled Lux Lumina at Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art from the 12th December 2009 – 14th January 2010.
Lux Lumina
 Hui Xin’s art addresses both the phenomenon of our constant need for visual stimuli, as well as our desire to be surrounded by objects that give us pleasure. His new paintings and sculptures bring out a dichotomy between naive happiness and adult-themed amusements.
Hui Xin
Since childhood, Nano has enjoyed reading comics, even producing his own comic book in junior high school. Comics became the first visual art Nano came to know.
Nano Warsono
2002:"Ilusi Koran", Semarang Gallery, Semarang. "Transisi", Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta.
Budi Ubrux
 Selected Solo Exhibition
2005:“Paradoks Batas”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta. 2003: “Painthink”, Edwin Galeri, Jakarta.
F. Sigit Santoso
 He got The Special Award From The 25th Exhibition of Contemporary art in 2008 and winner Prize from 11th Panasonic Contemporary Painting Competition when he postgraduate.
Chalermpon Ratanakomonwat
 The inspiration behind his recent paintings came in 2005 while he was observing his second child was a son. People say that when babies sleep they are guarded by angels. This common experience evoked a wave of questions: Was the baby dreaming? What was he dreaming about? What was he feeling?
WAHYU GEIYONK
 “Many artists like to ponder on the past and the present through the history of human civilization,” says young artist Wang Mian. “With pieces of information and inspiration they
WANG MIAN
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