Singapore Biennale 2013: Preview
By Sylvia Tsai
Singapore's premier contemporary art exhibition, the Singapore Biennale, will open to the public on October 26. This year's edition named “If the World Changed” will have a strong Southeast Asian focus bringing in 27 curators from around the region. The aim is to develop a deeper knowledge of diverse art scenes, filling in the gaps where the Singapore Art Museum's (SAM) curation may not be as strong. In choosing this year’s curators, former director of SAM and project director of the biennale, Tan Boon Hui, said that the selection process started from “where we don't know, people who have access to the scene, new art practices.” With a greater focus and intensity on this part of the world, curators selected a wide range of projects to contextualize the unique practices, concerns and perspectives of artists from Southeast Asia. Hailing from 13 countries, the 82 artists and collectives presented reflect on the current state of the world while offering re-imaginings for the future. Many venues are clustered in the Bras Basah. Bugis Precinct—including SAM, 8Q, National Museum of Singapore and the Peranakan Museum—but select works can be seen beyond the main hub at locations such as Fort Canning and Taman Jurong. Here's a teaser of the Singapore Biennale 2013’s offerings.