Singapore Biennale

The Singapore Biennale is a contemporary art biennale in Singapore. The first Singapore Biennale operated as one of a lineup of Singapore 2006 events. Fumio Nanjo, Director of Tokyo's Mori Art Museum, has been reappointed Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale 2008. Working with Mr Nanjo on Singapore Biennale 2008 are two curators: independent curator Joselina Cruz, formerly a curator at the Singapore Art Museum and the Lopez Museum in Manila; and Matthew Ngui, one of Singapore's leading artists in contemporary art.

The first Singapore Biennale employed the theme of "Belief", commencing on 4 September 2006 and ended on 12 November. The event was held in various locations throughout Singapore. It featured 195 artworks, from 95 artists and collectives from 38 different countries. The event was part of the Singapore 2006 events which included the 2006 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event was organised by the National Arts Council (which also organised the annual Singapore Arts Festival) in conjunction with the National Heritage Board.

The biennale featured different types of contemporary art including drawings, paintings, installations, new media, performances, photography, video, publishing, sound, wall painting, and furniture. Artists of note included Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Fujiko Nakaya, Jenny Holzer, Mariko Mori, Shigeru Ban, Jenny Holzer and Takashi Kuribayashi.

The Curatorial Team for the Singapore Biennale was headed by renowned curator Fumio Nanjo. The other curators involved in the "Belief" exhibition were Roger McDonald (Japan), Sharmini Pereira (Sri Lanka/United Kingdom) and Eugene Tan (Singapore).

Exhibition venues
The event included exhibits displayed in various venues, which were:


 * Tanglin Camp, a former military camp and hospital
 * City Hall
 * The newly renovated National Museum
 * The high-end shopping belt of Orchard Road
 * Singapore Management University
 * Sculpture Square
 * National Library
 * The Padang
 * Singapore Art Museum
 * Block 79, Indus Road. (HDB Flat)
 * Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore River
 * Tanjong Pagar railway station
 * Masjid Sultan
 * Saint Joseph's Church
 * Church of Saints Peter and Paul
 * Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
 * Kwan Im Thong Cho Hood Temple
 * Sri Krishnan Temple
 * Maghain Aboth Synagogue

The City Hall was restored temporarily for the event was also used from 11 September to 20 September as a registration centre for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings (Biennale exhibits in City Hall were closed during this period.

7 of the sites are religious spaces, tying back in to the Biennale theme: Belief. These sites represent Singapore's main religions and the artworks the sites each reflect the nature of the religious belief itself. Most of the works were site-specific, such as Indian artist, Ashok Sukumaran's "Everything is Contestable" light installation at the Armenian Church. Another remarkable artwork was Chinese artist, Jennifer Wen Ma's "Alms" which was a video displayed at three different sites, namely Maghain Aboth Synagogue, Saint Joseph's Church and Masjid Sultan. It reflected the emphasis on acts of altruism in the all three religious beliefs. The nature of these sites and artworks was intended to blur distinction between a holy site and an art gallery, all in a reverent manner.

Most venues were modified for use for the Singapore Biennale by the architecture firms Kennel LLP or Lekker Design.

Major events

 * 1 September 2006 Opening Party The opening party was held at the Padang and highlighted a fashion show by students from LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Raffles Design Institute, Temasek Polytechnic and Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, a projection on City Hall by Jenny Holzer, and a motion-controlled balloon sculpture by Usman Haque. The main party area was open to the public, and hosted by popular nightclub in Singapore, Ministry of Sound. The VIP tent was open to all artists, organizers, and invited guests including Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore. Exclusive events included a performance by the Tang Quartet inside a latex tent by artist Ana Prvacki. This performance was enjoyed by the Prime Minister of Singapore on cardboard furniture designed exclusively for the Singapore Biennale by designers Nathan Choe and Robin Wau. This furniture was based on a modular, flexible concept and changes function depending on position.

Integration with the Singapore Art Show
The Singapore Biennale is part of a framework of two bi-annual visual arts platforms which together provide a diverse showcase of visual arts in the country. The other event is the Singapore Art Show which serves as a platform for local visual artists.

These two biennials, organised on alternate years, nurture Singaporean talent and engage audiences both nationally and internationally.