The
Venice Biennale is the oldest and most renowned festival for
international contemporary art. Founded in 1895 to showcase
the best Italian art of its time, it has evolved to become the
international platform for contemporary art. The Biennale organises
exhibitions and live performances. Its six areas of activity
are architecture, visual arts, cinema, theatre, music and dance.
Singapore made its first mark in last year's 49th Venice Biennale
International Art Exhibition. Four Singapore artists, Matthew
Ngui, Salleh Japar, Chen Ke Zhan and Suzann Victor, were among
many Asian artists making their presence felt. Their participation
drew deep interest. Mathew Ngui presented the fluidity of water
in Venice by using prisms. Mathew appears to link Singapore
and Venice with the image of moving water that people from both
places feel strongly to. Salleh Japer and Suzann Victor made
similar links with reference to the history of Western colonisation.
Salleh's large metal-clad wall connecting two areas with different
smells signified the relationship between colonial powers and
the colonised subject. Suzann Victor's installation consisted
of three chandeliers. One representing the colonised subject
oscillated between the other two representing the glory of the
colonised world. Chen Ke Zhan's 12-meter Chinese ink made use
of the former chapel's spatial structure such that it challenged
the viewer to weave the different parts of the painting that
he had seen into an organic whole. Curator Low Sze Wee wrote
that the works touched on identities and the urban condition
of Singapore city life, within a global context.
This year's Venice Biennale is held from 15 June to 2 November.
Titled "Dreams and Conflicts - The Viewer's Dictatorship",
Artistic Director Francesco Bonami conceives |
Singapore's
Participation
in the 50th Venice Biennale
International Art Exhibition
By
Ting Szu Kiong
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the notion of the 50th International Art Exhibition as a survey on
the diverse ideas of contemporary art to seek a unity that defines
its current infrastructure. Tan Swei Hian, Heman Chong and Francis
Ng are representing Singapore. They will share the same concerns as
those of the four participants last year, within their own individual
contexts using different media.
Tan Swei Hian, the "Renaissance man", finds motivation for
creation in Buddhism. The works of this multidisciplinary artist reflects
the spirit of Chinese philosophy, Buddhism, and the thoughts of Chinese
Singaporeans. This recent winner of the Crystal Award at the World
Economic Forum for his contribution to cross-cultural understanding
will feature seven paintings at the Singapore Pavilion. He will also
be executing an 11-metre calligraphy at the famous Piazza San Marco.
Francis Ng, who is interested in locations, dislocations and space,
juxtaposes existing and reconstructed spaces so as to change the viewers'
experience of such spaces. At the Biennale, he will showcase his installation
work in the waterborne city. It explores the relationship of the self,
artist and water.
Heman Chong is concerned with trans-cultural negotiations, the problems
arising from cultural differences, and the politics of cultural production.
At the Biennale, he will continue his multidisciplinary exploration
with a 20-channel dance-video installation.
The artists of the 49th Biennale provided an overview of Singapore's
cultural landscape while the artists of the 50th Biennale offer a
different journey in the context of a globalised world.
Pictures
provided by the National Arts Council
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