Wazzup Pilipinas!?
SB2022 announces the addition of Singapore Flyer and 22 Orchard Road to the extensive list of SB2022 venues across Singapore, the activation of artworks and performances across the Southern Islands and Tanjong Pagar Distripark, and a diverse range of public programmes for the opening week, on 16, 21 and 22 October.
Singapore Biennale 2022 Key Visual – intervened by Berny Tan
The seventh edition of Singapore Biennale 2022 (SB2022) named Natasha, officially opens to the public this Sunday, 16 October 2022. Three new venues - the Singapore Flyer, International Plaza and 22 Orchard Road - will join the exciting lineup of locations around Singapore. Organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and commissioned by the National Arts Council, Singapore (NAC), audiences can embark on a journey with Natasha and its artists and collaborators, and re-discover different perspectives of viewing and relating to the world and the transformative potentials of life and relationships within it.
Eugene Tan, Director of SAM, said, “SAM is extremely pleased to present Natasha to the public.
In developing this edition of the Biennale, the Co-Artistic Directors - Binna Choi, Nida Ghouse, June Yap and Ala Younis - created a biennale that sensitively responded to its time, as we contemplate the role and place of art in a post-pandemic world. Through framing Natasha as an intimate and collective journey across Singapore with artists, collaborators and audiences, SAM foregrounds its interest in placing relationships at the centre of our work, where art is infused into the everyday and made accessible to different communities. We look forward to how this journey with everyone will unfold as Natasha continues to evolve and transform over time.”
Experience Natasha at three new locations, and with SB2022’s Islandwide Coverage project
Conceived as exploratory spaces for audiences to wander, rest and converse, SB2022 will take place in a variety of locations beyond Tanjong Pagar Distripark and traditional gallery settings.
International Plaza, the iconic Singapore Flyer and 22 Orchard Road are now part of the multiple locations visitors to the Biennale can experience art, in addition to the previously announced Sentosa Cove, St John’s Island, Lazarus Island, as well as everyday spaces like regional libraries and Yan Kit Playfield.
SB2022 Co-Artistic Directors, Binna Choi, Nida Ghouse, June Yap and Ala Younis, said, “The additions of International Plaza, the Singapore Flyer and 22 Orchard Road as spaces for art takes the experience of Natasha into unexpected places, and probes audiences to change their perspectives through art. It extends our interest in the re-discovery of life and everyday encounters in SAM's home of Tanjong Pagar Distripark and the neighbourhood around International Plaza and Yan Kit Playfield.”
The Singapore Flyer will serve as one of many locations under AWKNDAFFR’s (Wayne Lim and Soh Kay Min) multi-authored project Islandwide Coverage, which spans six diverse locations in Singapore, taking audiences from a well-loved icon of the Singapore skyline to regional libraries in the heartlands. By activating a variety of viewing experiences through these locations, AWKNDAFFR charts a course towards a sense of “no-whereness”. Through the integration of the artworks into the movement and mechanism of each venue, the audiences’ encounter with each location will be transformed. In keeping with AWKNDAFFR’s artistic practice of exploring forms of gathering, the art collective will also stage a roving exhibition consisting of a series of trailers and work-in-progress materials such as photographs and sketches of the presented artists’ work. The roving exhibition Prologue will be staged at the following three Regional Libraries:
● Woodlands Regional Library (Wednesday 9 November - Monday 26 December 2022)
● Jurong Regional Library (Wednesday 28 December 2022 – Sunday 26 February 2023)
● Tampines Regional Library (Wednesday 1 March – Sunday 9 April 2023)
Installation view of AWKNDAFFR's Islandwide Coverage (2022), as part of Singapore Biennale 2022 named Natasha. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum. Venturing to SAM Hoardings, AWKNDAFFR’s Islandwide Coverage will be featured at the Hoardings along Bras Basah Road. Designed by CROP, the work uses a combination of symbols and shapes to represent networks and connectivity. An overview of artworks across Singapore can be found in Annex B.
Natasha will also take audiences past Singapore’s coastline to the Southern Islands with the support of the Sentosa Development Corporation and the Singapore Land Authority. These islands provide a space for reflection, imagination, and projection while serving as a potent site for art, artists, and the public to gather in lived encounters. Audiences can look forward to six artistic projects that engage with our relationship to nature, social practices and myths.
Across the three islands, audiences can look forward to the following artworks:
Hawai’i USA artists Maile Meyer and Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick’s KĪPUKA (for “Natasha”) at Sentosa Cove, is set within an altered shipping container and brings together offerings from an intergenerational group of collaborators and friends. The word kīpuka carries many meanings in Hawaiian including ‘variation’ or ‘change of form’, ‘a calm place in a high sea’, ‘a deep place in a shoal’, and in everyday use, a metaphor for vibrancy and resilience.
Donghwan Kam, Fermentation House at Sentosa Cove, St John’s Island and Lazarus Island. Fermentation House was developed from Kam’s previous work Fermentation Garden which saw the artist cultivating kimchi in miniature houses. Fermentation House is situated across the Southern Islands as well as other SB2022 venues.
Part of the Nina bell F. House Museum featuring works by Donghwan Kam, Nuraini Juliastuti, Sophia Park, Ying Que with others in and around Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons.
Singaporean artist Zarina Muhammad’s Moving Earth, Crossing Water, Eating Soil at St John’s Island invites participants to lean in, listen and reorient their senses to unruly spaces on maps.
Drawing from islands that have lost their names, among other inspirations, the title alludes to the multiple historical identities of Pulau Sekijang Bendera and apotropaic acts associated with itinerancy, inhabitation and engaging with the potency of various landscapes. Her multi-faceted installation will be accompanied by several on-site workshops, tours and performances that audiences can participate in.
Encounter contemporary art across three floors at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Exhibition view of Level 5 Gallery, Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Image courtesy of Singapore Art Museum.
As audiences embark on their reflective journey with Natasha, they will come across a variety of artworks that respond to their respective environments, and spanning multimedia installations, immersive experiences and participatory workshops.
Spanning various spaces on Levels 1, 3 and 5 of Tanjong Pagar Distripark, the homeground of SAM will play host to an exciting and diverse selection of works of artists from Singapore, Southeast Asia, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. This includes renowned artists such as Haegue Yang, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Cevdet Erek, and Wu Mali and homegrown Singapore artists like Berny Tan and Ong Kian Peng. For the first time, audiences will be introduced to the practices of seminal artists including Samia Halaby and Joo Jae-Hwan and encounter newly commissioned works by Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, Kanitha Tith, Natasha Tontey, Kiran Kumar, Aarti Sunder, Brian Fuata, Ali Yass, Moad Musbahi, and Valentina Desideri and Denise Ferreira da Silva, among others.
As part of SB2022’s artist residencies in partnership with Darat al Funun - The Khalid Shoman Foundation, Singapore artist Ong Kian Peng will present an immersive multimedia installation.
titled The Viscous Sea, created during his three-month residency in Amman, Jordan. Jordanian
artist Raed Ibrahim, who is in-residence in Singapore till November 2022, will present on Level 5
a series of clay tablets coded and customised to reflect a subject that is missing, obstructing or
obscuring, exploring the anonymity of established concepts. Singapore artist, curator, and writer,
Berny Tan will also be in-residence from November 2022 to January 2023 at SAM’s EX-SITU
space on Level 3, with a curatorial research project titled Page Break that looks at how
everyday objects and scenes are explored through the medium of the art book.
Through the act of naming, the public is invited to meet and connect with artists, their lives, and different forms of life that are more than human. A myriad of conversations with surrounding environments are introduced as some artists present their interventions and artworks across spaces, whether it is on the grounds of Tanjong Pagar Distripark, or beyond. Visitors are encouraged to traverse between SB2022 venues and spaces to truly experience the breadth and depth of relationships and narratives of Natasha. More information on highlights at Tanjong Pagar Distripark can be found in Annex D.
Low Eng Teong, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Sector Development at the National Arts Council, and member of the Singapore Biennale Committee, said, “Since its inception, the Singapore Biennale has been crucial in spotlighting the artistic vigour of Singapore and the region’s arts and culture scene in a global dialogue on contemporary art. It has been an important platform for public engagement and to further nurture arts appreciation in Singaporean audiences. The Biennale continues to pursue its mission by inviting audiences to participate in a collective journey that traverses a variety of iconic, everyday and artistic spaces across Singapore. In transforming the island into a distinctive city through art, we hope to bring the arts to people of all ages and backgrounds. This is also in line with the next iteration of Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027), as NAC continues to work closely with our partners and key stakeholders to strengthen our arts ecosystem.”
Public Programmes for SB2022’s Opening Week
To celebrate the return of Singapore Biennale, SAM will be presenting a series of public programmes as it kickstarts the opening week of Natasha. Programmes are held across two weekends on 16, 21 and 22 October 2022, where audiences can participate in art experiences that reflect the vulnerabilities and stories of transformation of the artists and collaborators.
These include encounters with many of SB2022’s participating artists and works in-person, through a series of artist talks, including Joo Jaehwan, Haegue Yang, Samia Halaby and Brian Fuata in deep conversations with the Co-Artistic Directors; workshop by Kiran Kumar; and performances by Brian Fuata and Natasha Tontey.
SAM’s doors will also be open past opening hours on 21 and 22 October 2022, inviting all to explore the museum after dusk in a fun-filled evening of art and entertainment. Parents can also plan an exciting day out for the family at SAMily Funday on 22 October and enjoy a line-up of programmes and activities designed for all ages. More information on the programme line-up and schedule can be found in Annex E.
Benesse Prize Winner to be announced on 15 October
Benesse Holdings Inc. will be once again collaborating with SAM in presenting the 13th Benesse Prize at SB2022. In its third edition with the Singapore Biennale, the winner of thevPrize will be announced at an awards ceremony on 15 October 2022, during the opening of the Biennale. The prize will be awarded to an outstanding artist or artist collective chosen from the participating artists of the Biennale, based on how their work embodies an experimental and critical spirit beyond conventional practices and who is expected to have the potential to create works that will lead to "Benesse = Well-Being". The winner will be selected by an international jury that has been jointly appointed by Benesse Holdings Inc. and Singapore Art Museum.
The main event for SB2022 will run from 16 October 2022 to 19 March 2023. More information on ticketing can be found on SB2022’s website (https://www.singaporebiennale.org/). You can also join the conversation on Facebook (@SingaporeBiennale) and Instagram (@sgbiennale).
For more information, please refer to the Annexes.
● Annex A: Full list of artists
● Annex B: Artworks at the various SB2022 locations
● Annex C: Artists presenting works at 22 Orchard Road
● Annex D: Highlights at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
● Annex E: SB2022 Opening Week Public Programme Schedule
● Annex F: About the Benesse Prize
● Annex G: Map of SB2022’s Venues in Singapore
● Annex H: Ticketing Information
Other assets may be downloaded at https://bit.ly/SB2022mediakit.
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About the Singapore Biennale
The Singapore Biennale was established in 2006 as the country’s pre-eminent platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. It presents and reflects the vigour of artistic practices in Singapore and the region within a global context, and fosters productive collaborations and deep engagement with artists, arts organisations, and the international arts community.
The Singapore Biennale cultivates public engagement with contemporary art through a period of concerted activities including exhibitions, public engagement and education programmes that
feature artist and curator talks and tours, school visits and workshops, and community days. It complements achievements in other areas of arts and culture, collectively enhancing Singapore’s international profile as a vibrant city in which to live, work and play.
The 2006 and 2008 editions of the Biennale were organised by the National Arts Council (NAC).
NAC has commissioned SAM to organise the Biennale since 2011.
About the Singapore Art Museum
Singapore Art Museum opened in 1996 as the first art museum in Singapore located in the cultural district of Singapore. Known as SAM, the museum presents contemporary art from a Southeast Asian perspective for artists, art lovers and the art curious in multiple venues across the island, including a new venue in the historic port area of Tanjong Pagar.
The museum is building one of the world's most important public collections of Southeast Asian contemporary art, with the aim of connecting the art and the artists to the public and future generations through exhibitions and programmes. SAM is working towards a humane and sustainable future by committing to responsible practices within its processes.
To find out more, visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg.
About the National Arts Council
The National Arts Council champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, our diverse and distinctive arts inspire our people, connect communities and profile Singapore internationally. We preserve our rich, cultural traditions as we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies for the future. Our support for the arts is comprehensive – from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to and through the arts so that together we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives.
For more information on the Council's mission and plans, visit www.nac.gov.sg.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
