The fourth edition of the Singapore Biennale (SB2013), the country’s pre-eminent platform for international dialogue in contemporary art, opens to the public this Saturday 26 October 2013 to 16 February 2014. Titled If the World Changed, this Biennale invites artists to reconsider the world we live in, and the worlds we want to live in. 

Featuring works by 82 artists and artist collectives from 13 countries, SB2013 has harnessed the energy of the Southeast Asian region to bring to the fore unique practices, concerns and myriad perspectives of artists from this part of the world. Drawing on the combined expertise of its team of 27 curators, a significant 93% of works are by artists or collectives from the region, resulting in the strongest Asian representation to date. A substantive number of works have also been specially commissioned for SB2013, and are being shown for the first time here. 

Each artist’s unique engagement with the title If The World Changed has resulted in the works coming together in unexpected ways, presenting a layered perspective for visitors to consider. Viewed holistically, the collection explores concepts such as spirituality; histories, ancestries and futures; the self and the other; exchanges as well as nature and geographies.

Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum, said, “As a museum, SAM has been invested in collecting, presenting and representing contemporary art and artists of the region. This Biennale was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase its complexity and dynamism, furthering our effort to raise the profile of our region’s contemporary art and artists at a much more intense level. We hope that through the artists and works presented, visitors will come away with a sense of the deep connectedness within the region, as well as an appreciation of the cultural and artistic diversity in contemporary Southeast Asia.”

Of particular note is that SB2013 reaches beyond the familiar, featuring artists who hail not only from major metropolitan centres but also from lesser known regions, allowing a multi-faceted and diverse presentation of current regional art practices as well as artistic responses. Comprising various mediums including video, installation, painting, photography, mixed media, sculpture and more, the engaging works of SB2013 aim to deepen our understanding of the sociocultural, economic, aesthetic and ideological complexities of the region. 

Biennale outreach programmes 
During the opening weekend, Artists and Curators in Conversation will see SB artists and curators sharing about the creative processes and ideas behind their works in person on-site. In addition, visitors can look forward to themed tours led by Singapore-based Biennale curators that will explore various topics and ideas reflected in Biennale works.

The Appreciating Art Lecture Series makes its return in 2014, presenting an overview of contemporary art development in Southeast Asia within socio-political and cultural contexts drawn from the SB2013 works.

In addition, a new range of talks, The Mapping Series, invites experts from diverse fields such as social sciences, cultural anthropology and arts and design, in discourses that encourage multi-layered and multi-disciplinary exploration into themes and issues of the Biennale.

Artist workshops will also be conducted, with each workshop allowing participants to learn and create works of their own, based on the Biennale title.

Other special programmes include a two-day academic symposium aimed at contextualising and investigating Asian biennales and Southeast Asian art practices. 

SB2013 is organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the National Arts Council and the National Heritage Board. More information on SB2013 artists, curators and programmes is available at www.singaporebiennale.org.