AN INSTALLATION at the Singapore Biennale is attracting not only art lovers but also an army of ants and bees.

The 2m-tall sculpture, modelled after a Myanmarese pagoda, is made entirely of sugar and starch.

It was created by artists Richard Streitmatter-Tran from Vietnam and Chaw Ei Thein and Aung Ko from Myanmar, and is on display at South Beach Development in Beach Road.

But since the Biennale opened on Sept 11, the installation has been drawing a stream of ants, bees and centipedes. Many dead ants can be seen stuck in the sugar.

The exhibit has also started to ferment and is giving off a peculiar smell. Small parts of the pagoda have crumbled.

The title of the work, September Sweetness, is meant to be an ironic tribute to the people who died during the unrest in Myanmar last September, when thousands of monks marched in the streets calling for democratic change.

The artists intended the sugar artwork to erode over time, to symbolise the erosion of hope for a better future in Myanmar.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!