The 46-year-old admitted to trepidation at the thought of stepping into the shoes of Fumio Nanjo, the Japanese director of Tokyo's Mori Art Museum, who led the art show in 2006 and 2008.

'Yes, I did spend time thinking about it. It is a huge responsibility and I had my moments of self-doubt,' he said.

Mr Lee Suan Hiang, the National Arts Council's chief executive officer and chairman of the Singapore Biennale Steering Committee, said of Ngui's appointment: 'Matthew is both an artist and a curator. In him, we have the best of both worlds. He understands the issues and concerns of the artistic community. We did not select him because he is local, we selected him because he is the best man for the job.'

The third edition of Singapore's premier contemporary art show will be held in early 2011 instead of late next year.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times, Life!.