To spur the arts community here to excel, the Singapore Arts Festival, which was organised by the National Arts Council (NAC), will return next year under a new company set up by the council.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, said in Parliament on Friday that the Ministry agrees with the recommendation made by a review committee set up last year to have the festival be run by an independent festival company with the autonomy to determine the festival's artistic direction.

The move will allow the arts community to expand its programming capabilities, and over time, enable the Festival to develop a stronger identity of its own.

Minister Wong also said that plans are currently underway, in consultation with the relevant agencies and stakeholders, to pave Singapore's return to the prestigious art show, the Venice Biennale in 2015. The NAC had earlier announced a hiatus from the Biennale this year to assess if the cost of participating in it was worth its while.