SINGAPORE - The Singapore Art Museum announced on Wednesday (July 29) that its blockbuster contemporary art event, the Singapore Biennale, will run from Oct 28, 2016 to Feb 26, 2017.
This is the fifth edition of the biennale, which was established in 2006 and aims to present and reflect artistic practices in Singapore, the region, and the world.
It is held in two-year cycles and this upcoming edition would have taken place this year, but was delayed a year to "give focus to the many national events marking the nation's birthday", said the museum's director, Dr Susie Lingham.
She adds: "2016 is also a significant year for the Singapore Art Museum, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary as Singapore's first stand-alone art museum. We are working towards the presentation of exciting new artworks and collaborations across the region and beyond in the next edition of the Singapore Biennale."
The art museum was the venue organiser of the biennale in 2011, becoming the main organiser in 2013. The biennale is commissioned by the National Arts Council.
The previous edition of the biennale, which ran from Oct 26, 2013 to Feb 16, 2014, was titled "If The World Changed" and was spread out over several venues in the Bras Basah-Bugis precinct, including the art museum, the National Museum of Singapore and the Peranakan Museum, as well as Our Museum @ Taman Jurong. A total of 82 artists and art collectives from 13 countries presented work. It attracted a record number of more than 560,000 visitors over a four-month period, surpassing attendance to earlier editions.
