Forum: Clear wall text needed for Biennale artworks

I thank Ms Ong Sor Fern for taking the time to research her article “

Time to shut down the Singapore Biennale?

” (Jan 6) and for sharing her experiences of foreign biennales.

Whether one agrees with her views or not, Ms Ong’s candour should be welcomed if we are to cultivate a more rigorous, open and self-reflective art discourse in Singapore – one that can accommodate disagreement and critical debate.

While I am grateful for the efforts of the artists, curators and the organising team behind the Singapore Biennale, a key question remains: Who is the Biennale for?

I was bewildered by the lack of clarity in the wall text explaining the works. If an art biennale funded by tax dollars is intended for the general public, and not only for those who are art-trained, should the explanatory text not be clear, concise and free of confusing jargon?

As I moved through the different Biennale venues, I often found myself intrigued by the interesting works on display, only to feel further confused after reading the accompanying wall text. 

I found that many were either laden with art jargon or phrased so broadly that it was difficult to extract any real meaning on first reading. While this may be acceptable in a more academic context, it is far less helpful for works intended for a general audience.

Clear phrasing does not equate to “dumbing down” an artwork. On the contrary, it takes intellectual acuity to distil complex ideas to their essence and communicate them in an accessible way.

Doing so also signals a courageous openness to debate and discussion. Put simply, the more people understand your ideas, the more likely they are to challenge and meaningfully engage with them.

Clear wall text for public art exhibitions is relatively low-hanging fruit in the broader journey towards more widespread art education within our population, and I hope that our public art institutions keep this in mind for future presentations.

Usha Chandradas