Every Step In The Right Direction
November 22, 2019–March 22, 2020
Singapore Biennale 2019 (SB2019) returns for its sixth edition, with 77 artists and art collectives from 36 countries and territories. Titled Every Step in the Right Direction, the international contemporary art exhibition invites public participation through the act of artistic exploration, drawing on the importance of making choices and taking steps to consider the conditions of contemporary life and the human endeavour for change. Commissioned by the National Arts Council and organised by SAM, the Singapore Biennale will run from November 22, 2019 until March 22, 2020 across 11 venues in the city. SB2019’s opening weekend will feature programmes for the public, including artist performances, curator and artist tours and talks.
With a strong focus on Southeast Asia, this edition welcomes over 150 works across a breadth of diverse mediums including film, installation, sound art and performance, as well as new commissions and works that have never been presented on biennale platforms. Led by Artistic Director Patrick Flores, the team of six Singapore Biennale curators have both independent and institutional backgrounds in the region, bringing together a wide spectrum of interests and experiences that afford opportunities for invigorating conversations and deliberations.
Singapore Biennale 2019: Every Step in the Right Direction refers to the ethical imperative for both artists and audiences to make choices and take steps to reflect on the conditions of contemporary life. The Singapore Biennale 2019 puts its faith squarely in the transformative potential of the artist to rework the world, and invites the audience to be open to such a work and to a world that is made different through it. The title is presented as an argument and an invitation: to move around, reflect, and recover the joy of thinking through and acting out through contemporary art in a collective process. The festival-seminar framework brings together thoughtfulness and delight as complementary modes of understanding and cherishing the world.
SB2019 participating artists and collectives include:
Larry Achiampong (United Kingdom), Raymundo Albano (The Philippines), Laurie Anderson (USA) & Hsin-Chien Huang (Taiwan), Arnont Nongyao (Thailand), Boedi Widjaja (Singapore), Karolina Bregula (Poland/Taiwan), Busui Ajaw (Thailand), Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Turkey), C&G (Hong Kong), Centro Audiovisual Max Stahl Timor-Leste (CAMSTL) (Timor-Leste), Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (South Korea/USA), Chang En-Man (Taiwan), Kray Chen (Singapore), Sharon Chin (Malaysia), Celine Condorelli (France/UK), Sandu Darie (Romania/Cuba), Desire Machine Collective (India), Dusadee Huntrakul (Thailand), Ha Bik Chuen (Hong Kong), Hafiz Rancajale (Indonesia), Amanda Heng (Singapore), Chia Wei Hsu (Taiwan), Hu Yun (China/Serbia), Kahlil Robert Irving (USA), Ismail Zain (Malaysia), Juliana Yasin (Singapore), Mathias Kauage (Papua New Guinea), Khairullah Rahim (Singapore), Korakrit Arunanondchai (Thailand/USA), Le Quang Ha (Vietnam), Soyung Lee (South Korea), Lawrence Lek (Germany/UK), Lim Sokchanlina (Cambodia), Jen Liu (USA), Temsüyanger Longkumer (India/UK), Lani Maestro (The Philippines/Canada/France), Min Thein Sung (Myanmar), Petros Moris (Greece), muf architecture/art (UK), Nabilah Nordin (Singapore/Australia), Pooja Nansi (Singapore), Ngoc Nau (Vietnam), Okui Lala (Malaysia), Alfonso Ossorio (The Philippines/USA), Paphonsak La-or (Thailand), Gary-Ross Pastrana (The Philippines), Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier (Laos/UK), Phare, the Battambang Circus (Cambodia), Post-Museum (Singapore), Prapat Jiwarangsan (Thailand), Tracey Rose (South Africa), Ruangsak Anuwatwimon (Thailand), Miljohn Ruperto (The Philippines/USA), Ali Akbar Sadeghi (Iran), Judy Freya Sibayan (The Philippines), Haifa Subay (Yemen), Dennis Tan (Singapore/Japan), Koki Tanaka (Japan), Zai Tang (UK/Singapore), The Mamitua Saber Project with Bakudapan Food Study Group (Indonesia), •• PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT (Hong Kong/China) and Mark Sanchez (The Philippines), titre provisoire (Germany), Veronica Troncoso (Chile/Germany), Wu Tsang (USA/Germany/Switzerland), Wendelien van Oldenborgh (The Netherlands/Germany), Vandy Rattana (Cambodia/Japan/France), Carlos Villa (USA), Marie Voignier (France), Vanghoua Anthony Vue (Australia), Jason Wee (Singapore), Zakaria Omar (Brunei), Zakkubalan, in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto (USA/Japan), Robert Zhao Renhui (Singapore).
SB2019 will take place in 11 venues across the city, spanning Singapore’s landmark cultural institutions, historical and vital public spaces. The works in the Biennale converse with the sites in which they are located, where each location becomes a central part of their conception and experience. Sites include: National Gallery of Singapore, Gillman Barracks, LASALLE College of the Arts, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Art Museum (Hoarding), Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, SAM at 8Q (Hoarding), SMU de Suantio Gallery, National Museum of Singapore, National Library, Far East Plaza and W!LD RICE @ Funan.
Please register your details at the SB2019 Media Accreditation Link: http://muwwbzed.evenium.net/
Sutton
Victoria Kung
T +852 2528 0792
sb2019 [at] suttonpr.com
