Exploring shared histories and current realities within and beyond the region, Singapore Biennale 2016 presents a constellation of artistic perspectives that provide unexpected ways of seeing the world and ourselves.
Titled An Atlas of Mirrors, the international contemporary art exhibition features site-specific and never seen before contemporary artworks by more than 60 artists across Southeast Asia, and East and South Asia.
Singapore Biennale 2016 is organised by the Singapore Art Museum, commissioned by National Arts Council and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore.
AN ATLAS OF MIRRORS — AT ONCE, MANY WORLDS.
FROM WHERE WE ARE, HOW DO WE PICTURE THE WORLD — AND OURSELVES?
In charting our way around the world, humankind has relied on instruments of vision as well as navigation. Atlases map and mirror our journeys of discovery and often make visible more than just physical terrain; driven by our needs and desires, they embolden us to venture into the unknown.
From our coordinates in Southeast Asia, the arc of our shared histories encompasses East and South Asia. These regions bear the imprints of one another’s diverse cultures, even as boundaries are also constantly reimagined. Fraught and unstable, these borders are characterised by fluid movement and migration which also reflect pre-state national entities, and highlight the challenges that beset contemporary conditions.
Where navigational tools enable us to set our sights further afield, one instrument in particular – the mirror – brings us into that which is still so mysterious: the self. While we depend on mirrors to show us to ourselves, their reflective surfaces are not always reliable for they echo, skew, magnify and invert. How will a coupling of atlas and mirror shape the way in which we view the world?
Through a constellation of artistic perspectives which trace our intertwining relationships, 'An Atlas of Mirrors' positions Southeast Asia as a vantage point from which to picture our world anew.
Singapore Biennale 2016: An Atlas of Mirrors affiche
MAMAKAN EXPERIENCE
Installation at Fort Canning
27 October 2016 to 26 February 2017
Daily 4pm–11pm
FORT by Maison Ikkoku 5 Cox Terrace Singapore 179620
Free admission
Installation at Niven Road
27 October to 30 November 2016
Wednesdays to Sundays 11am–7pm
WOWhaus 23 Niven Road Singapore 228370
Free admission
Two GastroGeography of Singapore exhibitions feature a hand-drawn secret treasure map with hand-picked specimens of edible plants, flowers and fruits found in the very heart of bustling Singapore. Check out the hundreds of natural Singaporean specimens preserved in the finest Scandinavian vodka. These installations will awaken your senses as you tour the paths of hidden urban wonders. With the premiere of GastroGeography of Singapore, The Mamakan Art Collective of Food Explorers opens up a whole new movement of edible art.
Artist Tours @ Bras Basah & Fort Canning
5 November 2016 and 7 January 2017
5 December 2016 and 5 February 2017
Selected Saturdays and Sundays 8:30am–11:30am
Meeting place: SAM at 8Q 8 Queen Street Singapore 188535
Ending place: FORT by Maison Ikkoku 5 Cox Terrace Singapore 179620
$65 for tasters, map and a limited edition piece of edible artwork
Artist Tours @ Niven Road & Mount Emily
29 October and 12 November 2016
6 and 20 November 2016
Selected Saturdays and Sundays 8:30am–11:30am
Meeting and ending place: WOWhaus 23 Niven Road Singapore 228370
$65 for tasters, map and a limited edition piece of edible artwork
Thrill your senses, and let Mother Nature lead you on a gastronomic expedition. Join the team behind The Mamakan Art Collective of Food Explorers for a series of food and art adventures with mobile picnics, exhibitions, interactive games and more! Draw connections between food, art, memory, history and culture in this sensory experience that will change how you experience your surroundings. Participants will get to taste and identify local flora, and bring home something exquisite.
Register at www.mamakan.com or email hello@mamakan.com for more information.