What not to miss at Singapore Biennale 2016

Recently I visited the Singapore Biennale 2016: Atlas of Mirrors.

It’s on till february 26th in 7 locations, although most of the art can be found at SAM and SAM at Q8. Which are the two museums that I went to.

No, this hand is not giving you the finger. The artist suggests that the rest of the statue is underground and that this finger once pointed sailors in the right direction.

Inscription of the island |curlytraveller.com

From another angle.

Singapore Biennale 2016 - Atlas of Mirrors

This year’s theme in short:

From where are we, how do we picture the world - and ourselves?

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.

How will a coupling of atlas and mirror shape the way we view the world?

58 Artists from 19 countries show their reflections on the above questions and theme.

What not to miss at Singapore Biennale 2016

Taste, so also taste in art, is -ofcourse- subjective.

In all subjectiveness, allow me to be your curator for a moment…

I’m sharing with you my 10 favorites from the SAM plus 2 favorites that you’ll find at SAM at Q8.

In random order:

At SAM:

Paracosmos - Harumi Yukutake (Japan)
These hand-cut mirrors create an explosion of warped reflections, making it impossible to distinguish anything.
Desert Islands - Map Office (Hong Kong)
The artists researched until they found 100 islands that are not well-known, yet played important roles in history.
Growing - Hemali Bhuta (India)
As soon as you enter the SAM, the smell of incense is everywhere. Once you reach this room it becomes clear where the scent came from. A wall of fragrant incense sticks is strung from the ceiling. The art work reflects on ideas of growth, life and death.
I wander, I wonder - Dex Fernandez (The Philippines)
In the courtyard you’ll find a number of murals like this one. Unfortunately the sun was extremely harsh when I was there, creating enormous shadows from the palm trees in that courtyard. This mural was the only one I could photograph nicely.
One has to wander through All the Outer Worlds to Reach the Innermost Shrine at the End - Qiu Zhije
I like the concept of maps of imaginary countries. On the small black rock ‘islands’ in front of the huge maps are glass fantasy animals.
Karagatan (The Breadth of Oceans) - Gregory Halili (The Philippines)
I love this delicate art work by Gregory Halili. It portrays the eyes of residents in coastal villages across the Philippines, like fishermen and pearl divers. The artist painted an eye of each of his subjects on pieces of mother-of-pearl. Intriguing!
Aftermath - Pannaphan Yodmanee (Thailand)
This ‘mural’ is epic by it’s size and used materials already. On top of that it is very rich in every aspect: the used materials and media, the imagery and symbols. This Thai artist shows her ideas and fears about change, loss, devastation and eventually armageddon. Fascinating work.
History repeats itself - Titarubi (Indonesia)
Shadowy figures with cloaks from gold-plated nutmeg on burnt-out ships. This work refers to Indonesia’s colonial past, specifically to the Dutch colonials. Strong atmosphere and imagery.
Noah’s Garden II - Deng Guoyuan (China)
A small pavilion made out of mirrored walls. In the middle: revolving mirrored panels, in the corners: bright colored, kitschy rocks and flowers.

Walking inside the pavilion is literally a dazzling experience. The revolving part and the mirrored surfaces make you feel as if you are smack in the middle of a gigantic kaleidoscope.

Depending on where you stand and the position of the revolving parts, you and the space you are in sometimes seem to be lost, only to return 10-folded. Oh, be aware that the floor is a mirror too, for those of us in short skirts;-).
Locus Amoenus - Ryan Villamael (The Philippines)
You may wonder what’s so special here? Hanging vines in a small niche?

Have a better look!

These plants and this foliage is made from intricate cut-outs created from Philippine maps. The two-sided leafs have a vintage map on one side and a contemporary map on the other. Beautiful!

At SAM at Q8:

Putar Alam Cafe - Azizan Paiman (Malaysia)
In front of SAM at Q8 stands this tiny cubicle-cafe. When I was there, inside was a bartender and one guest. I love the idea behind it. Read the signage in the next picture. That will clarify the concept.

So cool!

Inside the cubicle.
Sugoruko - Anxiety of falling from history - Nobuaki Takekawa (Japan)
Absurdism, humor and a comic book style; what’s NOT to love!

The Japanese artist has taken a crab as one of the lead symbols in his installation. No idea why, but I like it.

Look at this crab that he made from kitchen utensils. Hilarious and so creative!!!

No crab, but from the same artist.

Some advice

Take your time!!!

I was offered to turn my one day pass into a three day pass for some more dollars. Since I’m heading back to Holland soon, I turned down this option. But otherwise I think it’s a very good deal that I surely would have taken.

There are some Chinese movies in the Biennale that I would have loved to see and there are many art works that are chock-filled with information .

You can easily come back several times and still be entertained.