Universes in Universe / Biennials / Singapore Biennale 2006 / The Biennale Complex
(print version)
The Biennale Complex
31 August - 2 September 2006
Singapore, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts and National Museum
The worldwide success of the biennale model, their inflationary number has led to the question of whether large exhibitions of the scale of the biennale, will continue to be practical or necessary in the future. Both participation of famous and often selected artists and financial subsidies can run into a bottleneck when major exhibitions overlap. In 2000, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen and the Museum Fridericianum in Kassel convened an international conference on the subject of biennales. From this emerged a biennale network, which last met in 2002 in Frankfurt. In August 2006, these discussions continue in Singapore in partnership with the inaugural Singapore Biennale.
In public and closed discussions, the roundtable organized and held in conjunction with the Singapore Biennale raises for discussion concerns by a growing network of curators who circulate amongst these biennales. The Biennale model’s role of critical dialogue and convergences has developed institutional and organisational characteristics necessary for gathering an internationally broad spectrum of professionals, artists and audiences. Yet the question of the function and purpose the biennale continues to serve is worth examination and review. These series of discussions will focus in particular on the new and emerging biennales, in dialogue with more experienced ones, examining their role in the creation of platforms for cultural development.
The conference language is English.
31 August 2006
Public Forum
LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Auditorium
90 Goodman Road
12 am
Welcome messages by
Fumio Nanjo, Artistic Director, Singapore Biennale
Eugene Tan, AICA Singapore & LASALLE-SIA
Introduction by Ursula Zeller, Head of Visual Arts Department, Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, Stuttgart, and Gerhard Haupt, Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art, Berlin
Moderators of the event:
Gerhard Haupt, Lee Weng Choy, Ursula Zeller
12:30 - 3 pm
Presentations by curators/organizers of the following biennales:
Sydney, Australia
1st edition: 1973
Charles Merewether, Paula Latos-Valier
Moscow, Russia
1st edition: 2005
Joseph Backstein
Dakar, Senegal
1st edition: 1998
Yacouba Konaté
3 pm - 3:45 pm Coffee Break
3:45 pm - 6:30 pm
Presentations by curators/organizers of the following biennales:
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
1st edition: 1993; new concept up from 2003
Mohammed Kazem
Ushuaia, Argentina
1st edition: 2007
Gustavo Romano
Manifesta
1st edition: 1996, changing venues in Europe
In 2006 planned for Nicosia, Cyprus, cancelled
Explained by Ursula Zeller
Saigon, Vietnam
Saigon Open City, 2006-2008
Gridthiya Gaweewong
7 pm
Exhibition Opening:
The Second Dance Song: New Contemporaries
Earl Lu Gallery of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, LASALLE-SIA
College of the Arts
2 September 2006
Closed Door - special invitation required
National Museum, Auditorium
93 Stamford Road
3 - 5 pm
The Biennale as Network
Possibilities of cooperations and coproductions between biennials
Participants: (special invitation)
Curators, organizers and artists of Biennials
Moderators:
Gerhard Haupt, Lee Weng Choy, Ursula Zeller
Organizers and Partners:
- Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, Stuttgart
- AICA - Singapore Section
- Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art, Berlin
- Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
- Singapore Biennale
With recognition of the Goethe-Institute Singapore.
© Organizers and Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art