Singapore's Participation at Venice Biennale over the Years

Ms Janice Koh asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (a) how much does the Ministry spend to present our top artists at each edition of the Venice Biennale since 2001; (b) how many artists have been featured at each edition since 2001; (c) what is the Ministry's assessment of the national and international impact of Singapore's participation at this platform; and (d) how have our participating artists benefitted from showcasing at this event.

Singapore has participated in six editions of the Venice Biennale since 2001. During this period9, the National Arts Council organised the Singapore Pavilion, commissioned and provided funding for showcasing the works of 14 local artists and seven curators at the Venice Biennale.

Government expenditure to support our participation at the Venice Biennale has ranged from $500,000 to $850,000 per edition. The Table below lists the respective artists and curators which have represented Singapore since 2001.

As contemporary art is still in a developmental phase in Singapore, the impact of our participation has been varied. Our presentations were understandably weaker in the initial editions as our artists and curators were still coming to terms with the Biennale and the conventions and expectations of such an international audience and platform.

Over the last six consecutive participations at the Venice Biennale, Singapore has seen some successes. For example, Ming Wong received a Special Mention award in 2009. Individual artists and curators, such as Heman Chong, Ho Tzu Nyen, Eugene Tan and June Yap, have also benefitted from the prestige and international exposure that the Biennale has given them, to go on to illustrious careers and opportunities.

On the whole, however, despite the millions of dollars spent on the Venice Biennale, only a handful of our artists and curators have been able to capitalise on the networking opportunities and prestige that their participation in Venice Biennale has brought, moving on to other artistic achievements and platforms. In terms of overall increased international demand for the vast majority of our artists, there is thus still much headway for us to make.

The Government acknowledges the importance and merits of international profiling for Singapore’s art scene and talent, which goes hand-in-hand with building up a strong and vibrant arts landscape. Singapore's participation at the Venice Biennale has helped profile a few selected artists within the international mindshare. The proposed review of our participation will seek to broaden and deepen the impact of our involvement at international platforms such as the Venice Biennale, so as to best support all our local talent and visual arts development at both the domestic and international levels.