The Singapore Biennale has always aspired to be more than an exhibition – it wants to be an atmosphere, a state of mind, a civic experiment in artistic communion.This year’s edition, titled pure intention, spreads itself across the island like a cloud of possibility, from the hilltop historicity of Fort Canning to the faded charm of Tanglin Halt and the leafy quiet of Wessex Estate. Even the former Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) and old shopping malls on Orchard Road are roped in as exhibition sites.
The biennale website lists a total of 28 locations in five neighbourhoods. In theory, this diffusion is the point: to transform the city into a stage for contemporary art, a kind of urban symphony of creativity and reflection. In practice, though, it sometimes feels like a playlist on shuffle – filled with great tracks, but missing a through line. Organised by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and led by a curatorial quartet of Selene Yap, Hsu Fang-Tze, Ong Puay Khim and Duncan Bass, the Biennale brings together over 100 artists from various countries for a “deep engagement with Singapore’s rapidly changing social and urban environment”, as they jointly state.
