Colonialism, Afrofuturism, Virtual Reality: the Best of the Singapore Biennale – Jakarta Globe

Singapore. The sixth Singapore Biennale will rununtil March this year at various venues in the city-state. The biggest art event in the country displays more than 200 notable contemporary works by artists from Southeast Asia and beyond.

This year, the biennale takes on the theme of"Every Step in the Right Direction" to reflect on the conditions of contemporary lifeandis held simultaneously at 11 venues the Asian Civilization Museum, de Suantio Gallery, Esplanade Theaters, Gillman Barracks, LaSalle College of the Arts, National Gallery Singapore, National Library, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Far East Plazaand W!ld Rice Funan.

But don't fret, you can easily move from onelocation to another on boardthe city's super-efficientMRT trains orpublic buses.Afree Singapore Biennale tour bus will run on weekends only (National Gallery Singapore and Gillman Barracks).

Itwill likelytake you more than two days to explore all the sites during the biennale. But Andrea Fam, the assistant curator of the Singapore Art Museum, has suggestedthis list of highlights that you simply can't miss.

'Instruction' by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Oldenborgh is a Dutch artistwhose mother lived in Java during the Dutch occupation of Indonesia before the Second World War. Her work at the biennale, "Instruction,"exploresunresolved issues fromDutch military interventions in Indonesia.

The video installation shows four young cadets from the Royal Netherlands Military Academy readinga script written by her about her mother.

"It hastwo screens, one showing Dutch military cadetsreciting a powerful propaganda piece, and anothershowing the translation. It makes you think about language today what are we focusing on, the content of what's being said or who is sayingit?Oldenborgdemands ofus to choose the visual image or the text, when you actually have to look at both or you won't understand a thing,"Fam told the Jakarta Globe.

Olderborgh's work is on display at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Relic 3' by Larry Achiampong

British-Ghanaian Achiampong revisits the history of colonization usingscience fiction and the concept of Afrofuturism. The piece is part of a series where he explores the fictitious Relic Travellers'Alliance of the African Union. The travelers go back and forward in time and assess where and how civilization went wrong.

"I think it'sa powerful way to assess all thecraziness ofthe world today. What Larry is doing is speculating can the African continent be the one to save the world?He started off by imagining2016 as an important year, with uncertainties in the Westwhile in Africa they produced a unified passport for the whole continent,"Fam said.

Achiampong's work can be found at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Block 22' at the Gillman Barracks

Block 22 is one of three blocks at the Gillman Barracks, displaying works from Paphonosak La-or, Ruangsak Anuwatwimonand Dusadee Huntrakul from Thailand, Robert Zhao Renhui from Singaporeand Zakaria Omar from Brunei.

"It's like a mini national history museum thateffectively illustratesthe biennale. The block shows artists who are tackling the thinking of constructs itself. You have Anuwatwimon who vividly reconstructs extinct species of plants. Omar who creates atotemic monument from demolished old stilt housesand Huntrakul who questions our value system through ancient relics,"Fam said.

'An Obstacle in Every Direction' by Nabilah Nordin

Nordin's work invites us to enter a room full of objects that are unsettlingly placed to suggestfailure routes that might go somewhere, nowhereor everywhere.

"When you enter this site, you will feel uneasiness because you're in this chaos, where things look like they're about to fall apart. The uncomfortable sensation that you feel is what she wants you to experience, being vulnerable, theawkwardness that you need to embrace. It's about not taking things too seriously,"Fam said.

"I think it's an important work because it summarizes the biennale nicely. Take your time, clear your routes there is no prize in the end, but maybe you will feel ease in this world,"Fam said.

Another must-see workat the biennaleisthe award-winning virtual reality experience "La camera insabbiata (The Chalkroom)" by Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang thatlets the audience fly througha labyrinth filled with writings and drawings.

Indonesia Represents

Works by Indonesian artists at the Singapore BiennaleincludeBoedi Widjaja's "Black-Hut, Black-Hut" on display at the National Gallery Singapore,an architectural installation inspired by the Javanese joglo house.

Also at the Gallery, Gillman Barracksand LaSalle College of the Arts, you will find a series of works byHafiz Rancajale from Pekanbaru called "Social Organism,"a rumination on Indonesia's post-Reformasi struggles.

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Colonialism, Afrofuturism, Virtual Reality: the Best of the Singapore Biennale - Jakarta Globe