Since 1974, Biennale of Sydney has been showcasing contemporary art works by International artists and along with it, many contemporary art festivals are held around the world. This year, new to the Biennale is the Singapore Biennale 2006 which is going to be held in September 2006. The Biennale will be the anchor cultural event when Singapore plays host to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings.
This is interesting as Singapore had a “sterile reputation” and the government may be trying to change this impression with a visual arts festival. Since its independence, Singapore has been concentrating on the economic growth of the country. Only in the recent years, the government realized that in order to competitive, arts and culture must also be promoted. With the aim to capture the spirit of creativity and encounters of art and city life, the Biennale committee hopes to inspire interaction, generate new opportunities for artists and curators and create new content in the arts scene. Hence it is interesting to see that the government has placed the three major events together to create a balance. I wonder if potential investors would really view Singapore as a “culturally vibrant” country as a result of the Biennale.
I would like to explore the various impacts of a new Biennale, using Singapore Biennale 2006 as my case study. With the Biennale, the art market is no longer just for buyers and sellers. The Biennale definitely contributes to the economy for example, through tourism. I would like to explore the kinds of return for the government and the corporate sponsors.
Apart from this, I would like to find out if there is a change in the art market. With the fame the participating artists get from the event, would there be more demand for their art works? Would the local artists get more recognition? With the publicity the Biennale gets, would there be more interest in the arts among Singaporeans?
Grace
URLography
2006 Biennales
These are the sites for some of the Biennales of 2006
Singapore Biennale 2006
Biennale of Sydney 2006
Gwangju Biennale 2006
Shanghai Biennale 2006
Liverpool Biennale
Busan Biennale
Berlin Biennale
Singapore the Renaissance City
This is the Report about the government’s plans to establish Singapore as a global arts City
Art Market
Art Market Information