Singapore Biennial 2008
11 Sep - 16 Nov 2008
2nd Singapore Biennial
Wonder
11 September - 16 November 2008
"Wonder" is a feeling of surprise and admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected or unfamiliar, and as a verb, it is not only to “feel curious” or “desire to know”, but also to "feel doubt" - Concise Oxford Dictionary, 11th Edition, pp1658, 1859.
Its conceptual scope issues a challenge to the contemporary world, a world that no longer questions choices, nor allows for events and things to touch us at a profound level. Through contemporary art, Wonder serves as a challenging premise that calls for us to be awed, but more importantly, to let people recognise this and allow themselves to be surprised and tantalised. Wonder becomes an education in humanity as it opens stimulating avenues of discussion, dialogue and healthy critiques on issues relevant to mankind.
Rhetorician Hélène Cixous writes that "going from illusion to illusion, one also comes to understand the world", and indeed, wonder becomes the medium through which we start to discover the answers to the hidden mysteries that our world holds.
Thus, it is through Wonder that we are asked to reach beyond the apparent and to delve deeper into a new revelation and understanding about our world. We are asked to look at things around us, with fresh eyes and new perspectives. And we are asked to ponder about our past, present and even our future, with a renewed sense of innocence.
Curator:
Joselina CRUZ
Matthew NGUI
Artists:
ABDYKALYKOV, AKTAN
ABDYJAPAROV, ERNEST
AL-GHOUSSEIN, Tarek Talat
ALIABADI, Shirin
MOSHIRI, Farhad
AMANKUL, Shaarbek
AQUILIZAN, Alfredo Juan
AQUILIZAN, Maria Isabel Gaudinez
BAMADHAJ, Nadiah
BAN, Shigeru
BEECK, Hans Op de
BERBIC, Isak
BOYADJIEV, Luchezar
BUREN, Daniel
CARSLEY, Gary
CHEO, Chai Hiang
CHONG, Heman
COBANGBANG, Lena
DAHLGAARD, SØren
DINH, Q IÊ
LE, Van Danh
TRAN, Quoc Hai
DOLRON, Desiree
E-Chen
ERLICH, Leandro
FUKUDA, Ryuro
GOH, Rachel
HADLOW, Rick
HAN, Jong-Gun
HEIN, Jeppe
KABAKOV, Emilia
KABAKOV, Ilya
KELLY, Deborah
KO, Aung
THEIN, Chaw Ei
STREITMATTER-TRAN, Rich
KOH, Willie
TANG, Ling Nah
KUHN, Hans Peter
LANGAN, Clare
LEE, Jane
LEE, Yong Deok
LIEKO, Shiga
LIEW, Kung Yu
McCALL, Anthony
MONTOYA, Isaac
NAKAYA, Fujiko
NEUDECKER, Mariele
NEW, Leeroy
NGUYEN, Quang Huy
NIJENSOHN, Charly
NIJENSOHN, Charly
ONG, Sherman
PHAM, Ngoc Duong
PIMKANCHANAPONG, Wit
PRASAD, Srinivasa
PREGO, Sergio
RAO, Shubigi
RASHID, Layla Juma A.
RHEE, Ki-Bong
SAMRA, Faisal
SESTER, Marie
SHOMAN, Suha
SPELL 7
- RAE, Paul
- TAN, Kaylene
TAN, Evan
SUBBAIAH, Kiran
TAMBURELLA, Paolo W.
TAN, Truong
TISHKOV, Leonid
TROMARAMA
- BABYROSE, Febie
- HANS, Herbert
- HATUMENA, Ruddy Alexander
TSE, Su-Mei
UTAMA, Rizki R.
VARINI, Felice
WEERASETHAKUL, Apichatpong
YANG, Joshua
YUAN, Goang Ming
ZADOK, Ben-David
ZHAN, Wang
ZUREIKET, Sima
Wonder
11 September - 16 November 2008
"Wonder" is a feeling of surprise and admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected or unfamiliar, and as a verb, it is not only to “feel curious” or “desire to know”, but also to "feel doubt" - Concise Oxford Dictionary, 11th Edition, pp1658, 1859.
Its conceptual scope issues a challenge to the contemporary world, a world that no longer questions choices, nor allows for events and things to touch us at a profound level. Through contemporary art, Wonder serves as a challenging premise that calls for us to be awed, but more importantly, to let people recognise this and allow themselves to be surprised and tantalised. Wonder becomes an education in humanity as it opens stimulating avenues of discussion, dialogue and healthy critiques on issues relevant to mankind.
Rhetorician Hélène Cixous writes that "going from illusion to illusion, one also comes to understand the world", and indeed, wonder becomes the medium through which we start to discover the answers to the hidden mysteries that our world holds.
Thus, it is through Wonder that we are asked to reach beyond the apparent and to delve deeper into a new revelation and understanding about our world. We are asked to look at things around us, with fresh eyes and new perspectives. And we are asked to ponder about our past, present and even our future, with a renewed sense of innocence.
Curator:
Joselina CRUZ
Matthew NGUI
Artists:
ABDYKALYKOV, AKTAN
ABDYJAPAROV, ERNEST
AL-GHOUSSEIN, Tarek Talat
ALIABADI, Shirin
MOSHIRI, Farhad
AMANKUL, Shaarbek
AQUILIZAN, Alfredo Juan
AQUILIZAN, Maria Isabel Gaudinez
BAMADHAJ, Nadiah
BAN, Shigeru
BEECK, Hans Op de
BERBIC, Isak
BOYADJIEV, Luchezar
BUREN, Daniel
CARSLEY, Gary
CHEO, Chai Hiang
CHONG, Heman
COBANGBANG, Lena
DAHLGAARD, SØren
DINH, Q IÊ
LE, Van Danh
TRAN, Quoc Hai
DOLRON, Desiree
E-Chen
ERLICH, Leandro
FUKUDA, Ryuro
GOH, Rachel
HADLOW, Rick
HAN, Jong-Gun
HEIN, Jeppe
KABAKOV, Emilia
KABAKOV, Ilya
KELLY, Deborah
KO, Aung
THEIN, Chaw Ei
STREITMATTER-TRAN, Rich
KOH, Willie
TANG, Ling Nah
KUHN, Hans Peter
LANGAN, Clare
LEE, Jane
LEE, Yong Deok
LIEKO, Shiga
LIEW, Kung Yu
McCALL, Anthony
MONTOYA, Isaac
NAKAYA, Fujiko
NEUDECKER, Mariele
NEW, Leeroy
NGUYEN, Quang Huy
NIJENSOHN, Charly
NIJENSOHN, Charly
ONG, Sherman
PHAM, Ngoc Duong
PIMKANCHANAPONG, Wit
PRASAD, Srinivasa
PREGO, Sergio
RAO, Shubigi
RASHID, Layla Juma A.
RHEE, Ki-Bong
SAMRA, Faisal
SESTER, Marie
SHOMAN, Suha
SPELL 7
- RAE, Paul
- TAN, Kaylene
TAN, Evan
SUBBAIAH, Kiran
TAMBURELLA, Paolo W.
TAN, Truong
TISHKOV, Leonid
TROMARAMA
- BABYROSE, Febie
- HANS, Herbert
- HATUMENA, Ruddy Alexander
TSE, Su-Mei
UTAMA, Rizki R.
VARINI, Felice
WEERASETHAKUL, Apichatpong
YANG, Joshua
YUAN, Goang Ming
ZADOK, Ben-David
ZHAN, Wang
ZUREIKET, Sima