...stands for the Singapore Biennale 2006 (pronounced
bee-n-ali). The biggest contemporary visual arts exhibition this tiny island has ever organized.
Not to be confused with another biggie, S2006, the IMF World Bank Conference also being run at about the same time but for a much shorter duration. Thank God! SB2006 is touted to be the cultural showcase of S2006, timed no doubt to show the world that we are not all Dollars and Cents, but we have some arty-farty Collars and Sense as well =))
Anyway the organisers for both mega-events are sooooo creative when it comes to names I tell you =P
SB2006 runs from 4 Sep 06 till 14 Nov 06 and showcases about 95 artists and 200 works of Contemporary Visual Art. And its not just about boring paintings lah. There are light sculptures, video presentations, lithographic/photographic exhibitions, murals and even a 'Raining Tree'.
Best of all, alot of the art installations take place in places of worship or heritage sites so visitors really get the best of both worlds, Art and a little bit of History thrown in.
For example Jaume Plensa's light sculpture 'Singapore Bridge of Light' is an intense beam of light sent upwards from a searchlight embedded in a 3m-high stone infront of the Maghain Aboth Synagogue. And Ashok Sukumaran's 'Everything Is Contestable' are lights placed around the facade of the Armenian Church of St Gregory The Illuminator which can be controlled by the public via 2 switches placed outside. Then there is Hiroshi Sugimoto's 'In Praise of Shadows', a series of lithographic prints that showcase his use of long-term exposures to record flickering flames that is being displayed at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul.
Gonna pop down to see some of the stuff in the coming 10 weeks. Especially those involving the use of light cos K and me are quite enamoured with stylish lampshades and designer brights =)) Its also a good chance for us to go visit sites like the Sri Krishnan Temple (murals), the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple (murals) and the City Hall (video), places which we would normally skip in favor of some shopping and a hot cappucino on Orchard Road.
The Urbanised Neanderthals we are =P
By the way, SB2006 somehow reminds me of BM2000, my white
Bata canvas/latex school shoes from waaaaaaaaay back then =))