Singapore Pavilion at the International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia
The National Arts Council (NAC) promotes and profiles Singapore’s arts and artists overseas, and Singapore’s participation at the International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte) is an extension of this commitment.
The International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte)
The International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte) is the most established international contemporary art event and widely regarded as the most significant. Established in 1895, it is one of the oldest and most important non-commercial platforms to showcase contemporary art, and a premier stage to showcase Singapore’s visual artists to the world and connect them with the global art world.
Singapore’s Participation
Singapore has been participating at the Biennale Arte since 2001. Following a review in 2013, NAC returned to the platform with a dedicated Singapore Pavilion situated at the newly restored space in the Sale d’Armi building at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy. This commitment is in line with NAC’s belief that Singapore’s participation in Venice will contribute to raising its profile as an emerging centre in Asia for artistic production and research.
The Biennale Arte is an important platform that allows our artists and curators to participate in discourses and dialogues with the global arts community and open up avenues for future exchanges and collaborations. NAC promotes and profiles Singapore’s arts and artists overseas, and Singapore’s participation at the biennale is an extension of this commitment.
About the Singapore Pavilion
The Singapore Pavilion is a 250 sqm space in a complex of buildings called the Sale d’Armi, which is centrally located and easily accessible within the Arsenale - a key site in Venice. It consists of a cluster of four 16th century barracks built with brick and stone, each with a wooden roof. It lies opposite the intersection between the long Corderie and Artiglierie buildings, where the main central square of the Arsenale is situated.
Singapore at the Biennale Arte (2024)
Robert Zhao Renhui and Haeju Kim, 2023. Image courtesy of Robert Zhao Renhui.
Commissioned by the National Arts Council, artist Robert Zhao Renhui and curator Haeju Kim will represent Singapore as the artistic team for the Singapore Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. For this edition, NAC has commissioned the Singapore Art Museum to organise the Singapore Pavilion in recognition of the museum as a leading contemporary art institution in Southeast Asia. As an artist, Zhao explores the complex relationships between nature and culture. Over the past eight years, he has rooted the pressing global topic of the Anthropocene to the Singaporean environment, through the exploration of secondary forests and their potential as key sites of regeneration and regrowth.
The 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Foreigners Everywhere, is curated by Adriano Pedrosa and runs from 20 April to 24 November 2024. Established in 1895, the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is the most established international contemporary art event and widely regarded as the most significant. Since 2015, the Singapore Pavilion has been located within the Arsenale and has featured artists such as Shubigi Rao (2022), Ho Tzu Nyen (2011), and Ming Wong (2009) who received Special Mention at the 53rd La Biennale di Venezia.
Art plays a role in confronting global issues and to provide a platform for discourse and the possibilities for more connected ways of living. Singapore’s participation at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia underscores efforts to resonate with global audiences and calls to action on pertinent issues.
| Edition | Year | Artist(s) | Curator(s) |
| 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2024 | Robert Zhao Renhui | Haeju Kim |
| 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2022 | Shubigi Rao | Ute Meta Bauer |
| 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2019 | Song-Ming Ang | Michelle Ho |
| 57th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2017 | Zai Kuning | - |
| 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2015 | Charles Lim | Shabbir Hussain Mustafa |
| 54th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2011 | Ho Tzu Nyen | June Yap |
| 53th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2009 | Ming Wong | Tang Fu Kuen |
| 52th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2007 | Zulkifle Mahmod, Jason Lim, Vincent Leow, Tang Da Wu | Lindy Poh |
| 51st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2005 | Lim Tzay Chuen | Eugene Tan |
| 50th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2003 | Tan Swie Hian, Francis Ng, Heman Chong | Low Sze Wee |
| 49th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia | 2001 | Suzann Victor, Henri Chen Kezhan, Salleh Japar, Matthew Ngui | Ahmad Mashadi & Joanna Lee |