Singapore Pavilion at Venice Biennale

Singapore Pavilion at the International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte)

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.

Biennale Arte
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 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 International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia 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.

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 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (2022)

NAC is pleased to announce the appointment of artist Shubigi Rao and curator Ute Meta Bauer as the artistic team for the Singapore Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia in 2022.

As an artist, Rao’s films, art, texts and photographs have critically, poetically and humorously engaged with systems of knowledge that structure our world. Since 2014, she has been visiting public and private collections, libraries and archives globally for Pulp: A Short Biography of the Banished Book, a decade-long film, book and visual art project about the history of book destruction.

The 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, The Milk of Dreams, is curated by Cecilia Alemani and runs from 23 April to 27 November 2022. Following a one-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks Singapore’s 10th participation in Venice. Since 2015, the Singapore Pavilion has been located within the Arsenale and has featured artists such as Song-Ming Ang (2019), Zai Kuning (2017) and Charles Lim (2015). In 2009, Ming Wong’s representation of Singapore received a Special Mention at the 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.

Art continues to provide solace during times of uncertainty. As the world gradually recovers from the pandemic, it becomes ever more important to care for societies through continued funding and support for the arts. Singapore’s participation in Biennale Arte 2022 underscores this commitment by presenting Singapore arts internationally despite these challenging times.

Quick Links

Singapore Pavilion 2022

Singapore Pavilion 2019