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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Pavilion at the Venice Biennale opened on Thursday to positive reviews from the international arts community.
At the opening, it was also announced that Fumio Nanjo, artistic director of last year's Singapore Biennale, will be taking on the same role in the 2008 Singapore Biennale.
It is tough competition at the Venice Biennale, with each country pulling out all the stops to attract the who's who of the international arts community to their pavilion opening.
Singapore did not do too badly, with an attendance of over 200 people, despite its opening time clashing with the official news conference of the Venice Biennale.
Many had come to witness the crashing of the lotus chandelier, which took Jason Lim eight months to create, and only a second to destroy.
And from the looks of it, the audience wasn't disappointed.
"The lights for me [were] to try and build up the momentum, the tension. There were a few people who were just behind me, along the wall, and the room was so quiet, I [could] literally hear their breathing, and their breathing [was] pretty heavy," said Jason Lim, Artist, Singapore Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
"The way I work with the lights corresponds with the breathing I can hear, rather than my own breathing," he added.
The National Arts Council (NAC) also used the occasion to invite the international arts community to the Singapore Biennale next year.
And though the event will be on a smaller scale and has a smaller budget, the team is confident it can produce something of international acclaim.
Lee Suan Hiang, CEO, NAC, said: "It is not about size, it is about striking a resonance with the viewers, the Singaporeans and the international arts community. We managed to do that the first time around.
"We want to build on this and hope that the second one will not only be of interest but also strike a chord with the international community."
And it is also about growing art awareness among the community.
"In the first one, I tried to reach [the] local audience... We invited many school programmes, ordinary people. We provided many guided tours, but still the audience was limited. I want to widen and increase the audience," said Fumio Nanjo, Artistic Director, Singapore Biennale 2008.
But how will Singapore distinguish itself from all the other biennales happening in the Asia Pacific?
Korea has the Gwangju Biennale, China has the Shanghai Biennale, and Australia has the Sydney Biennale.
The artistic director believes the answer lies in showcasing Southeast Asian works, which are not often seen in international biennales, such as the one here in Venice.
The two-month long Singapore Biennale 2008 will take place in September next year. - CNA/yy
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