Wonder is defined (in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary) as “a feeling of surprise and admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected or familiar” and as a verb, it is not only to feel curious or desire to know, but also to feel doubt.

Wonder is also the newly unveiled theme for Singapore Biennale 2008 (SB2008), linking back to Belief, the theme for the 1st biennale, which was held on Sep 4 2006.

“With Wonder, we want audiences to question the world around us, to inspire them to have a healthy skepticism about what we know and believe, to be surprised and move them towards a new revelation or understanding of the world,” said Fumio Nanjo, artistic director of SB2008.

Biennale is an Italian word that means “every other year” and which describes accurately the frequency of the arts event. The Singapore Biennale is an international contemporary arts exhibition that is located at various venues in Singapore, and that places Singapore in the spotlight with other well-known biennales such as the Venice Biennale and Biennale of Sydney

The 2nd biennale, organised by National Arts Council (NAC), will once again be headed by artistic director, Fumio Nanjo, while 2 new curators, Joselina Cruz and Matthew Ngui, chosen by Fumio make up the curatorial team. Joselina is an independent curator working between Manila and Singapore while Matthew is a visual artist and has worked in numerous art exhibitions.

This 2nd edition will also see a reduction in venues, from the previous 19 to just a handful, iconic locations such as the old colonial building, City Hall and the refreshingly revamped Marina Bay. SB2008 will be held on Sep 11.

 

The curatorial team is also sending out invitations to Singaporean or locally based artists to submit their work as an expression of interest. Interested parties should include:

  • a CV,
  • an artist statement,
  • a brief response to Wonder in relation to your practice,
  • 10 images showing your practice in digital format in one CD-ROM or hard copies in A4 size that are not returnable.