BELIEF Exhibition
4th September to 12th November 2006

BELIEF is the theme for Singapore's first visual arts biennale. If today's world has painfully called into question many certainties governing society, history and humankind, can it also be described as an era of uncertainty in which the very subject of belief is in question? In the context of this so-called crisis of values, what do we individually and collectively believe in? Do we act on our beliefs or is belief simply a mindless act? Are the religious beliefs communicated by the great faiths more relevant than the secular beliefs in science, progress, democracy and politics that succeeded them? Or has the conflict between the two spawned such states of violent and ethical extremism in the service of religious and economic power that belief in anything appears incomprehensible? Are we beyond belief or at the threshold of its revival?

Led by internationally renowned curator Fumio NANJO, the exhibition will feature a diverse selection of international contemporary art practices, including artists from Singapore and its neighbouring regions. SB2006 aims to address the complexities that surround and inform some of the above questions. Through a diverse selection of international contemporary art practices, including artists from Singapore and its neighbouring regions, the biennale sets out to create a reflection rather than a representation of contemporary art's relationship with the subject of belief. In turn, this process of reflection will also examine the question of belief in relation to the system of art itself. With its longstanding relationship to religious and secular systems of thought, what are the inherent values of contemporary art today?

SB2006 is a culmination of the growth of Singapore's artists and achievements in visual arts at home and abroad. It highlights Singapore's prominence as an international visual arts hub, not only providing new opportunities for Singapore artists, curators and arts businesses, but also as a key enabler of exchange and collaborations for the global arts community.

More than 50% of the exhibition will showcase artists from across the Asia Pacific, with artists from Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Europe and North America completing the full list. These will be a mix of both emerging as well as established artists working across all art forms including architecture, biotechnology, drawing, installation, new media, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, sound projects and video.