There are two alternating art shows that happen every other year in Singapore, one being the contemporary and international festival, the Singapore Biennale, and the other, Showcase Singapore. While the ‘Biennale ‘ symbolizes the successful inclusion of Singapore in the global art world, some have criticized the most recent show in 2008 for excluding many Asian artists in exchange for attracting more business minded ideas, exchanging the cultural diversity and the enriching value that art has for any society, for sales. However, art is international andmulti -cultural which is a beautiful aspect, that it brings people from all over the world together with sole purposes of painting, or making music or doing theater. There seems, for some in Singapore, that the identity and the meaning has been lost in the brief run since the show began 2006, that there is not enough of Southeast Asian talent represented in the exhibits.
In Contrast, Showcase Singapore is a show that features, as the name implies, the best, the new, the hip new talent of SE Asia’s artists. Many invited to participate are unknown and come from Asian countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, to mention just a few. And of course Singaporean artists as well. Galleries gather up the work and bring together some of the most exciting pieces of work being produced to date. The pieces are hung or exhibited at the City Hall, as well as on the walls of the galleries in the art district. There are guided tours that occur daily throughout the run of the show, and although this features the works of Asian artists, the audience it draws are international and travel from all parts of the world in hopes of gaining pieces of work, produced by those artists that will become famous one day. Many businesses, such as cafes and some of the top hotels in Singapore, participate in the events as well, hosting receptions and parties for the artists as well as the attendees. These two alternating shows have provided Singapore with a position in the global art world, and the respect of the Singaporean artists.
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