60th Venice Biennale

National Gallery Singapore’s Collection at the Main Exhibition.

For the first time in Singapore’s history, artists from National Gallery Singapore’s collection have been invited to participate in the Main Exhibition of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte 2024), entitled Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa. The Biennale Arte 2024 runs from 20 April – 24 November 2024.

The artworks will be featured in the “Nucleo Storico” section in the Main Exhibition, in a sub-section entitled “Portraits”, which expands the history of modernism beyond Europe and North America by focusing on stories from the Global South, including artists whose trajectories took them across continents and contexts over the tumultuous course of the 20th century.

Ranging from self-portraits to representations of working class and indigenous persons, the eight artworks by Southeast Asian artists from the Gallery’s collection are as follows:

Jeune fille en blanc (Young Girl in White) (1931) by Lê Phổ (Vietnam/France);
Self Portrait (c. 1946) by Georgette Chen (China/Singapore);
Orang Irian dengan burung tjenderawasih (Irian Man with Bird of Paradise) (1948) by Emiria Sunassa (Indonesia);
Road Construction Worker (1955) by Chua Mia Tee (China/Singapore);
Self-Expression (c.1957/1963) by Lim Mu Hue (Singapore);
Labourer (Lunch Break) (1965) by Lai Foong Moi (Malaysia/Singapore);
My Family (1968) by Hendra Gunawan (Indonesia);
Self-Portrait (1975) by Affandi (Indonesia).

Location:
Main Exhibition, Giardini della Biennale
C. Giazzo, 30122 Venice
Italy

Creating opportunities to build new connections and to share the stories of artists from Southeast Asia is an important part of the mission and vision of National Gallery Singapore. The Gallery’s presentation of these works alongside those by many other prominent artists from the Global South is significant as it brings long-overdue recognition to the artists and their artworks, and inspires further research.