VIEWING THE WORLD IN
AN ATLAS OF MIRRORS
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BY KIMBERLY LEONG
Now in its first decade, the Singapore Biennale welcomed its fifth edition biennale, “An Atlas of Mirrors” last October, which lasted a period of four months. This was not a first for the Singapore Art Museum to anchor a biennale as the museum previously anchored for “If The World Changed” in 2013. This year, artistic direction of the biennale was led by Susie Lingham, Creative Director of Singapore Art Museum, alongside nine other curators. The collaboration created nine conceptual zones shaping the poetic and introspective experience, alluring visitors to walk through different outlooks around subjects ranging from time and space to historical stories and nature. Artworks in every conceptual zone resonates on many levels, thus simultaneously coincides and reflects each other surrounding the concept of "An Atlas of Mirrors" as a whole.
"An Atlas of Mirrors" began with a simple question, “From where we are, how do we see the world?” As an art enthusiast myself, I was always fascinated by the concept of seeing the world in other people’s eyes as I believe that no two people perceive the world the same way. Garnering several personal favourites such as Harumi Yukutake, Made Wianta and Deng Guo Yuan from previews on the biennale, I was definitely intrigued to have a first-hand experience.
One of my top picks would be the breath taking “Noah's Garden II” by Deng Guo Yuan from China. This site-specific work is a large scale kaleidoscope filled with a garden of colourful artificial plants. The infinite mirror throughout the surroundings transports viewers to another dimension where subjectivity is lost and the vibrant colour coated flora blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Another artistic powerhouse hailing from China is Qiu Zhi Jie, creator of “One Has to Wander through All the Outer Worlds to Reach the Innermost Shrine at the End”. In the investigation into cartographic history, the artist fixates the elements of fear and temptation with the Phantom Island and monsters. Qiu tells a story on explorers being enticed by mysterious lands but were often interfered by unusual creatures which were portrayed by the hand blown glass of outlandish beasts.
Last but not least, the intricate piece titled “Karagatan” (The Breadth of Oceans) by Gregory Halili is another artwork not to miss. The Filipino artist’s piece features detailed oil painted illustrations of the eyes of coastal villagers on pearls the size of a 50 cent coin. The purpose of the piece was to honour the people whose fate and fortune depend on the ocean, relating to the extraction of pearls from the deep.
“An Atlas of Mirrors” truly shone a new perspective on how we see the world, thus introduced diverse and unique ASEAN artists in the Singapore art scene. This visit was especially close to my heart as it took me back to nostalgic moments when I was an art student to becoming an art teacher 14 years later. Needless to say, the biennale experience touched me on many levels and it surely did not fail to impress. One thing I definitely taken into mind from this experience is to always look at every side of the coin as two people can look at the same thing but perceive it differently.
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