Art-ful island

Singapore Biennale 2013 immerses itself in art from the region’s unique, diverse cultures and communities.

WHAT do a garden of disembodied dolls’ heads, mountain-like bamboo structures, a public ritualistic mandi bunga (flower bath) or a giant mound of vivid red saga seeds have to say about the complex, diverse and dynamic region that is South-East Asia? The answer, perhaps, depends on what you’re looking for. This year’s Singapore Biennale 2013 (SB2013), where the abovementioned works are currently on display, is very much about the nature of contemporary art itself: what it is, what it isn’t, and how the line between these definitions can often blur.