Amman, 24 May 2022 – Darat al Funun - The Khalid Shoman Foundation announced its partnership with the Singapore Biennale 2022 (SB2022) to conduct an artist residency-exchange program from May 2022 to November 2022 in Jordan and Singapore, respectively.
The program invites artists Raed Ibrahim from Jordan and Ong Kian Peng from Singapore to develop their works as they reside in the home countries of SB2022's co-artistic directors, Ala Younis (Jordan), and June Yap (Singapore).
Luma Hamdan, Director of Darat al Funun - The Khalid Shoman Foundation, highlighted the importance of such partnerships between regional and international art institutions and what it facilitates from research, talks, and theoretical and practical interventions in the context of contemporary art.
Ala Younis, co-artistic director of SB2022, said, "Singapore Biennale is a platform that provides an opportunity to speak to present conditions and their effects. Our hope is to enable such conversations through the artworks as much as in dialogues, interactions, and participation involving both artists and audiences. We are excited to announce our partnership with Darat al Funun - The Khalid Shoman Foundation and see what processes and journeys materialize from the residency program."
Organized by the Singapore Art Museum and commissioned by the National Arts Council, Singapore, the seventh edition of SB2022, titled Natasha, is driven by the understanding that the process of art-making is as important as the resulting artwork. The art residency exchange program is an extension of the Biennale's collaborative approach to serve as a platform for artists and audiences in multiple cities to be a part of the artistic development process.
The seventh edition of the Singapore Biennale will culminate in an exhibition and other events from 16 October 2022 to 19 March 2023. A schedule of the activities and the comprehensive list of participating artists will be released in Q3 2022.
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About the Singapore Biennale:
The Singapore Biennale was established in 2006 as the country’s pre-eminent platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. It presents and reflects the vigour of artistic practices in Singapore and the region within a global context, and fosters productive collaborations and deep engagement with artists, arts organisations, and the international arts community.
The Singapore Biennale cultivates public engagement with contemporary art through a period of concerted activities including exhibitions, public engagement and education programmes that feature artist and curator talks and tours, school visits and workshops, and community days. It complements achievements in other areas of arts and culture, collectively enhancing Singapore’s international profile as a vibrant city in which to live, work and play. The 2006 and 2008 editions of the Biennale were organised by the National Arts Council (NAC). NAC has commissioned SAM to organise the Biennale since 2011.
For more information, visit: https://www.singaporebiennale.org/
About the Artists:
Raed Ibrahim (b. 1971) is an artist interested in socially and politically engaged artistic practice related to issues of identity and memory. He currently teaches at the University of Jordan, Faculty of Arts. He graduated from the Lebanese University and participated in Darat al Funun's Summer Academy in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and in an artist-in-residence exchange program between Darat al Funun and ProHelvetia, in Aarau, Switzerland in 2009. He participated in several exhibitions at Darat al Funun since then, including A Camel in the Room in 2020.
Ong Kian Peng (b. 1981) is a media artist based in Singapore. His practice investigates the effects of climate change and our relationship with nature. Working at the intersection of art, technology, and the environment, Ong creates immersive and reflective environments that offer alternate visions and imaginations of our relationship with nature. Ong's works have been exhibited in art spaces such as the Tainan Museum of Fine Art, Singapore Art Museum, Arebyte Gallery London, ICA London, Total Museum Seoul, and ICA Singapore. He has presented works in festivals and art fairs like the Singapore M1 Fringe Festival, International Computer Music Conference, Siggraph Art Gallery, FILE Festival Brazil, Asian Students and Young Artists Festival, Japan Media Arts Festival, Singapore Open Media Art Festival, and Yeosu International Art Fair. Ong was awarded the President's Young Talent Grand Prize in 2015. Ong graduated from UCLA with an MFA in Design Media Art. He received the NTU research scholarship to pursue his PhD at the School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University (2022). Since 2017, he has been running Supernormal, an independent art space focusing on emerging and experimental art practice.