KEY POINTS:
The island nation of Singapore has a reputation for being led by a controlling and oppressive Government. It routinely rates near the bottom of international surveys of press freedom, public dissent is aggressively blocked, and Amnesty International claims Singapore has the highest per capita execution rate.
But that doesn't stop celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain proclaiming Singapore as his favourite food destination, with a cuisine that draws from a diverse ethnic mix of predominantly Chinese, Malaysian and Indian populations.
From the street, Singapore seems bursting with optimism, with bustling food markets, a busy art scene and an ever-changing skyline where glass towers, sprawling shopping complexes and temple spires co-exist.
The only indication for the traveller that Singapore is anything other than a multicultural tourist mecca is the death-penalty warning on the back of the immigration arrivals card. Or the unavailability of chewing gum - banned to avoid costly mess.
The latest addition to Singapore's culture of rapid development is its first international contemporary art biennale, which cynics presume is a showpiece timed to coincide with the September meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Whatever its intentions, Singapore's Government has spent more than a decade putting enormous resources into establishing a local arts infrastructure and the Singapore Biennale looks to be a successful attempt at becoming a key player in the international art scene.
Biennale curator Fumio Nanjo says he knew little of the political environment when he began work on the Biennale last August. Although he was nervous about official reaction to some potentially contentious works installed on the front of City Hall, he says there was no censorship of the works he selected.
The decision to use City Hall, the home of the Supreme Court until last year, as a main venue is a dramatic and symbolic one, opening the former hub of Singaporean politics and justice to artists and allowing the public to wander through courtrooms and even judges' chambers.
Although exhibition guides are shy about showing visitors local works that are critical of Singapore, it seems the medium of contemporary art has opened a previously closed line of conversation. There are plans to permanently transform City Hall into a national art gallery.
New Zealand artist Daniel Malone, who staged a performance as part of the biennale's opening, says it wasn't quite so easy for artists. Although he never dealt directly with Nanjo, his plans were constantly being diluted by organisers until there was little trace of political content.
For Nanjo, who is director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, City Hall was doubly poignant as it contains the location where the Japanese Army surrendered to the British in 1945. For this room he selected a video work by Pakistani artist Rashid Rana, which shows the view from an aircraft window. Nanjo describes this as "not talking about the past but maybe telling about the future - where Singapore is going".
The Biennale also makes use of religious sites, community housing, public areas and a former Army barracks, a strategy that provides the exhibition with rich resonances. Nanjo says this gives the international audience a deeper experience of Singapore.
"Visiting this biennale also means reading the city history and the meaning and context of the city you are experiencing. And by this you are not a tourist, you are a little bit more than a tourist. When you see something, you feel something from this city. You encounter more ordinary people."
Nanjo says he had a deliberate strategy of taking art to the community to ensure the success of the first biennale. "The mission is to make certain roots into the society, rather than just acknowledging [them] by international art works. This was more important. Otherwise it will not happen again."
In an era when most international cities have a biennale or triennial, Nanjo realises that although the locals are impressed by the famous names he has enlisted (including Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer and Yayoi Kusama), what will ultimately distinguish the Singapore Biennale for an international audience is its location.
"We try to show many unknown artists from this region. There are so many good artists here in this region but you don't know it, so you have to come and see it."
Nanjo's theme for the exhibition is "Belief", which questions contemporary society's value systems, and was inspired by Singapore's religious diversity. It is also an attempt to get beyond the recurring biennale themes of globalisation.
"I was wondering how to go further than that, to the next step or the next question, after just the same qualities of multicultural. And then we were walking in the city centre and we saw so many different religious sites in a very narrow area - without conflict, together."
Despite all the grandstanding and propaganda from the Singaporean Government, there is no denying its claims of economic freedom and prosperity. For a small city-state of four million people, Singapore is a shopper's paradise with a good selection of ethnic markets and glitzy streets emblazoned with signage for some of the world's most exclusive brands. The Singaporeans like to joke about their commitment to the "five Cs" - cash, car, condo, cellphone and credit.
It seems that if there's one thing all Singaporeans believe in, it is shopping. Little wonder that Nanjo decided to transform Singapore's most famous retail strip, Orchard Rd, into a giant exhibition.
Exhibitions
What: Singapore Biennale 2006 Where & When: Various Singapore venues, to Nov 12.
* Andrew Clifford travelled to the biennale courtesy of the National Arts Council of Singapore.
