In Singapore Biennale 2008, traces of IKEA can be seen amongst the works by established and emerging artists from all over the world. Thanks to Gary Carsley, the Australian artist who had creatively transformed everyday furniture like the PAX NEXUS wardrobe into a beautiful masterpiece!

Gary conflates his interest in parks located around the world by using images of them as base images for the creation of veneer. To him, parks are very complex forms of place-making that are central to the mythologies of almost all the civilizations of the world.

For Singapore Biennale 2008, Gary has taken images of Singapore’s Little Guilin Park in Bukit Gombak (modeled after the real Guilin in China and representative of “Chinese-ness in Singapore”) and Jurong’s Chinese Garden. After a meticulous process of selecting images, he re-rendered them un faux wood-grain and these images have been creatively applied to selected IKEA furniture such as the PAX wardrobes, to create two installations: one at City Hall and the other at the Central Promontory Site at Marina Bay. When you open the wardrobes, you will immediately be transported into a different world.

About Singapore Biennale 2008
The Singapore Biennale 2008, Singapore’s premier international contemporary visual arts event, organized by the National Arts Council, is opened from 11 September to 16 November 2008. Led by Artistic Director Fumio Nanjo and curators Joselina Cruz and Matthew Ngui, the Biennale will feature 137 artworks by 66 artists and art collectives from over 36 countries and regions, including Singapore.

Singapore Biennale highlights Singapore prominence as an international visual arts hub, not only providing new opportunities for Singapore artists, curators and arts businesses, but also a key enabler of exchange and collaborations for the global arts community. The presence of Singapore Biennale 2008 is also a significant opportunity for the Singapore public to develop a stronger relationship with contemporary art.