Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim has responded to the Venice Biennale issue earlier this afternoon. Arts NMP Janice Koh had asked for the reasons for the pullout, how the NAC intends to spend the budget that was supposedly set aside for this and whether the views of the visual arts community was considered. Here’s the official response.

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A) Non-Participation at the 55th Venice Biennale Singapore has participated in 6 editions of the Venice Biennale since 2001. The cost of participating in each edition averaged more than three-quarters of a million dollars. The last edition in 2011 cost the National Arts Council (NAC) S$850,000, to showcase one artist and one curator. As a comparison, the grants budget for the whole visual arts sector in FY11 was only S$1.78 million, but benefitted more than 135 artists and visual arts groups. For FY12, NAC has increased this grants budget by more than 20%, with the intent of helping even more artists. As I had mentioned in my written reply to Members in July this year, the Venice Biennale has been one of the platforms at which the NAC has profiled Singapore’s artistic talent globally. However, despite the millions of dollars spent on the Venice Biennale, only a handful of our artists and curators have been able to capitalise on the opportunities and prestige that their participation have brought. For the vast majority of our artists, there is still much room to improve the basic level of support. NAC’s budget for supporting the entire visual arts sector in Singapore is only about S$7.3 million this year. This budget, which was increased by 10% from the previous year, funds a range of visual arts platforms and a variety of grants to visual arts groups and artists. The government is mindful of the need to periodically review and ensure that public funds are well-spent, and that benefits to our local arts community are maximised. Having taken part at the Venice Biennale for over 10 years, it is timely for the NAC to undertake a stock-take. In view of this on-going review, the NAC has decided not to participate in Venice Biennale 2013. The impetus for the review stems from the need for the government to improve its long-term strategy for international profiling and exposure for our arts talent. Given the limited resources and competing needs, we must strive to maximise outcomes for all our artists. Based on our previous model of participating at the Venice Biennale, only 20% goes towards benefitting artists directly, with 80% of our funds going towards venue rental in Venice and associated logistics and administrative costs. A review will help us determine how these funds can be made to work harder for our artists.  For instance, through creating more commissioning opportunities for our arts practitioners, whether in Venice or at other platforms such as Art Stage Singapore and the Singapore Biennale. B) Allocation of resources While the review is on-going, the NAC will invest in more strategic developmental opportunities for the local visual arts community. Among the initiatives being explored are: a)     Ramping up support and presence at a variety of major international events, including the Venice Biennale curated section. b)     Ramping up support and participation in international residencies for artists. c)      Profiling local artists at international platforms held in Singapore, such as the Singapore Platform at the international art fair, Art Stage Singapore. d)     Supporting the commissioning and curating of more ambitious local works that can reach both domestic and international audiences. e)     Growing the capabilities of independent visual arts institutions, as intermediaries for international showcasing of Singapore talent. f)       Working with visual arts groups to offer more experimental platforms for artistic development and professional practice. C) Consultation Process As part of NAC’s on-going consultation for its long-term Visual Arts masterplan, NAC had sought feedback from Visual Arts stakeholders in the public sector and arts community. In arriving at the decision not to participate in Venice Biennale 2013, NAC had also taken into consideration key findings and observations from our previous involvement in Venice, including feedback from the Venice Biennale Selection Panel. The NAC received mixed views from the various stakeholders regarding Singapore’s participation in the Venice Biennale.  On balance, we decided that it would not be prudent to proceed with participation in the next Venice Biennale, without first addressing the concerns of how public money is best used to maximise benefits for all our artists.  As part of this review, NAC will consult its visual arts advisors and seek the views of members of the arts community and the public. D) Conclusion In conclusion, let me assure the House that the government is committed to helping develop our visual arts sector. The key issue is how public money should be spent to achieve the greatest impact, and to benefit the most artists. The NAC recognises that the Venice Biennale continues to be a desirable platform for international profiling of our artists. Besides some countries’ independent efforts to rent a space and present a “Country Pavilion”, an important focal point of the Venice Biennale is the high-profile curated section where artists are selected and presented by the Biennale’s curator that year.  In this respect, even as NAC reviews our participation via a “Country Pavilion”, NAC will extend strong support and facilitation to Singapore artists who are selected to participate in the curated section of the upcoming and future editions of Venice Biennale. The on-going review allows the government to carefully map out a longer-term strategy and approach to visual arts, that will best support our local talent and maximise the benefits for Singapore’s visual arts development.

*** (It's actually all in here. Can't say I was surprised, but it was great that it was addressed. I'm pretty sure the open letter helped a lot. Was it all for nothing? Definitely not. Thoughts?)