SINGAPORE, Sept. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Established in 2008 and now in its eighth edition, the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) features a biennial gathering of creative minds from around the world and is one of Southeast Asia's longest-running photography festivals. This year, SIPF will bring worlds of photography to Singapore between 16 September to 30 October across multiple locations.
SIPF 2022 will be opening its doors on 16 September, and the public is invited to celebrate the occasion and experience the shape-shifting and subversive nature of imageries firsthand. Guest of honour Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law will officiate the opening ceremony which will be held on 23 September, where guided tours and events such as talks, dialogues and masterclasses will begin.
Featured at the festival for the second time, the Silvana S. Foundation Commission Award recognises artists' ability to interweave environmental, wildlife preservation, and humanitarian concerns into their photography. The winner of this edition's Silvana S. Foundation Commission Award is Ian Teh, a British-Malaysian documentary photographer whose works are motivated by the environmental issues of urbanisation and development. With a commissioned cash prize of $20,000 from Silvana S. Foundation, Ian's new works will be exhibited in the Mizuma Gallery from 17 September to 9 October.
The theme for this year — Future Known as Unpredicted — explores the belief that mankind should mine its boundless creativity for the capacity to create a path forward. International artists have been invited to showcase lens-based media art and photography in line with the festival's focus on photography's infinite potential to envision and empower.
With a visual tapestry of diverse stories woven together from 64 artists, this year's SIPF will activate unconventional spaces within our community to bring arts to people from all walks of life, integrating culture into our everyday spaces. Chance encounters with artworks by SIPF's participating artists will be staged across four MRT stations, at the old Singapore Chinese Girls' School campus, and within the Arts and Heritage district. The public can expect to take a journey through festival highlights including Spring Odyssey by Elise Morin (with the support of the Embassy of France Singapore) and Living Under the Volcanoes by Putu Sayoga at Emerald Hill, down to Worlds and Spacing by Maleonn at the Esplanade Tunnel.
DECK, the organiser for SIPF and non-profit organisation for photography, is constantly being reminded that arts form strong bonds by inculcating a sense of selfhood and belonging in the community. A new festival initiative this year will feature the collection of local stories and memories of Peace Centre, one of Singapore's oldest shopping malls, and presenting these materials as a representation of Singapore's national development in the 60s and 70s. This pursuit to make arts a shared experience for everyone is distinctive of the SIPF's belief – that photography is a powerful and dynamic medium in bringing people together to create and tell stories that are uniquely flavoured with Singapore's local heritage.
For more information or tickets, visit https://sipf.sg/.
About Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF)
SIPF is the longest-running photography festival in Southeast Asia which aims to advance the art and appreciation of photography. SIPF functions as a key platform to discover, nurture and propel Southeast Asian photographers onto the international stage. Through its associate programmes, the festival hopes to engage the public and raise levels of visual literacy, with its firm belief that photography can be enjoyed by all.
About Silvana S. Foundation Commission Award
Silvana S. Foundation is a non-profit organisation which builds upon the legacy of Silvana Regina Sutanto, an award-winning photographer who supported underprivileged children and environmental conservation throughout her life. The foundation continues her life's work through initiatives which unite photography and philanthropy to bring hope to children and wildlife in the Asia Pacific region.
The Silvana S. Foundation acknowledges its advisors Lateral Imaging, Frame Hub and Jada Art Gallery for their support in the Commission Award.
About DECK
DECK is a contemporary institution where all can gather through photography arts. Built on the support of a community and envisioned as a space where growth can happen organically with the community at its heart, DECK aims to be a leading platform that promotes visual literacy and champions diversity. It displays all facets of contemporary arts and photography to the widest possible audience.