Background & Review

 Background of the festival

The Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is a festival that is held every two years, the first in the year 2008. It is the first photography festival in Southeast Asia. The purpose of the festival is to allow Southeast Asian photographers to showcase their works together with various international artists at several venues across Singapore. It aims to be a much-needed arena of critical thought and academic discussion on photography in Southeast Asia.

This year, the SIPF will be presenting a series of exhibitions displaying the outstanding works of emerging and established photographers from all over the world.The SIPF does not only consist of the official exhibitions and programmes. Instead, there are also workshops, portfolio reviews, photographic film screenings and forums held at various arts galleries, arts spaces and education institutions.

At the core of SIPF is a firm belief that photography can be enjoyed by all.

Singapore International Photography Festival

"Insider or outsider- who is better positioned to document society?"

Review of event

I visited the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands a week ago and attended the OUTSIDE IN: A Magnum Photos Showcase. It features artists like Stuart Franklin, Mark Power and Jacob Aue Sobol.

ArtScience Museum

OUTSIDE IN: A Magnum Photos Showcase will mark the 65th anniversary of the agency, and is the largest collection of Magnum photographs in Singapore, with a total of 143 pieces on display.

The Admission Tickets!

When I went there, there weren't much people as it was on a Monday night. The showcase was designed like a maze with high walls and spotlights. Like what I mentioned above, the main artists were Stuart Franklin, Mark Power and Jacob Aue Sobol. Unfortunately, photography weren't allowed in the showcase thus I wasn't able to show you how it’s like inside. However, I found a picture online which I am happy to share with all of you.

Source: http://www.venusbuzz.com/archives/30978/outside-in-a-magnum-photos-showcase-in-singapore/

The photographs are really intriguing and in-depth. Like the saying, "Behind every photo, lies a story". In this case, this saying totally fits in. You will be able to be blend in with the photographs and start questioning the main motive of the photos.

The only downside of this event is that it can get a little confusing after walking for some time. You may start questioning yourself whether you have seen these or not. Other than that, all the various photographers have their own outstanding style which makes it worth the visit.

More details on the event

The major stakeholders

This will be a first for Asia. For non-Singapore residents, tickets will be priced at SGD6 for adults and SGD3 for children ages 2 to 12. For Singaporeans, it will be priced at SGD5 for adults and SGD2 for children. Considering the amount of quality photographs showcased, this price is a steal. It will be held from the 10th October 2012 to 6th January 2013. It is currently still ongoing so if you have a chance, do drop by ArtScience Museum and take a look at it. Interested? You can click here for more information.