Singapore Biennale returns with broader focus – and a scandalous name

WHAT’S in a name? Far too much, judging by the ground response to the Singapore Biennale 2022 (SB2022) officially calling itself “Natasha” instead of going with the usual title or theme. “Natasha” has Slavic origins and was popularised by a character in the Russian novel War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  Tongues have been wagging since the announcement was made 4 months ago, with art lovers calling the name “inappropriate” and “insensitive” in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As recent as the press conference on Jul 27, journalists were still questioning the logic behind the name.

But the 4 co-artistic directors – June Yap, Nida Ghouse, Ala Younis and Binna Choi, all born and raised in different countries – stood by their decision, saying that “Natasha” has become a very popular name across the world, and taken on other cultural meanings and connotations independent of its Slavic origins.

“We came up with the name ‘Natasha’ because we all knew someone by that name in different countries. So to cancel out ‘Natasha’, one would also be cancelling out these other cultural contexts,” says Younis, who was born in Kuwait but has lived in various parts of the Middle East.