Every time a little hole-in-the-wall supporting the arts opens up in Singapore, we light up with confiding smiles. Another patron saint of the arts, we’d tell ourselves. Alas, an institution we’ve become so fond of in the quiet corner of the Kampong Glam district is about to shut down for good on Mar 25. Au revoir Artistry, mon amour.
Like most people—artists and purveyors of the arts alike—we couldn’t pick our jaws off the floor upon hearing the news. When they came onto the scene back in 2012, the focus was to create an arts space to showcase a variety of works from both local and international rising artists. Their food and beverage program was initially really to go along with appreciating the arts, but has since become a favorite among coffee lovers, brunch-goers and people who were really just looking for a nice place to chill over beers.
Photo credit: Artistry’s Facebook page
For the past six years, we’ve been thoroughly impressed and entertained by the smorgasbord of programs this two-in-one cafe/art gallery has brought to the scene for our community of artists—monthly spoken word nights, regular showcases of up and coming musicians, poetry and story slams, eye-opening exhibitions, charity events for a damn good cause… and that’s just scratching the surface. They’ve helped to make the invisible visible, gave the ones without a voice a safe space to express themselves, created opportunities for artists who were otherwise shunned away or not given the chance to showcase their work—it became a truly inclusive and welcoming space so full of unconditional love for the lonely and the alone, the misunderstood and the brave, the makers and the consumers.
Artistry’s Prashant Somosundram said that the decision to shutter the space was purely a business one. Despite serving up “164,032 coffess, 16,808 Artistry chilli crab burgers, [and] 7,288 French toasts, […]”—as they’ve mentioned on Facebook—the weekday crowd, Somosundram continued, had diminished gradually.
Photo credit: Artistry’s Facebook page
While they mentioned on the post that they hope to reconnect with fans through other initiatives soon, there’s no word on whether Artistry will be moving, or if a new concept will be introduced. For the time being, there are a couple of events lined up leading up to the impending closure, like the super-sized final monthly spoken word showcase curated by none other than Pooja Nansi, Havana Social Club Trio’s final showcase, and more to go for.
Otherwise, you could always just pop in anytime between 9am and 11pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays (they close at 4pm on Sundays) for a nice afternoon me-time, slouching over the rustic wooden furniture on the patio with a cup of coffee (or beer, if you enjoy day-drinking) and a book in hand, one last time.
