It’s that time of the year again. Gillman Barracks opened five years ago, and brought with them a number of renowned galleries to its compound. Come Sep 22, they’ll be throwing a massive birthday bash with their signature open house event Art After Dark, happening from 7pm till late. Here are a couple of things you might want to check out when you head over to the former military barracks this Friday.
The launch of Gillman Barracks x Ocula Art-In-Sight publication
With so many publications in Singapore and around the world pulling print from their businesses to focus on their digital products, this is a nice change because we all love print. Art-In-Sight is Gillman Barracks’ first ever publication, in partnership with one of the world’s leading art platforms, Ocula. In the super insightful 224-page issue, you’ll get to read interviews, such as with artists like Robert Zhao Renhui, who talks about his well-received Singapore, very old tree project; Zai Kuning, the multidisciplinary artist who’s currently representing Singapore at the 57th Venice Biennale with his 17-meter-long ship made of rattan, beeswax and string; and Nguan, the photographer who takes pastel images of people and places. There are also essays on the intricacies and ins and outs of Singapore’s visual arts scene
Where: Seminar Room at NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Singapore (Block 43)
Time: 6-7:15pm
See what their resident artists do in their natural habitat
What we often see at Gillman Barracks are the finished works of artists, but for this birthday event, NTU CCA will be opening up studios where their artists-in-residence work their magic at this edition of Residencies: Open. Take a look and speak to artists like Chun Kaifeng, whose works include mapping the day-to-day life of Singapore; Vietnamese artist Richard Streitmatter-Tran, whose work explores the physical properties of materials through various art forms, and more.
Where: #01-01 & #01-02 at Block 37 / #01-05 & #01-07 at Block 38
Time: All night
New exhibitions are on show
Just like before, there’ll be new gallery exhibitions that’ll be opening in conjunction with the festivities. To name a few, FOST Gallery will see a solo exhibition based on Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy titled Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, where Pakistani artist Adeel Uz-Zafar displays his prowess in etching on vinyl, while Indonesian artist Angki Purbandono’s solo exhibition at Mizuma Gallery, If You Give Me Lemon, I’ll Make Lemonade, offers different point-of-views on the jungle and metropolitan city through multimedia installations.
Where: FOST Gallery, Mizuma Gallery, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Element Art Space, and Chan + Hori Contemporary
Time: All night
Get in tune with some of Singapore’s best musicians
Providing the soundtrack for the birthday bash and generally bringing nothing but good vibes are a couple of musicians who’ll be taking the stage at Block 9. Electro-synthpop group Disco Hue will kick things off with some fun, dance-y tracks (“Saturday Noise” seems like an appropriate opening number, TBH) before eclectic quarter Strangerfox takes things a little slower (and darker) with a melancholic, soulful discography spanning a variety of genres. And ending the night, or at least the live performance segment of the celebrations, is none other than indie-electronic sweetheart Linying, who’ll soothe the night air with her haunting yet melancholic vocals.
Where: Block 9
Time: 7:45-8:30pm, 8:45-9:30pm & 10-10:45pm
You can’t say no to a street party, especially if it’s organized by Super 0
What’s a birthday party without some dancing, right? The fun-loving party organizers who were responsible for 2013’s manic warehouse music festival over at the defunct SIA Group Sports Club in Changi which saw artists like The Field and Tokimonsta, will be turning CCA’s outdoor area into a bustling block party, with DJs Cats on Crack, KFC, Zig Zach and Funk Bast*rd helming the decks while motion designer Reza Hasni and Juls provide kaleidoscopic visuals for the night. There’ll also be free music workshops for those who’ve always wanted to spin, but they only have a couple of slots open (sign up by emailing them here). PS: there’s an alfresco craft beer garden courtesy of BottlesXO to lubricate your soul.
Where: Block 45
Time: 7pm-12pm
Eat, shop, drink, repeat
Take home a piece of art at the Makers’ Market, where you can get anything from handcrafted accessories to various knick-knacks. Details are still in the works but keep checking their site or their Facebook event page for updates. Otherwise, keep yourself energized for the night’s activities at the food and beverage pop-up stalls courtesy of favorites like Neon Pigeon, Bird Bird, Burger Joint, The Lab SG, Super Loco, Soi 55 and more.
Where: Car Park B / Block 9
Time: 6-11pm
