The National Gallery Singapore is messing with minds and shaking things up—from Oct 7-29, the art of film steps into the spotlight, in a curated international festival of over 30 films on art.
Still confused? Essentially, the festival, Painting with Light, will showcase award-winning feature-length and short films exploring the multi-sensory medium of art. Divided into four sections, the program aims to reaffirm the role of art in the human experience. In Ways of Seeing, the films will look at artists who intervene in their societies through art; Holding Space celebrates institutions of art and their public; Special Focus: The Art Commission examines works commissioned by both private and government entities; and finally, Southeast Asian Shorts speaks for itself with a selection of short films on the art and culture of Southeast Asia.
If you’re thinking of paying a visit, add these three picks to your must-see list: Songs From the North (Soon-Mi Yoo), an essay film dissecting North Korea through her national art; The Space In Between (Marco Del Fiol), a part-documentary, part-video installation following the intriguing experiments of performance artist Marina Abramovic, who tests the limits of her body in her art; and EXPRMNTL (Brecht Debackere), a witty and possibly grisly documentary on experimental cinema through the ages.
The festival will run over four weekends at the National Gallery, and includes post-show dialogues with filmmakers—for anyone who want to pick the brains behind what they just watched. Tickets are $10 for feature films and free-of-charge for shorts, while an enhanced appreciation for the arts is priceless.
For more information, head here.
