Art exhibitions are aplenty, from galleries featuring esteemed artists to small community shows in the heartlands. But nothing makes your heart swell with pride more than a well curated exhibit showcasing works about Singapore. Here are some upcoming ones well worth checking out.
Time/Out (Apr 28 – May 7)
Local artist May Oon hopes we Singaporeans can better reflect on our migrant roots with her latest show that follows from the same theme as her last exhibit, Over/Time. Inspired by Chinese coolies in the 1800s and early 1900s, her grandfather’s lineage as well as the story of Penang towkay Tan Kheam Hock, Oon, who only learned how to paint when she was 40 years of age, will be presenting 14 charcoal and oil paintings on sockcloth or jute that depict the life of those laborers during that period.
Where: Goshen Art Gallery, #02‐19/20, Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd.
Equivalence (Apr 26-May 14)
Photographer Stefen Chow whom we interviewed regarding his work on Singapore’s playgrounds captured via drones, has teamed up with his long-time collaborator, economist Lin Huiyi, for a project aimed at highlighting social inequality. Earlier versions have been done in Beijing, Tokyo and Hong Kong, and now the project has arrived at Objectifs in Singapore. In Equivalence, the pair, whose previous collaborations have exhibited at Paris’ Les Nuits Photographiques, Hong Kong’s PMQ and permanently in Beijing’s CAFA Museum, juxtapose photographs of items that have vastly differing values. In the Singapore’s edition, 1000 aluminium cans from familiar brands like 100PLUS, Coca Cola and Haywards are photographed and presented in a grid with an item of an equivalent value as the aluminium cans.
Where: Chapel Gallery, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film.
In Their Own Words (May 4-7)
The Singapore Committee for UN Women is hosting a photo series by Jenson Lee in support of HeForShe, a gender equality movement. The exhibition features 10 men and women in Singapore from all walks of life, including a female Muay Thai fighter, a mountain bike coach, the first female president of The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, as well as a social entrepreneur. Find out more about their stories here.
Where: The Arts House
Beginnings (May 13-20)
The diagnosis of stage 4 thyroid cancer may be traumatic for local ceramic enthusiast and PR practitioner Suan Ong, but she did not let that stop her from living a full life. She has been cancer-free for six years now and since then, completed her pottery project Beginnings, which has helped her cope with her illness. The exhibition is also a show of thanks to the friends, family, nurses and doctors that helped her during her most difficult time.
Where: Visual Arts Centre @ Dhoby Ghaut
Faber-Castell Art Festival (May 27 – Jun 4)
The first-ever art festival by Faber-Castell will see a range of craft workshops take place. But the main draw (pun intended) here is the 5-meter long color marker mosaic depicting the Singapore skyline and which uses 25,000 connector pens to make. The massive artwork is set to go down in history as the biggest mosaic done using color markers in Singapore. Try spoting your favorite Singapore landmarks at this massive installation.
Where: Marina Square Central Atrium, 6 Raffles Blvd
In The Garden (Jun 9 – Jul 9)
In The Garden is an exhibit held by six local artists responding to the theme of physical spaces within homes in Singapore. One of the artists is Kirsten Tan (of Pop Aye fame). But don’t expect a new film from her. Instead, she’ll be exhibiting two (or more) of her outfits to depict her career in filmmaking and which explores the facade she needs to put on during those years. You can also look forward to a short video titled Mother, which documents her mother’s prayer rituals at home presented by filmmaker Gladys Ng. There will also be a series of sketches by painter Ian Woo about the ignored corners of home.
Where: Chapel Gallery, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film
