“How did January end so quickly?!” is the question that will be plaguing most of us this week, as we segue into the month of love. Whether you’re in the midst of swiping right in anticipation for every single person’s most hated day in Feb or planning a low-key V’Day thing, take your mind off all that and live in the present with these workshops, exhibitions and parties happening this week.
Monday, Jan 29
“Games and Politics” at Kult Studio & Gallery
EXHIBITION
Alternative gallerists kult have collaborated with German cultural organization Goethe-Institut to curate a sartorial exhibition on games and politics as a reflection of the political nightmare that was 2017, and the conversations we should continue to have. Open your mind and have your hand at the Games and Politics over at Kult Studio & Gallery. Through Feb 12
WORKSHOP
We can’t find a reason to not like chocolate. And if you wanna go further than just consuming them, join Chocolate Academy Singapore‘s class to learn the art and science of chocolate panning. They’ll teach you how to coat a crunchy center (like almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts…) and get that oh-so-attractive chocolate shine. Jan 29-30
MARKET
Get ahead of everyone and check out Millenia Walk’s Free Folk Chinese New Year Market, where you can find stuff from vendors like Epigram Books, local candle-makers Hush Candle (remember the creepy baby head ones they did for Halloween?), The Little Drom Store and more. Through Feb 2
Tuesday, Jan 30
Foster The People
CONCERT
You’ve probably heard them for their controversial breakout single, “Pumped Up Kicks”, or caught them when they performed here at Fort Canning Park in 2012. But five years and two records later, Foster The People is back for another headlining gig, this time at Zepp @ BigBox Singapore. Jan 30
FILM
Spend Tuesday nights watching a free movie at Popcorn Movie Nights, over at Palawan Green in Sentosa. This week’s chosen film is Transformers: The Last Knight. Jan 30
COMEDY
Give yourself a break and laugh yourself silly as American headlining comedian and host of popular “Lost in America” podcast on iTunes Turner Sparks takes the stage at Hero’s with his laser-like punchlines. Jan 30
EXHIBITION
A cursed gem, a dodo and a giant stuffed sloth walk into a museum; the punchline is that they’re here to stay till the end of April. Treasures of the Natural World , the traveling exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London, makes its first and only stop in Southeast Asia at the ArtScience Museum, bringing over 200 of the London museum’s star artefacts Through Apr 29
EXHIBITION
On the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, the National Museum of Singapore remembers 1942, with their first large-scale, blockbuster war exhibition featuring more than 130 artefacts from 10 overseas museums and institutions. It’s the biggest collection of war stories to date, but go because the exhibition explores events and portrayals of World War II beyond just your textbook syllabus. Through Mar 21
Wednesday, Jan 31
5 Rehearsals for a Wedding. Photo credit: Kray Chen
THEATER
Just how much do you know about the cultural, social and collective expectations of a traditional Chinese wedding? Visual artist and 2018 Young Artist Award recipient Kray Chen takes that perceived knowledge and puts a twist on the usual rituals in 5 Rehearsals for a Wedding, to shine a light on the anxieties and behaviors that come with weddings of today. Through Feb 11
FILM/WELLNESS
Yet another film screening at the beach, except this one comes with a relaxing yoga class set to the tunes of the breaking waves and howling wind. After cleansing your soul, kick your feet up and watch the incredibly moving war epic starring Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge (free popcorn provided!). Jan 31
SCIENCE
The saying “once in a blue moon” comes to life at the end of this month, as we’ll be able to experience a total lunar eclipse right here in Singapore (the last one was two and a half years ago). Head over to Science Centre Singapore to catch a glimpse of of the blue moon turning blood red as it fully hides in the Earth’s shadow, and partake in various other activities. Jan 31
FOOD/DRINK
A collab between whisky distillers Bruichladdich and The Cheese Ark brings you a two hour whisky and cheese pairing event held at La Maison du Whisky that’s set to let you experience the complementary flavours of the aged drink and food as experts walk you through the pairings. Get tickets while you can. Jan 31
Asian Film Archive’s (AFA) annual flagship visual art series, State of Motion, is back for its third edition. This time, they’ll be exploring film as a medium of cultural and ideological changes of Singapore during 1955-1965, featuring 10 films that were produced in that decade such as Seniman Bujang Lapok (1961), Hang Tuah (1956) and Hang Jebat (1961). There’ll also be exhibitions, public art walks, panel discussions and guided film location tours to give a deeper perspective on the topic. Through Feb 11
EXHIBITION
The problematic issues surrounding climate change and the ocean take center stage at this exhibition presented by the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore. Featuring contributions by 12 artists, filmmakers, composers and researchers who made trips to islands in the Pacific, The Oceanic focuses on large-scale human interventions in oceanic ecospheres. Through Mar 8
EXHIBITION
Curated by acclaimed art historian Lorand Hegyi, The Artist’s Voice, brings together the works of 34 contemporary artists from around the world, to reflect on socio-political issues and the human conditioning through mediums ranging from sculpture and video. Through Mar 18
Thursday, Feb 1
Maze Out by Oomleo. Photo credit: Singapore Art Museum
EXHIBITION
If you fancy yourself a cinema enthusiast, the Singapore Art Museum’s latest exhibition Cinerama: Art and the Moving Image in Southeast Asia is a must-go. In a series of immersive, multi-medium installations, the exhibition brings together the works of 10 artists and art collectives from across the region. Here are five you should check out. Through Mar 18
PERFORMANCE/PARTY
French hip hop beat maestro Onra will be slaying the decks at Kilo as he gets set to play both a live and DJ set. His releases like ’80s funk beat-inspired studio album Long Distance and Chionoiseries trilogy (tracks made with Chinese music samples he discovered during his Asian travels) have made him one to watch. Feb 1
EXHIBITION
In a stunning collab between National Gallery Singapore and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Claude Monet and his contemporaries grace our sunny island with over 60 Impressionist masterpieces in Colours of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay, featuring works like the dreamy Le Bassin aux nympheas, harmonie rose. Through Mar 11
Friday, Feb 2
Untitled mural in Montreal (2016), Felipe Pantone; at ArtScience Museum’s Art from the Streets
EXHIBITION
You’d think a traveling exhibition from the London Natural History Museum would be hard to top, but ArtScience Museum’s upcoming shtick will trace 40 years of street art, from its controversial beginnings as expressions of counterculture, to its current standing as a major pillar of contemporary art. Art from the Streets will feature the works of the world’s top street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
PARTY
Join UK producer Third Son and be a voluntary prisoner of great music as he steps into the infamous cage at Headquarters to bring you into a world of arresting melodies, body-snatching grooves and pulsating beats. Feb 2
DANCE
Learn a thing or two about salsa from resident instructor Cheryl Wu as Kult Kafe’s Salsa Under The Stars returns after a long hiatus. Once you’ve got the groove of things, flaunt your stuff to the tunes of DJs May May, Shellsuit and Stew Bamrah. Feb 2
PARTY
Singapore’s coolest parking lot bar, The Great Escape, will be popping off with a delicious cauldron of classic funk, soul, latin, jazz, afro, hip-hop, house and disco music, freshly prepared and dished out by the likes of MC SWTLKR and a number of “Golden Mile all-stars” for this edition of Kampong Boogie. Feb 2
EXHIBITION
If you have a penchant for urban exploration but have nowhere else to go, you might want to drop by Raid for its final weekend. This exhibition takes place at the historic Tiong Bahru Air Raid Shelter and features eight promising artists who will be presenting their interpretation of the site through sculptures, installations and conceptual art. Through Feb 3
